Do you want to know how to perform a netsh Winsock reset? Winsock (Windows Sockets) is the term used by Windows to represent the data on your PC that programs use to access a network. If you’re having difficulties connecting to the web, you can utilize the Command Prompt to reset Winsock with the netsh command.
These directions for resetting Winsock apply to Windows 10, Windows 8, Windows 7, Windows Vista, and Windows XP.
When to Perform a Winsock Reset
If you can’t view any web pages notwithstanding having a stable Wi-Fi connection, resetting Winsock could fix the problem. A Winsock reset can be helpful if you’re having internet connection difficulties in these situations:
- After removing malware
- When you see network-related pop-up errors
- After that, when there are DNS lookup issues
- When you’ve only uninstalled network-related software like a firewall program or VPN
- Next, when you see ”limited or no connectivity” errors
- When releasing and renewing the IP address doesn’t return connectivity
- After that, when the internet runs on other devices on the same network but not on your Windows PC
A netsh Winsock reset will break functionality in some applications, so you might end up having to reconfigure some of your software to make them usually work again.
What Does a Netsh Winsock Reset Do?
Resetting Winsock will undo configurations delegated to the Winsock Catalog in Windows system. Changes can be done by networking programs like web browsers, email clients, and VPN programs. A netsh Winsock reset reverts the wsock32 DLL file to its default setting, giving such software a new start at connecting to TCP/IP traffic.
Actions to perform Netsh Winsock reset Windows 7 and Windows 10
Windows 7 and Windows 10 users can go through the next steps to perform Netsh Winsock reset successfully:
- From your Windows, navigate to the right side of your screen and hit on the Search option.
- Next, type CMD and hit the “Enter” key. This action will open the command prompt.
- Here you have to type NetshWinsock reset and then hit the Enter key.
- When the resetting gets finished, your screen will display a message saying, “Winsock reset completed successfully.”
- Once it is done, you have to restart your system to complete NetshWinsock reset Windows 7, and Netsh Winsock reset Windows 10.
Netsh Winsock reset mac
Since Mac doesn’t have Winsock, so you cannot make NetshWinsock reset on it. However, the Airport reset in Mac can be used to get comparable results for which the steps are given below:
- First of all, you have to click on the icon representing “network.” You can easily find this icon available at the top-right corner of your Mac.
- After this, you have to choose Turn Wi-Fi Off or Turn Airport Off from the drop-down menu.
- Now, wait for a minute or two and then click on the “Network” icon once again.
- Wait until the Wi-Fi or the Airport restarts.
- In the end, reconnect to your default network before using the Internet again to visit any website.
How to run Netsh Winsock reset as administrator?
To run Netsh Winsock reset as an administrator, you require to perform these steps similarly as discussed below:
- Go to the “Start” menu by clicking on the “Windows” icon present on the screen’s left-hand corner.
- In the search bar, you have to enter cmd. You can easily find the search bar available at the bottom of the menu.
- When the search result for Programs appears, you have to right-click on the cmd option.
- In the next step, choose Run as administrator.
- If you have set a password on your system, depending on it, you will be prompted to enter the admin password so that you can continue easily.
- Now, your screen will present a black box with a flashing cursor. (This is the Command Prompt).
- Here you have to type “Netsh Winsock reset.”
- After that, hit the enter key from your keyboard.
- Now, you have to wait for the Command Prompt to run through the reset.
- Once the process gets finished, your screen will display a message stating, Winsock reset completed successfully.
- In the end, you have to restart your computer to save the changes.
What is the use of the Netsh Winsock reset command?
The most significant advantage of the Netsh Winsock reset command is that it allows you to display or modify your Windows PC’s network settings that you are currently using. It also gives you with a feature to run a group of commands in the batch mode. This indicates you can run this command against a specified computer.
At times, you might come across a situation when your Internet connection is OK, and you can still not access any website. In this situation, the Netsh Winsock reset shows to be very helpful. You can also fix pop-up errors and DNS lookup problems with Windows network connectivity.
FAQs
Q: Is Netsh Winsock reset safe?
If you are bothered that Netsh Winsock reset will pose any problem to your system while using this, then the answer is no. And, yes, Winsock reset is entirely safe to use because it resolves our network connectivity problems in not time. The most important thing to keep in mind while using Netsh Winsock reset is that you should be sure about the cause of the connection problem first and then use it.
Q: Should you reset Winsock?
Winsock reset can assist if you’re having internet connection problems in these situations: After removing malware when you see network-related pop-up errors when there are DNS lookup issues.
Q: How do I fix Winsock?
To repair Winsock, if you have Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2) installed, type netsh Winsock reset at the command prompt, and then hit ENTER. Note Restart the system after you run this command. Additionally, for computers running Windows XP SP2, there is a new netsh command that can repair the Winsock key.
Conclusion
The above guide will help you resolve the internet issues on your Windows 10, and macOS with the Winsock reset commands. Hence, you can also pick up lost or deleted data on your Windows 10/8/7 PC by using the power data recovery mini tool, but its free version will only recover 1 GB of data. Moreover, you can resolve other Windows issues by using the startup repair and SFC scannow. Follow the above guide to tackle the network issue whenever you face one.
