Experiencing frequent internet outages can be incredibly frustrating, especially when you’re working from home, streaming your favorite shows, or trying to stay connected with friends and family. If you’re constantly asking yourself, “Why Does My Internet Keep Going Out?”, you’re not alone. Fortunately, there are several steps you can take to diagnose and potentially fix the issue yourself. This guide will walk you through using built-in tools on your computer to identify common causes of internet disconnection and get you back online.
One of the first and easiest steps you can take is to utilize the network troubleshooter that comes standard with Windows operating systems. This utility is designed to automatically diagnose and resolve common network connectivity problems.
Using the Windows Network Troubleshooter
Step 1: Begin by accessing the Settings application. You can quickly do this by typing “settings” directly into the Windows search bar located in your taskbar.
Step 2: Within the Settings menu, navigate to and select the “Network & Internet” option. This section manages all your network connections.
Step 3: Scroll down the Network & Internet settings page until you find “Advanced network settings”. Under this heading, you will see and should select “Network troubleshooter”. This will launch the diagnostic tool.
Step 4: The Network Troubleshooter will now begin diagnosing your internet connection. Follow any on-screen prompts provided by the troubleshooter as it attempts to identify and automatically fix the issue causing your internet to go out.
While Mac OS doesn’t have a fully automated troubleshooter like Windows, it does offer a useful tool called Network Utility. This tool allows you to perform network tests and gather detailed information that can be invaluable in pinpointing the cause of your internet problems.
Accessing Network Utility on Mac OS
Step 1: Open Spotlight Search, the quickest way to find applications and files on your Mac. You can activate Spotlight by pressing the command key and the space bar simultaneously (command + space bar).
Step 2: Type “network utility” into the Spotlight search bar. As you type, Network Utility should appear as the top suggestion. Press the enter key to open the application.
Another often overlooked factor that can contribute to intermittent internet connectivity is the software running in the background of your computer. Certain programs can consume significant bandwidth or create conflicts that lead to your internet connection dropping unexpectedly. This is especially true for applications like cloud backup services, software auto-updaters (such as Adobe Creative Cloud), and various third-party utilities.
On Windows, you can get a quick glimpse of some background programs by looking at the system tray, which is the up arrow icon typically located in the lower right corner of your screen on the taskbar. However, for a comprehensive view of all background processes, the Task Manager is the tool you need.
Investigating Background Processes in Windows Task Manager
Step 1: Open the Task Manager by pressing the Ctrl, Alt, and Delete keys simultaneously (Ctrl + Alt + Delete). This will bring up a menu with several options.
Step 2: From the menu that appears, select “Task Manager”. This will open the application showing your computer’s performance and running programs.
Step 3: In Task Manager, navigate to the “Processes” tab. This tab lists all the applications and background processes currently running on your computer.
Step 4: To identify processes that are using your network connection, click on the “Network” column header. This will sort the processes by their network usage, with the programs using the most bandwidth at the top.
Step 5: Carefully review the processes at the top of the list. If you see any programs that you don’t recognize or that seem to be using an unusually large amount of network bandwidth, investigate them further. Right-click on the suspicious process and select “Properties” to get more details about the program.
If you identify a program that you suspect might be causing your internet to disconnect, try closing the host program associated with that process. You can usually identify the host program in the Properties menu you accessed in the previous step. If your internet connection stabilizes after closing the program, you’ve likely found the culprit. You may need to adjust the program’s settings, update it, or even uninstall it if the problem persists.
By systematically using these built-in tools, you can take significant steps towards understanding and resolving the question of “why does my internet keep going out?” and enjoy a more stable online experience.
