Windows: Default gateway is not available Networking Origin: Network OSI layer 3 · Network Last updated 5 Nov 2026

Networking: Windows: Default gateway is not available / Diagnose Connection Problems: DHCP not enabled

The PC can't reach its router, so it has no path out of the local network.

Exact message you may see Default gateway is not availableWindows can't communicate with the device or resourceThe default gateway is not availableEthernet doesn't have a valid IP configurationNetwork diagnostics default gateway
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Seen on: Windows Networking

Meaning

Check the cable or Wi-Fi, the gateway address in ipconfig, and whether the router is up and answering (ping gateway). Release/renew the lease, reset the adapter, update or roll back the network driver and turn off adapter power saving; faulty IP settings or a wrong gateway also cause it.

Common causes

  • Router off, crashed or unreachable
  • Wrong or missing default gateway
  • Network adapter driver or power-saving problem
  • Wi-Fi/cable intermittent
  • Static IP with the wrong subnet

⚡ Quick fix

  1. Ping the gateway shown in ipconfig
  2. Renew: ipconfig /release and /renew
  3. Update or roll back the NIC driver; disable power saving

Detailed fix by platform

Windows

  1. powershell
    ipconfig /all | findstr /i "gateway dhcp"
ping 192.168.1.1
netsh winsock reset

How to diagnose

  1. Gateway — Pingable?
  2. IP settings — Correct?
  3. Driver — Healthy?

🔧 Still not fixed?

Many errors look alike. If the steps above didn’t solve it, one of these is probably what you’re facing:

Where this error sits

Origin: Network. Errors that are often confused with or caused by this one (click to open):

169.254.x.x self-assigned IP (DHCP failed) — Networking: IPv4 address 169.254.x.x (Autoconfiguration / APIPA) — the PC couldn't get an address from DHCP (Networking)169.254.x.x self-assi…502 — HTTP 502 Bad Gateway (HTTP)502504 — HTTP 504 Gateway Timeout (HTTP)504Cloudflare 502 — Cloudflare-branded 502 Bad Gateway / 504 Gateway Timeout ("cloudflare" footer) (Cloudflare)Cloudflare 502PING: transmit failed. General failure. — Networking: PING: transmit failed. General failure. / ping: sendmsg: Operation not permitted (Networking)PING: transmit failed…Public IP/domain unreachable from inside the LAN (NAT hairpin) — Networking: Server reachable from the internet but not from inside the LAN via its public IP — NAT loopback / hairpin NAT not working (Networking)Public IP/domain unre…Rogue DHCP server hands out wrong gateway/DNS — Networking: Clients receive the wrong default gateway or DNS server — a rogue DHCP server (often a home router) answers first (Networking)Rogue DHCP server han…The specified network name is no longer available (64) — Networking: Windows error 64: The specified network name is no longer available — SMB session dropped (Networking)The specified network…Windows: …

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