How-To

How to Set Internet Priority on Windows 11

By Jeff Butts

Updated November 22, 2023

Windows 11 usually does a good job of making network settings easy. If you have multiple network connections, the operating system determines which of the available options is the best to use. However, what if you want to manually set Internet priority on Windows 11? There are a couple of ways to do that, so let’s walk through them.

Why You Might Need to Set a Different Network Adapter Priority

If your laptop or desktop has more than one network connection, there could come a time when you want to favor one over the other. For example, you might prefer to use an Ethernet connection over your PC’s Wi-Fi.

You can also adjust internet priority for troubleshooting your network connection. If you think your Wi-Fi hardware is malfunctioning, changing the network adapter priority to use Ethernet or another Wi-Fi adapter first can help pinpoint the problem.

Two Ways to Manually Set Internet Priority on Windows 11

There are two ways you can change which network adapter gets used first on Windows 11. The Windows PowerShell utility offers this functionality. It’s also located in the networking control panel applet.

First, though, you should check what the current network adapter priorities are.

How to Check Network Priorities Using PowerShell

The easiest way to check current priorities is with PowerShell.

1. Click Start.
2. Type powershell in the search field.
   
3. Select Run as Administrator.
4. Run the command Get-NetIPinterface in the PowerShell window.
   

The results that follow tell you about every networking adapter active on your PC. Under the column labeled InterfaceMetric, you’ll see the priority for each. A lower number means that the adapter will take higher priority over others.

Looking at my output, I know my Ethernet adapter has the highest priority.

How to Use PowerShell to Set Internet Priority on Windows 11

You can change those priorities right here in PowerShell.

1. The command to set network priority is as follows:

   Set-NetIPInterface -interfaceIndex “XX” -InterfaceMetric “YY”

2. Replace “XX” with the current priority of the network adapter.
3. Replace “YY” with the new value you wish to set.
4. There won’t be a confirmation message, so check that the changes took effect by again running Get-NetIPinterface.

The Set-NetIPInterface command has a lot of power built into it, so exercise caution when using it. If you’d rather make these changes using the Control Panel applet, read on.

How to Change Network Adapter Priorities in Control Panel

1. Click Start, and enter ncpa.cpl in the search field.
   
2. Click the control panel applet.
3. Right-click the network connection you want to change, then select Properties.
   
4. Locate and select either Internet Protocol Version 6 (TCP/IPv4) or Internet Protocol Version 6 (TCP/IPv4).
5. Click Properties > Advanced.
   
6. Uncheck Automatic metric.
   
7. Next, type the desired priority into the Interface metric field.
   
8. Click OK to save changes.

Gaining a Better Understanding of What’s Under the Hood

If you’re interested in learning more about what PowerShell can do for you in your networking configuration, it’s worth your time to read up on the tools. Microsoft offers full documentation on its website for both Get-NetworkIPInterface and Set-NetworkIPInterface.