Laptop Won’t Connect to iPhone Hotspot – Best Way to Fixed it

It’s a frustrating feeling when your laptop won’t connect to your iPhone’s hotspot.Whether you’re trying to connect to the internet while on the go or you’re trying to save on your data plan, being unable to connect can be a real pain.

There are a few different reasons why your laptop might not be connecting to your iPhone’s hotspot, but luckily, there are also a few different ways to fix the issue.

Best Fixes for Windows Laptop Won’t Connect to iPhone Hotspot

While looking for solutions to my iPhone hotspot not working with Windows 10, I learned that many other people are facing a similar issue. There can be several reasons why the iPhone hotspot doesn’t work with Windows 10, and the problem can be on either end. Let’s take a look at all the possible solutions and see how we can all get our deadlines met.

1. Delete and Reconnect
2. Restart Device, Change Password
3. Upgrade Windows 10 and Ios
4. Change Device Name
5. Run Network Troubleshooter
6. Reset Ip Settings on Windows
7. Update Network Driver
8. Turn Off Antivirus or Malware Scanner
9. Connect to Hotspot Using Usb
10. Troubleshoot Internet Connection
11. Network Reset
12. Uninstall Intel Proset Software

1. Delete and Reconnect

Click on the Wi-Fi icon in the taskbar on your laptop. Then, right-click on the name of the iPhone hotspot and select “Forget.”

Click on the Wi-Fi name and connect by entering the password like you did the first time to remove all files and settings for that network from your computer.

2. RESTART DEVICE, CHANGE PASSWORD

I recommend restarting both your iPhone and your Windows 10 laptop. Once both devices reboot, try connecting with the hotspot again.

To improve security, change the password for your iPhone’s Personal Hotspot.To do this, go to Settings and select Personal Hotspot. Tap on Wi-Fi Password, then change your password and tap Save.
Make sure to use a strong password. Avoid using an easy password like I did in the example – it was only for illustrative purposes.

3. UPGRADE WINDOWS 10 AND IOS

If you’re not using the latest version of Windows 10 and iOS on both of your devices, it’s time for an update. On your iPhone, open the Settings app, go to General, and tap on Software Update.

If you have an iPhone, you may see a red notification dot next to “Software Update.” Selecting “Download and Install” will update your iPhone.

Windows 10 updates are usually automatically installed, but an error might have changed that setting. To force an update, open Settings (press Windows+I), and go to Update & Security. Or, you can search for “Windows Update” in the “Find a setting” search box.

 

In the left windowpane, click on Windows Update and then select Check for updates.

If there’s a new update for Windows, it will ask you to download it. Install the update, restart your system, and try connecting to the iPhone hotspot again.

4. CHANGE DEVICE NAME
Windows might have trouble connecting to your iPhone if its name includes non-ASCII characters. You can try changing the name of your device in Settings > About to see if that fixes the problem.

Enter a new name using alphabetical characters and numbers this time. Try reconnecting to the hotspot.

5. RUN NETWORK TROUBLESHOOTER

If you can’t pinpoint the problem, the Windows 10 Network troubleshooter might be able to help. To open it, press Windows+I to open Settings, and then select Network & Internet.

Click on the “Status” option in the left windowpane, scroll down to find the “Network troubleshooter” option, and click on it. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the process.

If you’re having trouble connecting to your iPhone’s hotspot, Windows 10 will now suggest a solution.

To check if the problem has been fixed, go to Settings > Network & Internet > Status and look for the “Tethering” section. If it’s working, you’ll see a message that says “Yes, your phone is tethering.” If it’s not working, you’ll see a message that says “No, your phone is not tethering.”

6. RESET IP SETTINGS ON WINDOWS

Open the Run prompt by pressing Windows+R shortcut and type cmd before hitting enter.

The command prompt will open. To reset your IP settings, type the following commands in the order they are written and press Enter after each command.

netsh winsock reset
netsh int ip reset
ipconfig /release
ipconfig /renew
ipconfig /flushdns

If you’re having trouble connecting your Windows 10 laptop to your iPhone’s hotspot, you can try resetting your IP settings. To do this, disable and enable your Wi-Fi connectivity, and then try reconnecting to the hotspot.

7. UPDATE NETWORK DRIVER

Your drivers could be out of date, which could cause compatibility issues if you haven’t upgraded your Windows 10 to the latest version. To check and update your drivers, open Device Manager:

• Press the Windows key on your keyboard.
• Type Device Manager and press Enter.

Click on Network Adapters, then right-click on your network adapter and select Update driver.

Before connecting your Windows 10 laptop to your iPhone hotspot, restart your system.

8. TURN OFF ANTIVIRUS OR MALWARE SCANNER

Just turn off your antivirus software, Windows Defender, or any other malware scanner. One of them may be preventing your system from connecting to the iPhone’s hotspot.

To exit or pause each individual software, right-click on it in the notification tray and select the appropriate option.

9. CONNECT TO HOTSPOT USING USB

You can use any compatible USB cable to connect your iPhone to the Windows 10 system. To do so, install the latest version of iTunes on the PC if you haven’t done so already.Connect your iPhone and launch iTunes if it fails to start automatically.

When prompted to trust this computer, select “Yes” and enter your passcode on the next screen. You should now see a device icon in the upper left corner of your iTunes screen. If your iPhone’s hotspot is active, your Windows 10 laptop will automatically connect.

You should see a blue bar on your iPhone indicating that a device is connected to the hotspot.

10. TROUBLESHOOT INTERNET CONNECTION

Not many people are familiar with the dedicated Troubleshoot feature in Windows. Use the Windows search function to locate and open Troubleshoot. Once it is open, click on Internet Connections and select Run the troubleshooter. See if Windows can find a solution.

Windows will suggest a solution based on its diagnostics.

11. NETWORK RESET

Resetting your network settings on your Windows 10 PC and iPhone can solve a lot of connectivity related issues. It gives you a clean slate to begin again, however, all settings are deleted and you’ll need to set up the network-related settings from scratch.
To reset your network on Windows 10, press the Windows+I shortcut to open Settings. In the Network & Internet settings, click the “Reset” button.

StatusClick on “Status” in the left windowpane and scroll to the bottom of the page. At the bottom, you will see the “Network reset” option. Click on it to reset your network.

To reset your iPhone’s network settings, go to Settings > General > Reset, then scroll down to the bottom of the screen and tap Reset Network Settings.

Tap on Reset Network Settings.

Warning:Don’t reset anything else here unless you know what the other options are – you might lose data.

Try connecting to the iPhone hotspot again and see if that works.

12. UNINSTALL INTEL PROSET SOFTWARE

The user’s forum post suggests that uninstalling the Intel Proset software fixed the Windows not connecting to iPhone hotspot error on his/her computer.To fix this issue on your computer, follow the steps below:

1. Press Windows key+I to open Settings.

2. Go to Apps > Apps & features.

3. Search for Intel Proset.

4. Uninstall the software.

If you find an app you don’t want, select it and hit Uninstall. In my case, the app wasn’t preinstalled.

FINAL WORDS

The iPhone hotspot connection error can be a nightmare, but hopefully one of the above solutions worked to solve the same problem. If you’ve discovered a different solution, let us know in the comments below.

It took me several attempts to find the right method which worked for my setup. I finally found a method that worked for me and I’m sharing it in this post. If you’ve discovered a different solution, do let us know in the comments below.