In managed environments, administrators can block certain SSIDs or hotspot networks. netsh wlan show blockednetworks reveals any blocking rules, and set blockednetworks allows adding or removing such restrictions.
To use these commands, you must run the Command Prompt as an .
The power of netsh wlan lies in its focused subcommands. Each serves a distinct purpose:
netsh winsock reset netsh int ip reset
: To see all Wi-Fi networks currently within range of your device: netsh wlan show networks . Advanced Configuration and Troubleshooting netsh wlan | Microsoft Learn
Older Windows versions (up to Windows 10) supported a virtual Wi-Fi hotspot via netsh wlan set hostednetwork mode=allow ssid=MyHotspot key=password and netsh wlan start hostednetwork . While largely superseded by the Mobile Hotspot GUI in modern Windows, this feature remains available for legacy scripts.
Windows stores every Wi-Fi network a user connects to as an XML profile, containing the SSID, authentication type, encryption, and saved password. netsh wlan
(Note: You may need to enable Internet Connection Sharing in the Network Adapters settings for the hotspot to provide internet access.)
Stop the hotspot:
Start the hotspot:
netsh wlan show profiles
netsh wlan add profile filename="C:\Users\YourName\Documents\WiFi-Name.xml"