How to turn your Windows 10 PC into a wireless hotspot

Whether you’re connecting to the internet using a wireless or wired adapter, similar to previous versions, Windows 10 allows you to share an internet connection with other devices with a feature called «Hosted Network».

Hosted Network is a feature that comes included with the Netsh (Network Shell) command-line utility. It’s was previously introduced in Windows 7, and it allows you to use the operating system to create a virtual wireless adapter – something that Microsoft refers to «Virtual Wi-Fi» — and create a SoftAP, which is a software-based wireless access point.

Through the combination of these two elements, your PC can take its internet connection (be it an ethernet connection or hookup through a cellular adapter) and share it with other wireless devices — essentially acting as a wireless hotspot.

In this Windows 10 guide, we’ll walk you through the steps to verify if your network adapter supports the feature, how to configure and enable a wireless Hosted Network, and how to stop and remove the settings from your computer when you no longer need the feature.

To follow this guide, you’ll need to open the Command Prompt with administrator rights. To do this, use the Windows key + X keyboard shortcut, and select Command Prompt (Admin).

How to check if your wireless adapter supports Hosted Networks in Windows 10

While some adapters include support for Hosted Network, you will first need to verify your computer’s physical wireless adapter supports this feature using the following command:

NETSH WLAN show drivers

If the generated output shows Hosted network supported: Yes, then you can continue with the guide. If your wireless adapter isn’t supported, you could try using a USB wireless adapter that supports the feature.

How to create a wireless Hosted Network in Windows 10

Creating a wireless hotspot in Windows 10 is relatively straightforward — don’t let the command line scare you. Simply follow the steps below to configure a wireless Hosted Network:

While in Command Prompt (Admin) enter the following command:

NETSH WLAN set hostednetwork mode=allow ssid=Your_SSID key=Your_Passphrase

Where the SSID would be the name you want to identify your wireless network when trying to connect a new device, and the passphrase is the network security key you want users to use to connect to your network. (Remember that the passphrase has to be at least 8 characters in length.)

Once you created a Hosted Network, enter the following command to activate it:

NETSH WLAN start hostednetwork

How to share your internet connection with a Hosted Network in Windows 10

Up to here, you created and started a Hosted Network in your Windows 10 PC. However, any wireless capable device won’t be able to access the internet just yet. The last thing you need to do is to share an internet connection using the «Internet Connection Sharing» feature from a physical network adapter.

Use the Windows key + X keyboard shortcut to open the Power User menu, and select Network Connections.

Next, right-click the network adapter with an internet connection – this could be a traditional Ethernet or wireless network adapter — select Properties.

Note: In Network Connections, you should now see a new our new Microsoft Hosted Virtual Adapter which is labeled Local Area Connection* X, and with the SSID name.

Next, from the Home networking connection drop-down menu select the Microsoft Hosted Virtual Adapter.

Click OK to finish.

At this point, you should be able to see and connect any wireless capable device to the newly created software access point, and with access to the internet.

How to stop sharing an internet connection with other devices in Windows 10

If you want to temporary stop allowing other devices to connect wirelessly through your computer, you can type the following command in the Command Prompt and hit Enter:

NETSH WLAN stop hostednetwork

At any time, you can just use the start variant of the command to allow other devices to connect to the internet using your computer as an access point without extra configuration:

NETSH WLAN start hostednetwork

Similarly, you can also use the following command to enable or disable a wireless Hosted Network:

NETSH WLAN set hostednetwork mode=allow

NETSH WLAN set hostednetwork mode= disallow

How to change a Hosted Network settings in Windows 10

In the case you want to change some of the current settings, such as SSID or network security you can use the following commands:

NETSH WLAN set hostednetwork ssid=Your_New_SSID

NETSH WLAN set hostednetwork key=Your_New_Passphrase

How to view the current Hosted Network settings

There are two commands to view the Hosted Network settings on your computer:

The following command shows the mode and SSID name in use, max number of clients that can connect, type of authentication, and cipher:

NETSH WLAN show hostednetwork

And the following command will also reveal the current network security key among other settings, similar to the previous command:

NETSH WLAN show hostednetwork setting=security

How to disable a wireless Hosted Network in Windows 10

While the setup of a wireless Hosted Network in Windows 10 is not very complicated, Microsoft doesn’t make very straightforward to remove the configurations when you no longer need the feature.

Although you can use the stop or disallow commands, these actions won’t eliminate the settings from your computer. If you want completely delete the Hosted Network settings in Windows 10, you’ll need to modify the Registry.

Important: Before you change anything settings on your computer, it’s worth noting that editing the Windows Registry can be a dangerous game that can cause irreversible damages to your system if you don’t know what you are doing. As such, it’s recommended for you to make a full backup of your system or at least System Restore Point before proceeding with this guide. You have been warned!

Open the Start menu, do a search for regedit, hit Enter, and click OK to open the Registry with admin rights.

Scroll down the following path in the Registry:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\system\currentcontrolset\services\wlansvc\parameters\hostednetworksettings

Right-click the HostedNetworkSettings DWORD key, select Delete, and click Yes to confirm deletion.

Restart your computer

Open to the Command Prompt and use the following command:

NETSH WLAN show hostednetwork

You will know that you have successfully deleted the settings when the Settings field reads Not configured.

Make sure you turn off «Internet Connection Sharing» in the physical network adapter that was sharing the internet with other devices. Use the Windows key + X keyboard shortcut to open the Power User menu, and select Network Connections.

Uncheck the Allow other network users to connect through this computer’s Internet connection option.

Click OK to complete the process.

Things you need to know

Although the wireless Hosted Network feature in Windows 10 allows you to implement an access point solution to share an internet connection with other devices, it’s not meant to be a solution to replace a physical wireless access point.

Also, there are a few things you want to consider. For example, wireless speeds will dramatically be reduced compared to the rates provided from a physical access point. Perhaps it would not be a big deal for internet browsing, but downloading or transferring big files could be an issue for some users.

You also need to consider that your computer needs to be always turned on to act as a wireless access point. If the computer enters into sleep, hibernate, or restarts, your wireless hotspot will stop working, and you will need to start manually the feature using the NETSH WLAN start hostednetwork command.

You cannot run a SorftAP and ad hoc at the same time on Windows. If you need to create a temporary network connection between two computers, setting up ad hoc will turn off SoftAP — you can run one or the other, not both at the same time.

Wrapping things up

Wireless Hosted Network is a nifty feature in Windows can be a great tool to have for when you need to create a wireless access point on the go. It won’t match the performance of a physical wireless access point, but it can be useful for many unexpected scenarios — like having one wired ethernet connection and several devices you want to get online. It’s not a replacement for the real thing, but in a sticky situation, it can be just the fix you need.

More resources

For more tips and tricks on Windows 10, and get the latest news, you can visit the following resources:

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5 best Wi-Fi hotspot software solutions [2021 Guide]

• Wi-Fi hotspots can be very helpful when network connectivity issues are frequent.
• The article below will be showcasing some of the best WiFi hotspot software for Windows 10.
• If you need to read more on the matter, visit our WiFI Hotspot Hub.
• For more tutorials like this one, feel free to explore our Internet & Network Guides.

• Marvel
• Starwars
• National Geographic
• Pixar

Despite the fact that internet access has become a necessity in today’s world, ensuring connection in all the devices we have can be a difficult task.

Especially in countries where public Wi-Fi services are yet to be established. That’s why having the best possible Wi-Fi hotspot software on your Windows 10 PC or laptop is important.

Having the internet on all devices is a prerequisite as most devices nowadays come with inbuilt Wi-Fi feature, sharing the internet via Wi-Fi hotspot is what makes life fun and easier.

While Android-powered smartphones offer internet sharing options directly via Wi-Fi hotspot, a Windows PC, on the other hand, offers no such options.

This makes it even more challenging in places where you have a limited option of mobile phone internet.

Most of us have been made to believe that only Wi-Fi routers can create Wi-Fi hotspots in public. This is not true.

Technology has evolved and we now have some cool software that can do exactly that.

In this article, we’re going to introduce you to the top 5 best Wi-Fi hotspot software you can install to turn your Windows 10 PC into a Wi-Fi hotspot.

What are the best free Wi-Fi hotspot software for Windows 10?

Connectify (recommended)

There are many solutions to a hotspot on the market today, but Connectify has garnered a good audience due to its performance and a simple interface.

This software is not free, but if can pinch yourself a little bit and buy it, you will surely get what you pay for. This software allows you to turn your laptop or PC into a virtual Wi-Fi router.

You can then use your laptop to share the internet to any nearby devices. And if you have a USB to access the internet, you can even share your internet with your neighbors and friends.

If you are in a conference room or a hotel that charges the internet per device, this software can be very useful.

All you have to do is request the internet for one device, and then use Connectify to covertly share it to your other devices.

Another advantage of Connectify is that you can boost the Wi-Fi range with your Virtual Router PRO and share Tethered connections, 3G, and 4G networks.

Connectify Hotspot is great when traveling – if you are in a hotel or an airplane that charges the Internet fee per device, all you have to do is buy Internet for your laptop and then use the software to covertly share it to your other devices.

Connectify Hotspot also features a strong and intelligent ad blocker that will save bandwidth (up to 55% according to their tests), time and battery life for the devices connected to your hotspot.

And if you want to have fun – you can use emojis in the hotspot name – see screenshot above. Don’t worry if you’re not that good with English – the software is available in 10 international languages.

• Save Bandwidth
• Increase Wi-Fi range
• No Wi-Fi COmpatibility issues
• Free version available

Expert tip: Connectify Hotspot is not only a great Wi-Fi hotspot software but also an excellent Wi-Fi signal booster software.

We recommend you to use the hotspot+signal boost combo in order to make your PC or laptop a real Wi-Fi router.

Even if you can possibly have some proximity data transfer issues, if you have multiple devices connected to your PC nearby, they should access the internet with blazing speed.

MHotSpot

MHotSpot is a great tool that works as an internet source and effectively converts your Windows 10 device to an efficient Wi-Fi hotspot.

This software provides a friendly user interface and is also available for download at no cost.

And just like the conventional router, MHotSpot can perform many tasks and you can also customize it to your preferences.

You can assign a password, select the maximum count of clients, name the hotspot, select the internet source and much more.

Covering only 400KB of your computers disk space, MHotSpot is relatively smaller than the other hotspot software. This makes it easier to download even when your internet connection is limited.

It can be shared by up to 10 users but in case you don’t want to share with many clients, you can adjust the settings to restrict the number of devices that can access your hotspot.

The other good thing about MHotSpot is that it can track all the details about the users connected to it, including their internet usage, so you can easily use it to monitor internet consumption.

MHotSpot is compatible with Windows 10 as well as all the other versions of Windows.

MyPublicWifi

MyPublicWifi is another handy tool that turns your laptop into a Wi-Fi wireless access point. It is free to download and can perform many functions apart from sharing the internet.

It has a strong firewall that can be used to restrict user access to specific servers. You can also use the software to prevent some internet services such as file-sharing programs.

In addition to that, you can use MyPublicWifi to track and record all the visited URL pages on your Virtual Wi-Fi hotspot.

The Wi-Fi security feature uses WPA2 encryption and you can only set a password that is at least 8 characters long. You can also give your wireless network a name of your choice.

When sharing the internet, the software displays the device names, IP addresses, and the Media Access Control (MAC) of all the connected devices.

You can also use MyPublicWifi to check the browsing history of every device connected to this network.

It is compatible with Windows 7, Windows 8, and Windows 10.

HostedNetworkStarter

HostedNetworkStarter is the simplest tool for sharing network available to date. It is a free utility tool developed by Norsoft for creating Wi-Fi hotspot.

The good thing about this tool is that it is portable, and you can store it in your USB to use it elsewhere.

With the Wi-Fi hotspot created by this tool, you can allow any nearby device to access the internet connection available on your laptop or PC.

Hosted Network Starter supports Windows 7, Windows 8, and Windows 10 with 32 or 64-bit computer. However, there is no support for Wi-Fi hosted network in older versions of Windows.

Unlike other programs, HostedNetworkStarter does not require any installation process or any complicated process.

To start using it, all you have to do is run the executable file.

After running it, a ‘Hosted Network’ option will open which will allow you to choose your desired settings for hotspot configuration.

After choosing the desired settings which include your desired hotspot name and the network key, press the start button to start the Wi-Fi hotspot.

160 WiFi Free Software OSTotoHotspot

OSTotoHotspot is the most widely used hotspot software on the market today. This software is completely free to use and its simplicity makes it very popular.

The unique thing about this tool is that despite being available at no extra cost, it has no advertisements or other annoying popups that plague most applications these days.

The installation process is very easy and you can turn your Windows computer into a hotspot with just a single click.

Another important feature is that you can use this tool to easily manage all the devices connected to your hotspot.

The software is also very secure and comes with password protection that prevents unauthorized access to the Wi-Fi.

It’s well compatible with Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 8.1, and Windows 10.

Update: Microsoft has discontinued the support for hosted networks on Windows 10. Thus, some of this software may not give you the respected result.

Please let us know in the comment section if you do find a workaround so we could share it with all our readers.

If you have problems with your mobile hotspot connecting to your PC, you can check out this guide.

If you’re aware of any other hotspot software compatible with Windows 10 that is not listed above, let us hear from you in the comments section below.

Also, leave there any other questions that you may have.