How to Fix Ethernet Not Working on Windows, Mac, and Linux

Ethernet is supposed to be the reliable alternative to WiFi — plug it in and it just works. So when your wired connection suddenly stops working, it can be more baffling than a wireless problem. The good news is that most Ethernet failures follow a predictable set of causes, and every one of them is fixable. This guide walks through every level of the problem, from the cable in your hands to the driver on your operating system.

Step 1: Check the Physical Connection

Before touching any software settings, eliminate physical causes. These are the most common culprits and take 30 seconds to rule out.

• Check both ends of the cable. The RJ-45 connector should click firmly into both the router/switch port and your device’s Ethernet jack. A loose cable is the #1 cause of “Ethernet not working.”
• Look at the port lights. Most Ethernet ports have two indicator LEDs — a solid green or amber link light means the connection is established at the hardware level. No light means the link itself is down.
• Try a different cable. Ethernet cables can develop internal breaks, especially if they’ve been bent sharply or run over by a chair repeatedly. Swap in a known-good cable before anything else.
• Try a different port on the router or switch. Individual ports can fail. Plugging into another port takes seconds and eliminates the router as a hardware suspect.
• Restart your modem and router. A power cycle clears ARP tables and DHCP state that can leave wired connections in a broken state. Unplug both devices for 30 seconds, bring the modem up first, then the router.

Fix Ethernet Not Working on Windows 11 and 10

Windows has several layers of network configuration that can each cause a wired connection to fail. Work through these in order.

Run the Built-In Network Troubleshooter

Open Settings → System → Troubleshoot → Other troubleshooters and run the Internet Connections troubleshooter. On Windows 11, you can also open the Get Help app and search “fix Ethernet connection” to launch an automated diagnostic. It won’t catch everything, but it resolves driver and adapter state issues in many cases.

Update or Reinstall the Ethernet Driver

Open Device Manager (right-click the Start button → Device Manager). Expand Network Adapters and look for your Ethernet controller — it may be listed as “Intel Ethernet”, “Realtek PCIe GbE”, or similar. Right-click it and choose Update driver. If the driver appears with a yellow warning icon, uninstall it completely, reboot, and let Windows reinstall it automatically, or download the latest driver directly from your motherboard or laptop manufacturer’s support page.

Reset the TCP/IP Stack

A corrupted TCP/IP stack is a common cause of “Ethernet connected but no internet” on Windows. Open Command Prompt as Administrator and run these commands in sequence:

• netsh int ip reset
• netsh winsock reset
• ipconfig /release
• ipconfig /flushdns
• ipconfig /renew

Reboot after running all five. This resets your network stack to a clean state without changing your passwords or router settings.

Disable Power Management on the Adapter

Windows sometimes powers down the Ethernet adapter to save energy, and it doesn’t always wake back up properly. In Device Manager, right-click your Ethernet adapter, choose Properties, go to the Power Management tab, and uncheck Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power.

Fix Ethernet Not Working on macOS

Macs with built-in Ethernet (MacBook Pro with Thunderbolt-to-Ethernet adapter, Mac mini, iMac) share a similar set of failure points.

Run Network Diagnostics

Open System Settings → Network, select your Ethernet connection, and click Details. If the status shows “Cable Unplugged,” the issue is physical. If it shows “Connected” but you have no internet, click the Assist me” button (older macOS) or use Wireless Diagnostics from the menu bar to run the built-in Network Diagnostics assistant.

Renew the DHCP Lease

Go to System Settings → Network → Ethernet → Details → TCP/IP and click Renew DHCP Lease. This forces your Mac to request a fresh IP address from your router. If your Mac had a stale or conflicted IP, this usually resolves it instantly. For persistent IP issues, also check our guide on how to fix WiFi IP address conflicts — the same principles apply to wired connections.

Delete Network Preference Files

Corrupted network preference files can prevent Ethernet from initializing correctly. Open Finder, press Cmd+Shift+G, and navigate to /Library/Preferences/SystemConfiguration/. Delete NetworkInterfaces.plist and preferences.plist, then reboot. macOS will regenerate both files with clean defaults. Note: you’ll need to re-enter any saved VPN or static IP configurations afterward.

Fix Ethernet Not Working on Linux

Linux Ethernet problems most commonly involve the NetworkManager service, missing firmware, or a disabled interface.

Check Whether the Interface Is Up

Open a terminal and run ip link show. You’ll see a list of network interfaces — look for one named eth0, enp3s0, or similar. If the entry includes state DOWN, bring it up with: sudo ip link set eth0 up (replace eth0 with your interface name). Then request a DHCP address: sudo dhclient eth0.

Restart NetworkManager

On Ubuntu, Debian, Fedora, and most mainstream distributions, NetworkManager controls wired connections. A simple restart resolves a majority of Linux Ethernet failures:

sudo systemctl restart NetworkManager

After restarting, run ip addr show to confirm your Ethernet interface received an IP address in your router’s subnet (e.g., 192.168.1.x).

Install Missing Firmware

Some Ethernet chipsets — particularly Realtek-based adapters — require additional firmware packages that aren’t installed by default on minimal Linux setups. On Debian/Ubuntu, install the firmware-realtek package from the non-free repository. On Fedora, the relevant firmware is usually included in linux-firmware. Check dmesg | grep -i ethernet for firmware-related error messages after plugging in the cable.

Ethernet Connected but No Internet: One More Check

If your Ethernet port shows a link light and your OS reports “connected” but you still can’t browse, the problem is almost always DNS or routing rather than the connection itself. Try pinging your router’s IP directly (e.g., ping 192.168.1.1). If that works but websites don’t load, your DNS is the culprit. Switching to a faster public DNS server like Cloudflare (1.1.1.1) or Google (8.8.8.8) usually resolves this immediately. See our full guide on the best DNS servers for speed and privacy for step-by-step instructions on every platform.

Quick Ethernet Fix Checklist

1. Check cable — reseat both ends, swap the cable if no link light
2. Try a different router/switch port
3. Restart modem and router (30-second power cycle)
4. Run the OS network troubleshooter or diagnostics tool
5. Update or reinstall the Ethernet adapter driver
6. Reset TCP/IP stack (Windows) or renew DHCP lease (Mac/Linux)
7. Check DNS — switch to 1.1.1.1 or 8.8.8.8 if connected but no internet

Working through this list top-to-bottom takes less than 15 minutes and resolves the vast majority of wired Ethernet failures. If you’re still stuck after all of these steps, the Ethernet port itself may have failed — a USB-to-Ethernet adapter is an inexpensive way to confirm whether the onboard port is the problem before committing to a repair.