Connect to a wireless network - Windows Tutorial

- I'm sure you've connected to a wireless network before, perhaps from a laptop computer, a phone, or a tablet. The process is often the same no matter the device. A prompt generally appears informing you of the available networks and you click one to join. Most people also opt to connect to a network automatically during this process. You can also choose from a list of networks. On a Windows 10 machine, just click the Network icon on the task bar. You can tell Windows to remember the networks you connect to so that you can connect quickly and without prompting the next time you're in range of them. I'll show you. Here's the option to connect automatically. However, if you change your mind about remembering a network perhaps because you'll never use it again, you'll want to forget the network. You might also want to let Windows know not to look for that network when it's scanning. This takes resources your computer doesn't need to be using. Whatever the reason, to forget a network, click "Start", "Settings", and "Network and Internet". Because you can only forget Wi-Fi networks, click "Wi-Fi" in the left pane. Now you can click "Manage Known Networks" to see a list. I have a long list. To forget a network, simply click it and then click "Forget". You can also connect to a network from Settings. Let's look at a few more options and if you're following along, click the back button. Here, I'll make sure Wi-Fi is selected and I'll click "Show Available Networks". And here's that list again. But what do you do when the wireless network you want to connect to doesn't appear? In these cases, you'll need to join a wireless network manually. You do this in the Network and Sharing Center. You can get to the Network and Sharing Center from the link on the Wi-Fi Settings page. Now, click "Set Up a New Connection or Network" and click "Manually Connect to the Wireless Network". And click "Next". Here's where you'll type the network name, choose an encryption type, and enter the security key. That's the password. All of which you can obtain from the local network administrator. Once you've entered this information, you can start the connection immediately and connect to the network even if it isn't broadcasting. You'll click "Next" to complete the wizard, but I'll just click "Cancel". If the network you have connected to is metered, meaning you have to pay for the data you use, you'll want to configure it as a metered connection. Doing so will disable Windows updates and application downloads for some applications. To set a network as metered, return to Settings. Again, open Network and Internet. Make sure the Wi-Fi tab is selected in the left pane and click the connection in the right. Scroll down and move the slider from off to on under "Set as Metered Connection". When you turn on a metered connection, only priority Windows updates will be downloaded. App downloads may be paused. Start screen tiles may not update. And offline files may not sync. To sum up, you can connect to a wireless network in several ways. You can connect from the Task Bar and from the Settings window and you can connect to a hidden wireless network from the Network and Sharing Center. You can also mark a connection as metered when you're concerned about data usage. Spend some time to look at any other settings available to you. And when you're ready, close all open Windows.