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The Default Gateway Is Not Available: How to Fix This Error
If default gateway not available keeps happening, try a reboot first
5 min. read
Updated onMay 23, 2024
updated onMay 23, 2024
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Key notes
Internet problemscan cause a lot of trouble, and one problem that Windows users reported isThe default gateway is not availableerror.
The gateway is the element that connects your computer to the Internet so you won’t be able to access any external links.
What happens if default gateway is not available?
When no next-hop IP address is defined within a routing table for forwarding data packets to a host, a default gateway acts as a forwarding hop to the other networking system.
As a result, when two networks desire to communicate or send data packets to one another, the default gateway serves as the access point to the other networks. This also includes changing the system and network topologies’ IP addressing and subnet masks.
When it is not available, it implies that there can be no communication. Hence in more general terms, you will suffer connection or network issues and will not be able to access other networks as normal.
If the default gateway not available keeps happening, here are some possible causes:
Router settings and outdated drivers could also cause this problem. Some users reported that antiviruses may sometimes block your connection.
With this in mind, go through our solutions one by one because one of them will help you fix this issue.
How do I fix default gateway is not available?
Before jumping into the list of advanced troubleshooting solutions, make sure to do the following:
1. Change the Power Management settings for your network adapter
2. Update your network driver
It’s important to mention that downloading drivers manually is a risky decision. You can damage permanently your system by manually downloading the wrong driver versions.
Thus, we recommend using athird-party driver updater toolthat is 100% safe to automatically download all the outdated drivers on your PC.
3. Run the Network troubleshooter
4. Reset the network
5. Reset the network connections via CMD
Given the fact that connection gateway errors are caused by network malfunctions, it may be useful to reset the network connection on your PC. Use the example down below to do it.
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Click on the WindowsStartbutton, typecmd, and chooseRun as administratorfrom the results.
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WhenCommand Promptstarts, enter the following commands and pressEnterafter each:netsh winsock resetnetsh int ip resetnetsh advfirewall resetipconfig / flushdnsipconfig / releaseipconfig / renew
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After the process is completed, closeCommand Prompt.
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Restart your PC. (You can fixThe default gateway not availableerror by resetting TCP/IP).
How do I fix the default gateway error in Windows 11?
If you have upgraded to Windows 11, you know by now thatit’s not much different from Windows 10, simply because it has the same core.
Apart from some very useful extra features and a more attractive design, the new OS is very similar to the old one.
That is why all the solutions we outlined for Windows 10 will work seamlessly to solve the gateway error on Windows 11 as well.
To fix any network adapter problems, follow the instructions above and also check out our guide onhow to fix network adapter issueswhich will surely help out.
If you have any more questions, or you wish to add anything about the subject, don’t hesitate to do so in the comments section below.
More about the topics:Ethernet,internet connection errors
Milan Stanojevic
Windows Toubleshooting Expert
Milan has been enthusiastic about technology ever since his childhood days, and this led him to take interest in all PC-related technologies. He’s a PC enthusiast and he spends most of his time learning about computers and technology.
Before joining WindowsReport, he worked as a front-end web developer. Now, he’s one of the Troubleshooting experts in our worldwide team, specializing in Windows errors & software issues.
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Milan Stanojevic
Windows Toubleshooting Expert
Before joining WindowsReport, he worked as a front-end web developer. Now, he’s specialized in Windows errors & software issues.
