Solved Automatically Connecting WiFi Does Not Automatically Connect

I'm trying to get a WiFi connection to automatically connect when WiFi is turned on but even though I have connected with the "Connect automatically" checked, the device does not connect when turning on WiFi for the machine. I have to open up the WiFi menu, select the connection, and press "Connect"

This is the device used to connect:

Open to suggestions on why this might be occurring. Thank you for any assistance.

please check the reliability monitor to see if there any errors.
control panel > security and maintenance > maintenance > reliability monitor
#
open a command prompt as Administrator and run
sfc /scannow

let this run and if it shows errors then a restart will be needed.
#
check the device manager for any errors and to see if the attached WiFi antenna is working as expected
driver or firmware updates maybe needed for this hardware.

best of luck, Steve ..

XxXxX said:

please check the reliability monitor to see if there any errors.
control panel > security and maintenance > maintenance > reliability monitor

Click to expand...

Thank you, Steve for your assistance. Device Manager shows no errors, and sfc did not find any issues. Additionally, nothing in the reliability history.

However, one thing that I am noticing is that Windows 11 is not remembering the network after all. It keeps asking for the password even when I enter it correctly. It will connect but won't reconnect if that makes sense.

I have also reset my network but the problem remains. Open to any further suggestions you or others may have.

I would ask ChatGPT as it is very good at solving all my Window's troubles!

I entered this, "in 24h2 my wifi does not connect automatically, even though it is set to do so."

Here is her response.... (I know you tried some of these).

This appears to be a known issue in Windows 11 24H2. Even when "Connect automatically" is selected, Wi-Fi sometimes does not reconnect after reboot or wake from sleep.

Possible Fixes:​

1. Forget and Reconnect to the Network
   • Go to Settings > Network & Internet > Wi-Fi > Manage known networks.
   • Select your network and click Forget.
   • Reconnect, ensuring "Connect automatically" is checked.
2. Disable and Re-enable the Wi-Fi Adapter
   • Open Device Manager (devmgmt.msc).
   • Expand Network adapters and find your Wi-Fi adapter.
   • Right-click it and choose Disable device, wait a few seconds, then re-enable it.
3. Update or Roll Back the Wi-Fi Driver
   • In Device Manager, right-click the Wi-Fi adapter and choose Update driver.
   • Try Search automatically for drivers.
   • If the issue started recently, choose Properties > Driver > Roll Back Driver.
4. Check Power Management Settings
   • In Device Manager, right-click the Wi-Fi adapter and select Properties.
   • Under the Power Management tab, untick Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power.
5. Ensure the WLAN AutoConfig Service is Running
   • Open Services (services.msc).
   • Find WLAN AutoConfig, right-click, and choose Properties.
   • Set Startup type to Automatic, then Start the service if it isn't running.
6. Try a Registry Tweak
   • Open Registry Editor(regedit) and navigate to:
     HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\WcmSvc\Local
   • If there's a key called fMinimizeConnections, set its value to 0 (or create a DWORD (32-bit) value if it doesn't exist).
   • Restart your PC.
7. Reset Network Settings
   • Go to Settings > Network & Internet > Advanced network settings > Network reset.
   • Click Reset now and restart your PC.
8. Check for Windows Updates
   • If this is a widespread bug, Microsoft may release a fix in future updates. Go to Settings > Windows Update and check for updates.

Try these steps and let me know if any work.

WOW @kelper you totally ChatGPT'd me I have had friends try to get me to do this and here is a good example. I gotta get into the habit, thank you for the suggestion.

I went through all of them and rebooted after #6. One of them seemed to work as now it works as expected. Thanks again!

Well done for ignoring the <br> tag in option 6, which ChatGPT includes if I don't 'paste as plain text'.

Can you mark this thread as 'solved'?

Next time, try the options one by one so you learn which one did the trick!

Consolidated list of all known fixes and workarounds for the current Wi‑Fi auto‑connect regression affecting Intel Wi‑Fi 6/6E adapters in build 26220.x.


1. Update the Wi‑Fi driver
Install the latest Intel Wi‑Fi driver (23.30+ or 24.x series).
Windows Update may install an older inbox driver that triggers the issue.

2. Rebuild the Wi‑Fi profile​

1. Settings → Network & Internet → Wi‑Fi → Manage known networks
2. Select your network → Forget
3. Reconnect and tick Connect automatically
4. Set Random hardware addresses → Off

This fixes the profile‑mismatch bug in 26220.

3. Disable Fast Startup​

Control Panel → Power Options → Choose what the power buttons do →
Untick Turn on Fast Startup → Save → Reboot.

This prevents a race condition where the adapter initialises too late.

4. Adjust Intel AX210/AX211 advanced settings
Device Manager → Network adapters → Intel Wi‑Fi 6E AX210 → Properties → Advanced

Set the following (names vary by driver version):

• MIMO Power Save Mode → No SMPS
• U‑APSD → Disabled
• Throughput Booster → Enabled

These force earlier firmware initialisation during boot.

5. Registry workaround: disable the new WLAN secure startup
This addresses the early‑boot auto‑connect regression in 26220.x.

Registry Editor →

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Wlansvc\Parameters<br>

Create DWORD (32‑bit):

DisableWlanSecureStartup<br>
Set value:

1<br>
Reboot.

6. Reset the network stack
Run in Administrator PowerShell:

netsh winsock reset<br>netsh int ip reset<br>ipconfig /flushdns<br>
Reboot and reconnect.

7. Confirm MAC randomisation is disabled
Settings → Network & Internet → Wi‑Fi → Manage known networks → your network →
Random hardware addresses → Off

This prevents profile mismatch on reboot.

8. Known limitation: Power Management tab missing​

On AX210/AX211 with Modern Standby (S0), the Power Management tab is intentionally hidden in current Intel drivers and cannot be restored.
This is expected behaviour and not a fault.

9. Known issue: WLAN AutoConfig cannot be set to Delayed Start​

Attempting to set wlansvc to delayed start returns Error 87.
This is a known limitation in 26220.x and cannot be changed.

10. If all else fails
This is a confirmed regression in the 26220 networking stack.
Options:

• Wait for the next Canary/Dev build (fix already in validation)
• Roll back to build 26120 (last stable networking stack)
• Use a startup script as a temporary workaround:
  netsh wlan connect name="YOUR_SSID"<br>

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For the record, I have tried all of the above and many others suggested by Microsoft forum, ChatGPT and Copliot, nothing worked until I did the last one, using ye olde time batch script