HOW-TO: change wi-fi network order in Windows 10

Windows 10: Manage Known Networks (preferred order)

Using netsh from the Command Line

You can use the netsh on Command Prompt to change the priority of Wi-Fi networks. However, unlike the Network flyout process, using netsh, you can check connection priorities whether you're connected or disconnected from the network, and you can change the priority for every connection stored on your device.

1. Open Start.
2. Search for Command Prompt, right-click the top result, and select Run as administrator.
3. Type the following command to list all the wireless networks you have connected in the past and press Enter: netsh wlan show profiles
4. Make a note of the wireless network you want to prioritize.
5. Type the following command to identify the name of your wireless adapter and press Enter:netsh wlan show interfaces
6. Make a note of the adapter name you use to connect to a Wi-Fi network. (If your device only has one wireless adapter, then its default name will be-Fi.)
7. Type the following command to change the connection priority and press Enter: netsh wlan set profileorder name="NETWORK-PROFILE-NAME" interface="YOUR-INTERFACE-NAME" priority=1

In the command remember to include the network profile name for the connection you want to prioritize, and the name of the network adapter. After completing the steps, your computer will always connect to the Wi-Fi network you prioritize. If the network isn't available, it'll then try to connect to the next priority on the list. If you have a long list of networks, you can change the priority of all of them. The only thing you need to do is to change the priority value in the command outlined on step No. 7 to a higher number. For example, if you want to make a particular network your second best option, the command should include a priority value of 2. We're focusing this guide on Windows 10 devices, but you can use the same netsh instructions to change the wireless connection priority on Windows 8.1 and Windows 7.

Example

Microsoft Windows [Version 10.0.18362.657]
(c) 2019 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

C:\Windows\system32> netsh wlan show profiles

Profiles on interface Wi-Fi:

Group policy profiles (read only)
---------------------------------
    <None>

User profiles
-------------
    All User Profile     : Sakura Mochi (5G)
    All User Profile     : KapamilyaSeattle_5G
    All User Profile     : KaiserGuest
    All User Profile     : Astronomican
    All User Profile     : Foremans-FiOS-5G
    All User Profile     : Copernicus_5G


C:\Windows\system32> netsh wlan show interfaces

There is 1 interface on the system:

    Name                   : Wi-Fi
    Description            : Intel(R) Wi-Fi 6 AX200 160MHz
    GUID                   : 82518f40-a2d4-4259-ac09-20388c141e5b
    Physical address       : 4c:1d:96:2b:50:ed
    State                  : connected
    SSID                   : Astronomican
    BSSID                  : 10:7b:44:c3:99:98
    Network type           : Infrastructure
    Radio type             : 802.11ac
    Authentication         : WPA2-Personal
    Cipher                 : CCMP
    Connection mode        : Profile
    Channel                : 149
    Receive rate (Mbps)    : 866.7
    Transmit rate (Mbps)   : 866.7
    Signal                 : 92%
    Profile                : Astronomican

    Hosted network status  : Not available


C:\Windows\system32> netsh wlan set profileorder name="Astronomican" interface="Wi-Fi" priority=1
Priority order of profile "Astronomican" is updated successfully.

C:\Windows\system32> netsh wlan show profiles

Profiles on interface Wi-Fi:

Group policy profiles (read only)
---------------------------------
    <None>

User profiles
-------------
    All User Profile     : Astronomican
    All User Profile     : Sakura Mochi (5G)
    All User Profile     : KapamilyaSeattle_5G
    All User Profile     : KaiserGuest
    All User Profile     : Foremans-FiOS-5G
    All User Profile     : Copernicus_5G


C:\Windows\system32>