Windows 10 saves a list of Wi-Fi networks you connect to along with their passphrases and other settings. If you want to set your Wi-Fi network up from scratch–something that’s occasionally necessary to fix connection problems–you’ll need to make Windows “forget” the Wi-Fi network.
The process was obvious in Windows 7, where you could just select “Manage Wireless Networks” in the Control Panel’s Network and Sharing Center and delete saved networks. Windows 8 removed this option and forced you to use Command Prompt commands. But in Windows 10, Microsoft once again provides a graphical interface for this.
How to Forget a Saved Wi-Fi Network from Settings
To forget a saved Wi-Fi network, you’ll need to leave the old Control Panel behind and use the new Settings app. The “Manage Wireless Networks” function is no longer available in the Network and Sharing Center.Launch the Settings app by opening your Start menu and clicking “Settings.” Select “Network & Internet” in the Settings window.
Select the “Wi-Fi” category and scroll down to the bottom of the list. Click the “Manage Wi-Fi settings” link.
Scroll down to the bottom of the Manage Wi-Fi Settings link, scrolling past all the options about Microsoft’s Wi-Fi Sense feature. This is the same settings pane that allows you to choose whether or not to share a network with your Facebook, Outlook.com, and Skype contacts.
You’ll see a “Manage known networks” list at the option here. It contains a list of every Wi-Fi network you’ve connected to. To forget a network, click it and click “Forget.”
The next time you connect to a network, you’ll be asked for its passphrase and Windows will set it up from scratch.
How to Forget a Saved Network From the Command Prompt
You can also do this from the Command Prompt, if you prefer. On Windows 8 and 8.1, this was the only built-in way to forget Wi-Fi networks because Microsoft didn’t provide any graphical tools.Launch a Command Prompt window as Administrator to get started. To do so, right-click the Start button or press Windows Key + X and select “Command Prompt (Admin).”
Type the following command and press “Enter” to show a list of your saved Wi-Fi networks:netsh wlan show profiles
Locate the profile name of the network you want to forget. Type the following command, replacing “PROFILE NAME” with the name of the network you want to forget:netsh wlan delete profile name="PROFILE NAME"
For example, let’s say you want to remove a network named “BTWiFi”. You’d type the following command:netsh wlan delete profile name="BTWiFi"
This actually isn’t too hard on Windows 10, assuming you know where to look. The options here aren’t present in the Control Panel anymore and require you visit the Wi-Fi Sense screen and scroll all the way down, so they can be tough to find. A link to the appropriate Settings screen in the Control Panel would be nice and help Windows users discover this more easily.