Internet Only Works In Safe Mode Windows 10

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All in all, when the Internet only works in Safe Mode Windows 10, antivirus programs and firewalls tend to be at fault. To bring back the Internet, you should turn off antivirus programs and firewalls. Besides that, you could also reset TCP/IP, update network adapter driver, uninstall third-party apps and so on. Read to the end to learn what must be done to connect your Windows 10 PC to the Internet outside of Safe Mode and maintain the connection. 

Actions To Take 

Turn Off Antivirus Programs And Firewalls

  • Step 1: Press Windows + I to open Settings, click Update & Security then pick Virus & threat protection in Windows Security. 
  • Step 2: Hit Manage Settings under Virus & threat protection settings then toggle off the switch under Real-time protection.
  • Step 3: Press Windows key, type Control Panel and hit Enter.
  • Step 4: Change View by to Category then hit System and Security.
  • Step 5: Select Windows Defender Firewall, look to the left and choose Turn Windows Firewall on or off. Next, tick the Turn off Windows Firewall (not recommended) circle in Private network settings as well as Public network settings. Last but not least, hit OK to save the changes, restart your computer and see how things turn out.

Note: Depending on the situation, you should consider disabling servicers. 

  • Step 1: Press Windows key, type Services and hit Enter. 
  • Step 2: Locate all antivirus/firewall-related services, right-click each of them, pick Properties and hit Stop. Also, for good measure, change Startup type of such services to Disabled. Remember to select Apply and choose OK to save the changes. After you finish, restart your computer. 
  • Step 3: When the screen comes back on, determine whether the issue persists. 

Reset TCP/IP

  • Step 1: Press Windows key, type cmd and hit Run as administrator. 
  • Step 2: In Command Prompt (Admin), run the commands down below. 
    • Netsh winsock reset
    • Netsh int ip resetlog.txt
  • Step 3: Proceed to run the command exit to close Command Prompt, restart your computer and witness the result. 

Update Network Adapter Driver

  • Step 1: Press Windows key, type devmgmt.msc and press Enter to open Device Manager. 
  • Step 2: Expand Network adapters, right-click your adapter and pick Update driver. 
  • Step 3: Hit Search automatically for updated driver software then restart your computer the moment the update completes. 

Note: You recently updated the driver of your network adapter? Then it’s highly likely that the new driver is the root of the problem and you should roll back the driver to a previous version. 

  • Step 1: Open Device Manager, right-click your adapter in Network adapters and pick Properties. 
  • Step 2: Navigate to Driver tab, hit Roll Back Driver and follow onscreen instructions.
  • Step 3: Restart your computer. 

Uninstall Third-Party Apps

For your information, third-party apps help improve your computer experience but they could mess up functions at times too. Hence, if the Internet only works in Safe Mode Windows 10, it’s a good idea to consider uninstalling third-party apps, especially recently installed ones. 

  • Step 1: Open Settings, select Apps, choose each of the third-party apps and hit Uninstall.
  • Step 2: Restart your computer. 
  • Step 3: Test out Internet connection. 

Safe Mode Vs Safe Mode With Networking: Difference

Safe Mode with networking is quite similar to Safe Mode: both only let basic programs and services run on your computer as the device boots up. That being said, unlike Safe Mode, Safe Mode with networking also permits Internet connection. Thus, Safe Mode with networking proves handy if you require  Internet connection while troubleshooting issues. 

What Must Be Done To Boot Into Safe Mode?

  • Step 1: Open Settings, select Update & Security and choose Recovery.
  • Step 2: Hit Restart now under Advanced startup.
  • Step 3: In Choose an options screen, navigate to Troubleshoot > Advanced options > Startup Settings > Restart. Afterward, proceed to press either 4 (F4) to boot into Safe Mode or 5 (F5) to boot into Safe Mode with Networking.

Checking The Speed Of Network Adapters: Summary 

Via Settings

In the beginning, open Settings, select Network & Internet and choose View hardware and connection properties in Status. Next, navigate to Link speed (Receive/Transmit) to see the speed of your network adapter. 

Via Command Prompt/PowerShell

The process is no-nonsense: open Command Prompt (Admin) and run the command wmic nic where netEnabled=true get name, speed. Alternatively, you could take advantage of PowerShell to determine the speed of your network adapter: open PowerShell (Admin) and run the command Get-NetAdapter | select interfaceDescription, name, status, linkSpeed. To open PowerShell (Admin), press Windows key, type PowerShell and hit Run as administrator. 

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