How to schedule Wi-Fi to turn back on automatically on Windows 10

On Windows 10 you can quickly schedule to turn on your Wi-Fi connection after a period of time, and here are the steps on how to do it.

Schedule Wi-Fi to turn on automatically on Windows 10

On just about any connected device, especially on phones and laptops, there is a switch to manually turn a Wi-Fi connection on or off. It’s a feature that always comes in handy to save data and battery life, or to prevent your device from connecting to a Wi-Fi network in certain places.

While there is a number of benefits being able to turn Wi-Fi on or off, there has been one missing feature — at least on Windows 10 –, which is the ability to disable a Wi-Fi connection and schedule the OS to automatically turn it back on after a period of time.

Starting with the Creators Update, Windows 10 now allows you to manually turn a Wi-Fi connection off with the option to automatically turn it back on after a predefined number of hours.

In this guide, you’ll learn easy steps to schedule your Wi-Fi adapter to turn on automatically after a period of time.

How to schedule Wi-Fi to turn back on after a period of time

To schedule your wireless connection to turn on automatically using the Settings app, do the following:

  1. Open Settings.

  2. Click on Network & internet.

  3. Click on Wi-Fi.

  4. Turn off the toggle switch for your Wi-Fi connection.

  5. You’ll now see a “Turn Wi-Fi back on” drop-down menu, click it and select the schedule, which includes 1 hour, 4 hours, or 1 day.

    Schedule Wi-Fi to turn on automatically using Settings
    Schedule Wi-Fi to turn on automatically using Settings

Keep in mind that the default option is “Manually,” which keeps Wi-Fi off until you turn it back on.

To schedule your wireless connection to turn on automatically using the Network flyout in the Taskbar, do the following.

  1. Click the Wi-Fi icon in the system tray.

  2. Click the Wi-Fi button to turn off.

  3. You’ll now see same “Turn Wi-Fi back on” drop-down menu included in the Settings app, click the menu and select the schedule, which includes 1 hour, 4 hours, or 1 day.

    Schedule Wi-Fi to turn on automatically using the Taskbar
    Schedule Wi-Fi to turn on automatically using the Taskbar

Of course, you can always click the Wi-Fi button in the Taskbar or use the toggle switch in the Network & Internet to turn your Wi-Fi adapter back on.

If you don’t see the “Turn Wi-Fi back on” option it’s probably because you’re not running the Windows 10 Creators Update. If you’re an Insider, you can use this feature starting build 14946 and later.

What do you think about the new wireless feature on Windows 10? Tell us in the comments below.

About the author

Mauro Huculak is a Windows How-To Expert who started Pureinfotech in 2010 as an independent online publication. He has also been a Windows Central contributor for nearly a decade. Mauro has over 14 years of experience writing comprehensive guides and creating professional videos about Windows and software, including Android and Linux. Before becoming a technology writer, he was an IT administrator for seven years. In total, Mauro has over 20 years of combined experience in technology. Throughout his career, he achieved different professional certifications from Microsoft (MSCA), Cisco (CCNP), VMware (VCP), and CompTIA (A+ and Network+), and he has been recognized as a Microsoft MVP for many years. You can follow him on X (Twitter), YouTube, LinkedIn and About.me.