Occasionally, travelers may encounter two Wi-Fi networks that have the same SSID and their computer would have difficulty connecting. The authentication failed as a different password has already been set for this name. Although you can recover the wifi passwords saved on your computer, they can’t be modified. You will need to “forget” your saved Wi-Fi network(s) and then reconnect. This article discusses four ways through which you can forget a single or all Wi-Fi connections saved on a device.
How to forget Wi-Fi network in Windows 10
Forget Wi-Fi network in Windows 10 using System Tray
This is possibly the quickest and easiest way to forget the Wi-Fi network on your device. However, this method is only feasible if you want to remove one network at a time. To remove all networks at the same time, continue reading the article.
How to forget Wi-Fi network in Windows 10 Forget Wi-Fi network in Windows 10 using System Tray Forget Wi-Fi network in Windows 10 using Settings app Forget Wi-Fi network in Windows 10 using command line (Command Prompt & PowerShell) Forget all Wi-Fi networks in Windows 10 using command line (Command Prompt & PowerShell) How to connect to Wi-Fi network in Windows 10 Closing words
You will now notice that the network will immediately be removed and your system will not try to automatically connect to it. However, remember that this does not mean that your computer will stop discovering it at all.
Forget Wi-Fi network in Windows 10 using Settings app
The Settings application is a great utility that allows you to manage and configure your PC as per your desire. Let us also use it to forget saved Wi-Fi networks. As you will see, the saved network will vanish immediately and the credentials will no longer exist on your computer.
Forget Wi-Fi network in Windows 10 using command line (Command Prompt & PowerShell)
You can also remove a Wi-Fi network profile from your PC using the command line. It is quick and easy to list all of the saved Wi-Fi networks and then remove the selected one. Both Command Prompt and Windows PowerShell can be used to complete the task as the commands used are the same and compatible with both. You have now successfully removed the credentials of a Wi-Fi network from your computer. Remember that the same commands can also be used when using Windows PowerShell.
Forget all Wi-Fi networks in Windows 10 using command line (Command Prompt & PowerShell)
If you feel like you have many Wi-Fi credentials saved on your PC unnecessarily and do not connect to them that frequently, you can remove all of them in an instant, altogether. Use the command given below in either Command Prompt or PowerShell to do so. Remember to launch them with administrative privileges. The asterisks in the command mean “all,” hence removing all profile names and their information from your computer. You will now need to provide your credentials again when connecting to Wi-Fi. This will now create new profiles on your PC.
How to connect to Wi-Fi network in Windows 10
In case you had previously removed a Wi-Fi profile from your computer, you will now need to connect to it as the computer will require the correct credentials in order to do so. Make sure you have the correct password before connecting to a Wi-Fi network. Remember that these passwords are case-sensitive. Your PC will now verify the information with the Wi-Fi router and connect. This information will now be saved as a separate network profile.
Closing words
Most people rarely modify their SSIDs, leaving the default settings as provided by the Internet service provider (ISP). This results in the same SSIDs being discovered in different parts of the neighborhood, however, with different passwords. Thus, you might encounter the prompt that the network could not be connected. You may even be able to connect to a Wi-Fi network automatically because it has the same SSID and password that was already saved on your computer. We strongly advise users to change their Wi-Fi password so someone else won’t be able to access it.