How to fix “Windows Could not Automatically Detect Network’s Proxy Settings” error in Windows 10

What is “Windows Could not Automatically Detect Network’s Proxy Settings” error

Windows Could not Automatically Detect Network’s Proxy Settings is a type of error message users may receive when trying to find out why their Internet is running so slow. Indeed, this problem becomes evident when people launch Windows Troubleshooter to address connection speed issues. It has been reported that many receive severe internet lags, making online experience virtually impossible. Therefore, people struggle to play online games, watch movies, and do various other internet-related activities. Unfortunately, there is no single reason for why this is happening. The issue may occur due to a number of causes, including wrong network configuration, third-party antivirus conflict, corrupted or missing system files, improperly configured proxy settings, and other possible culprits as well. In this guide below, we are going to show 8 solutions that may resolve this issue eventually and bring your internet back to flying again. Try each method we offer until you determine the one that puts an end to the problem.

1. Restart your router

The very first and fast-to-try method one should try when resolving the “Windows Could not Automatically Detect Network’s Proxy Settings” message is to reboot the router (modem). Hold the power button at the back of the router for a couple of seconds until it turns off. Then, push the same button to power it back. Simply restarting your router helps deal with a variety of problems. Try and see if it helps before moving further to the other solutions below.

2. Disable Proxy in Local Area Network (LAN) Settings

The reason why you may be facing lags and slowed internet performance is that you have enabled a Proxy server connection. You can check it and turn the proxy setting off in case it is enabled, especially if you remember doing so on purpose. We also advise you to turn off third-party VPN software to make sure it does not affect your connection in any way at the time of checking.

1. Open search box next to Start menu and type Control Panel. Open it up.
2. Make sure View by is set to either Small Icons or Big Icons in the top right corner.
3. Select Internet Options and navigate to Connections & LAN settings.
4. Make sure there is only Automatically detect settings enabled. Unpick the other 2 boxes if they are selected, and click OK in the end.
5. Now you should have LAN settings set up correctly. Go to the browser and try to check how the Internet performance has changed.

3. Change the detection of DNS address to Automatic

Improperly configured values in DNS settings can also lead to certain connection problems that affect the speed of the Internet. Sometimes users (or third-party software) sets the DNS address manually. If this is the case, try to change the settings to detecting it automatically instead. Here are the necessary instructions to do it:

1. Go to Control Panel > Network and Internet > Network Connections.
2. Double-click on your connection name.
3. Click on Properties.
4. Double-click on Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4).
5. Make sure both boxes next to Obtain DNS server address automatically are selected.
6. Once done, save changes by clicking OK.

4. Reset TCP/IP

The issue may also make its presence known due to the wrong or damaged TCP/IP configuration. TCP/IP is a set of fundamental protocols used to set up proper communication for the Internet and similar computer networks. Thus, let’s try to reset it using these steps below:

1. Find the Command Prompt by typing cmd into the searching box. Then right-click on it and choose Run as administrator.
2. In the opened window, you should paste these commands one-by-one by clicking Enter after each.

netsh winsock reset
netsh int ip reset

ipconfig /release
ipconfig /flushdns
ipconfig /renew

We hope this method will finally eliminate the problem with poor Internet performance.

5. Check integrity of system files

Corrupted or missing system elements can be another reason for dealing with connection problems. Windows offers great utilities already built into the system to scan for any gaps in essential file directories. SFC (System File Checker) and DISM (Deployment Image Servicing and Management) are both effectively used to check if such an issue exists. Both scans will be able to detect and restore absent components, if any. Make sure to use both of them as they can have different influences on the error solution. This is how:

Using SFC

1. Open Command Prompt by typing cmd into the searching box next to the Start Menu button.
2. Right-click on Command Prompt and choose Run as administrator.
3. Once the console is opened, type the sfc /scannow command and click Enter.
4. When the fixing process is done, restart your computer.

Using DISM

1. Open Command Prompt as we did in the previous step.
2. Copy and paste this command DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-image /Restorehealth.
3. Click Enter and wait until Windows ends the scanning and fixing.
4. Once done, restart your PC and install the update again.

You will be able to see if something was missing and got restored eventually at the end of the scans. If nothing has changed, and you are still facing terrible Internet performance, move on to further solutions below.

6. Restart your network adapter

Another easy solution to try and get rid of the problem is to disable and re-enable your network adapter again. This is how:

1. Type Control Panel into the search bar and open it up.
2. Then, find and navigate to Network and Sharing Center.
3. On the left side, click on Change adapter settings.
4. Locate your currently used network, right-click on it and choose Disable.
5. Right-click on it again and choose Enable to turn it back on.

This is how simple and easy the restart of your network adapter was.

7. Disable third-party antivirus

If you have a third-party antivirus installed on your PC, try to disable it and check whether this changes the situation in your favor. Antimalware software, especially low-quality, may sometimes lead to certain conflicts within the network. In case everything works fine after disabling the antivirus, then you might have found the problem. If you still want to use an antivirus to have better protection against various threats on the web, you should consider trying another less conflicting alternative. Our advice is MalwareBytes – a trusted and talented group of experts constantly maintaining their software to combat both minor and global threats. It is now available for Windows 11 as well. You can download it now using the link below and try a 14-day trial of the ultimate antimalware experience for free.

8. Use System Restore Point

In case nothing works out and trying to find the right solution narrows down to constantly facing a failure, then System Restore may be your savior. Unless you installed Windows just now and if your internet connection was totally fine until a certain point, then there should be some backup point stored by the system when the problem simply did not exist. If you think there could be such available indeed, let’s roll your system back to exactly that point using these steps:

1. Right-click on This PC and choose Properties.
2. In the opened window, go to System Protection and click on System Restore.
3. Then, click Next and choose the date you remember working without a problem. You can also click on Scan for affected programs, which will show what might be changed after running a restore.
4. When done, click Next and start the System Restore.

Summary

If the “Windows Could not Automatically Detect Network’s Proxy Settings” message has not gone away after performing these steps, then we recommend you call your Internet Provider and ask them directly about what could be the problem. You can also try scanning your system for malware with Malwarebytes. If there is some malicious infection running inside of your system, chances are it could change certain configuration sectors that caused the issue. Should any new problem appear on your computer in the future, feel free to use our web resource for finding the right troubleshooting or deletion articles for it.