How to Solve the Windows Could Not Automatically Detect Network Proxy Settings Error
The Windows Could Not Automatically Detect Network Proxy Settings Error
Sometimes you’ll see that frustrating yellow exclamation point icon over your network connection icon in Windows. The OS offers to troubleshoot it for you, but after running through the automatic tool, you see this message: Windows could not automatically detect this network’s proxy settings.
What does this mean, and how do you fix it? Let’s take a look at Windows’ proxy settings and the steps to repair this.
1. Reboot Your Computer and Router
Before you launch into advanced troubleshooting, it’s always a good idea to restart your equipment first. There’s a chance that this will clear up your issue in a few moments.
Because this error is usually related to misconfigured settings on one computer, restarting your router likely won’t have an effect. But it’s still worth a try whenever you run into network problems of any kind.
If you reboot your computer and router and the problem hasn’t fixed itself, continue on with the more detailed steps.
2. Review Proxy Settings in Windows
Because this issue is related to your Windows proxy settings, that’s a sensible first place to check. To access proxy settings in Windows 10, open Settings, select the Network & Internet category, and switch to the Proxy tab from the left sidebar.
Here you’ll see a list of options related to proxy servers and how to setup a proxy server. If you don’t use a proxy (as is the case for most home users), make sure the Use a proxy server slider is turned off. Leave Automatically detect settings on if it is already.
For users who do connect with a proxy, such as in a work or education environment, you might want to check with your system administrator to make sure you have the correct proxy details.
After this, try reconnecting to the network again. If you still get the error, try turning off Automatically detect settings in the proxy options and try once more.
What’s a Proxy Server?
We don’t want to bore you with the details while you try to fix this issue but wanted to provide a brief explanation of what a proxy actually is and why Windows can run into problems with it.
Essentially, a proxy server acts as a middleman between your computer and the internet. Instead of you connecting directly to the internet, you connect to the server, which grabs information from the internet for you.
These are most common in business and school use, where system administrators use them for security and efficiency. It’s very unlikely that you would use a proxy server on your home network unless you specifically set one up. This is why you should clear any proxy settings that might exist when you run into this issue.
3. Run the Network Adapter Troubleshooter
When you right-click on the network connection icon and choose to troubleshoot, it runs the Internet Connections troubleshooter, resulting in the “Windows could not detect proxy settings” error. But there’s another network troubleshooter you can run that might provide more help.
Open Settings again and visit Update & Security > Troubleshoot. Find Network Adapter in the list and walk through the troubleshooter for this. As seasoned Windows users know, this tool doesn’t always fix your problem, but it’s worth a try.
4. Auto-Obtain IP Address and DNS
As it turns out, there aren’t many troubleshooting steps specific to proxy servers.
While they’re not technically related to your proxy settings, misconfigured IP address or DNS settings can cause this error too. To check them, browse to Settings > Network & Internet > Status. Click the Change adapter options button in the list to see all your network connections, then double-click on the one you’re using.
Here, click the Properties button and double-click Internet Protocol Version 4 in the list. Make sure you have both Obtain an IP address automatically and Obtain DNS server address automatically selected. Misconfigured settings here will prevent you from getting online.
5. Update or Roll Back Your Network Driver
An outdated network driver may lead to connection problems. Similarly, perhaps you’ve recently installed a botched update for your network driver. In either case, replacing it might clear up the trouble.
Right-click on the Start Button and choose Device Manager to open this utility. Expand the Network adapters section and double-click on the connection you use.
On the Driver tab, you can choose Roll Back Driver to uninstall the latest update and return to the previous one. Use this if you started experiencing this issue after updating.
Choose Update Driver and you can check for new updates over the internet. This likely won’t find anything though, so you’ll need to manually download the latest driver from your machine’s manufacturer.
Related Courses And Certification
Windows OS Course And Certification
Windows Server Course And Certification
