Changing the Network Connection Order in Windows 10

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Added by Mike Danseglio October 12, 2015

If you’re like me, you have more than one network connection on your PC. For example, my desktop computer has two wired Ethernet adapters and one Wi-Fi adapter. And those are just the physical adapters… there are also virtual adapters for remote access and virtualization.

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Some of these adapters are connected to internal resources, and some to external networks. And because I test and experiment with my PC, those connections change periodically. So it wouldn’t be fair for me to expect Windows 10 to sort that out perfectly every time.

I want the most efficient and fastest network connections on this computer. Windows 10 does a pretty darn good job of figuring out what connection to use first all by itself. But occasionally I need to tweak it. This is how I change the order that Windows 10 uses network connections. The setting is somewhat hidden and difficult to locate, so you might want to bookmark this one.

First, fire up Control Panel. The old, classic Control Panel, not the Settings menu. I usually do this my pressing Windows + R, typing Control, and then pressing Enter.

Next click on Network and Sharing Center.

In Network and Sharing Center, in the left-hand column, click Change adapter settings. This will show you the Network Connections interface.

The option is here. But it’s hidden. To unhide it, tap the Alt key. You’ll see the menu bar unhide itself.

Now click the Advanced menu and you can select Advanced Settings. This shows you the Advanced Settings dialog.

This is it! To modify the connection order, click the adapter name in the Connections list and then click the up arrow or down arrow. The higher the connection in the list, the higher the priority to Windows.

Enjoy!

Mike Danseglio – CISSP, MCSE, and CEH

Mike Danseglio teaches IT Security Training, Windows, System Center and Windows Server 2012 classes at Interface Technical Training. His classes are available in Phoenix, AZ and online with RemoteLive™.