How to forget Wi-Fi network on Windows 10

On Windows 10, every time you connect to a Wi-Fi network a profile for that particular network with its SSID (Service Set Identifier), network security key, and other information will be created on your device. In the future, if you want to connect, you simply select the wireless network, and Windows 10 will do the rest automatically.

The only caveat is that Windows 10 will save a profile of every network even if you no longer plan to use that particular connection or if it gets corrupted, but you can quickly delete (or forget) a wireless network in a number of ways.

In this guide, you’ll learn the steps to forget a Wi-Fi network on Windows 10 using the Settings app, taskbar, and Command Prompt.

• Forget Wi-Fi network connections using Settings
• Forget Wi-Fi network connections using taskbar
• Forget Wi-Fi network connections using Command Prompt

Forget Wi-Fi network connections using Settings

To remove previously configured and currently connected Wi-Fi networks, use these steps:

1. Open Settings on Windows 10.

2. Click on Network & Internet.

3. Click on Wi-Fi.

4. Click the Manage known networks option.

   

5. Select the network you want to remove, and click the Forget button.

   

   Once you complete the steps, the Wi-Fi network you selected will be removed from your computer. If you need to remove other networks, simply follow the same steps.

Forget Wi-Fi network connections using taskbar

To forget a wireless connection from the taskbar, use these steps:

1. Click the wireless icon in the notification area.

2. Right-click the network and select the Forget option.

   

After you complete the steps, you’ll no longer see nor you will be able to connect to the same network unless you manually configure it again.

Forget Wi-Fi network connections using Command Prompt

To use netsh with Command Prompt to remove network files, use these steps:

1. Open Start.

2. Search for Command Prompt, right-click the top result, and select the Run as administrator option.

3. Type the following command to identify the network and press Enter:

   netsh wlan show profiles

4. Type the following command to remove the wireless network and press Enter:

   netsh wlan delete profile name="WIFI NAME TO REMOVE"

   

Once you complete the steps, the Wi-Fi network will be removed from Windows 10.

Update August 10, 2020: Originally published in December 2017, and it’s been revised to reflect the new changes on Windows 10.