How To Fix “The Default Gateway Is Not Available” Error? [11 Ways]

If you are looking to fix the “the default gateway is not available” error, you have come to the right place. I know it is tedious and time-consuming to fix computer and network errors because the many available articles and solutions are untested. Still, now you don’t have to worry about any of these issues.

We bring you the most effective and proven ways to rectify if the default gateway not available. You should read this entire article and follow these methods one by one. They have detailed instructions and a step-by-step guide to make it easier. But it’s important to know what is default gateway before. So, read further to know about default gateway and ways to solve default gateway not available error.

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the default gateway is not available

What Is The Default Gateway?

A router or network node in a computer networking system is called a default gateway. It acts as a forwarding hop to another networking system if the next-hop IP address is not specified in the routing table for the destination host’s forwarding data packets.

This default gateway acts as an access point to another network when one network tries to communicate with or send data packets. It also includes changing the IP addressing and subnet mask of the system and network topology.

In general, each network component in any network maintains a routing table that indicates the port or interfaces over which communication will occur, a set of rules to follow, and the paths to be pursued to deliver the destination data packet.

On some instances of the node, if an IP packet cannot find an appropriate set of rules and routes to follow to forward the packet to its destination address, it chooses a default gateway for other routing processes.

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1. Fixes For The Default Gateway Is Not Available Error

Fix 1: Uninstall all MacAfee programs from your PC

One reason for showing “default gateway not available” is that the McAfee security program installed on your PC. So, to get rid of this problem, you should uninstall this program from your PC.

For doing so, follow these simple steps.

Step 1: First, press the start button and type Control panel and click on the Control panel from the search results.

control panel

Step 2: Now go to programs and select the uninstall a program option.

Step 3: Now, you need to find the McAfee app from the program list and click on uninstall.
Uninstalling this program will fix the problem. If this doesn’t help you, follow this next method.

RecommendedHow to Uninstall Avast Antivirus In Windows 10

Fix 2: Reset your Wi-Fi or Ethernet adapter

Disabling Wi-Fi in the Network and Internet Sharing menu and then enabling it can solve the problem.

The steps involved are:

Step 1: First, you need to right-click on the network status from the taskbar.

network status

Step 2: Then select “Open Network Internet Settings.” Then go to the “Change your network settings” option.

Change your network settings

Step 3: Now click to choose Adapter Settings from the menu. The Ethernet connection adapter is displayed. You can choose it later.

Step 4: After selecting this feature, you should right-click on it and click on disable.

Step 5: It takes some time to process, and then click on the Enable option and close this menu.

It helps you to solve the default gateway is not available windows 10 error.

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Fix 3: Reset TCP/IP via netshell command

Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) and Internet Protocol (IP) are the settings or parameters required for any computer to connect to the Internet normally. If there is a problem with the setup, the user will experience connectivity issues as defined in the default gateway unavailable notification.

Here I will reset TCP/IP settings by running specific commands in an elevated command prompt window. Many users have solved the default gateway is not available to issue by resetting TCP/IP on their computer, so I hope to do the same.

To reset TCP/IP, follow these steps:

Step 1: First, you need to open a command prompt window with administrative privileges.

command prompt window

Or

Right-click on the Windows icon in the lower-left corner of the display to see the power-user menus list.

Be sure to select Command Prompt (Admin) in Programs and Options.

command prompt

Step 2: Your computer now displays an elevated command prompt window.

elevated command prompt window

Step 3: Now, you need to type and run the following command and press enter:

netsh int ip reset

Step 4: From here, you need to run one of the following commands and press enter (first command-if you are using IPv4, second command-if you are using IPv6).

netsh int ipv4 reset

netsh int ipv6 reset

Step 5: Close the command prompt window.

Now you should try using the Internet through a means you’ve struggled with before to see if the connection problem defined by default gateway not available windows 10 error has been permanently resolved.

Fix 4: Update the network adapter driver

If you see the caption “The default gateway is not available,” updating the latest version of the network adapter driver on your PC can help you to resolve this issue.

So, download the driver software from the hardware manufacturer’s official site and install it on your device.

The steps are as follows:

Step 1: First, you need to go to the device manager of your PC.

device manager

Step 2: Then click on the network adapter options to expand it.

network adapter

Step 3: After expansion, the driver version currently in Use will be displayed, and you will need to select the Update Driver Software option from the context menu.

update driver

Step 4: After selecting this option, you can automatically search for updated driver software.

Step 5: Download the appropriate software.

If the automated searching doesn’t get the right results, it will manually search for updated software and then download it. It should solve the problem.

Fix 5: Disable automatic login feature in Windows

Auto-login is a new and exciting feature introduced to the Windows account of users who repeatedly logged in and were used before the PC shutdown. This feature conflicts with the Windows Network Settings feature, resulting in a “default gateway not available” problem.

  • To fix the problem, you can disable the feature or enter a password when logging in so that the password is required every time you boot and don’t get it automatically.
  • After selecting, right-click on it and select the “Disable” option. Please wait. Then select the “Activate” option and close the menu after it is activated.

Fix 6: Reinstall the problematic network adapter driver

Drivers control and manage interactions or tasks related to hardware devices and software (or code) in Windows. For example, the hardware components of a computer cannot function without a driver. Network adapter drivers play an essential role in the Internet connection process.

It is assumed here that there is a problem with the network adapter driver used by the computer. It could explain why the default gateway not available error bothers you. We don’t know what the issue is, and we don’t need to figure it out. Reinstalling the network adapter driver can seriously change settings and code to eliminate any discrepancies or discrepancies.

Here are the instructions you need to follow to reinstall the network adapter driver.

Step 1: First, you need to right-click the Windows icon on display to view the list of power-user menus.

Step 2: Then, click on Device Manager. Windows now display the Device Manager application window.

device manager application

Step 3: Now, you need to check the list of categories, locate your network adapter, and click the expand icon for your network adapter.

network adapters

Step 4: Your computer will now show the device driver in the Network Adapters category.

Step 5: You need to locate the network adapter your computer uses to connect to the Internet, then right-click it, and select the Uninstall option.

uninstall device

Step 6: You need to confirm the removal operation.

Step 7: Now, you should click Remove again to confirm.

Step 8: The system now works to remove the problematic network adapter driver.

Step 9: Lastly, you need to close the Device Manager window and restart your pc.

If everything goes well after rebooting, Windows will automatically detect the change and recognize that an important driver is missing. The system then finds and installs the software it needs. Everything is done in minutes.

It’s okay if you wait a while and restart your PC for all necessary effects to take effect. Finally, you need to run some tests to ensure that the default gateway is not available windows 10 error doesn’t appear in the way and that your computer has internet access (as you did at the end of the previous procedure).

Fix 7: Change the network adapter driver

One of the lengthy and complicated processes to fix “Unable to issue default gateway.” In this process, the network adapter driver is exchanged with another set of drivers previously installed on the system.

Follow these steps to change the network adapter driver.

Step 1: Go to the device manager of your PC.

device manager

Step 2: Then click on the caption to expand the network adapter options.

network adapters

Step 3: After expansion, the driver version currently in use will be displayed, and you will need to select the Update Driver Software option from the context menu.

update driver

Step 4: Next, you will see two options on the screen, and you will need to select “Browse my computer for driver software.”

Step 5: Then go to “Let me pick from a list of device drivers on my computer.”

Step 6: Also, deselect the Show Compatible Hardware option.

Step 7: If you were using the current network adapter as Broadcom 802.11b in Device Manager previously, select the Broadcom 802.11f network adapter and vice versa. Then click on the next option.

If this does not solve the default gateway not available windows 10 problem, you may solve the problem by changing the adapter to a different set of network adapters.

Fix 8: Change the power management settings of a network adapter

Some users claim that this can be solved by changing the power management settings of the network adapter. To do this, follow these simple steps.

Step 1: Press the Windows key + X to open the Power User menu and select Device Manager from the list.

select device manager

Step 2: Locate and double-click the network adapter.

Step 3: From the Properties window, you need to go to the Power Management tab and uncheck Allow computer to turn off this device to save power. Click OK to save your changes.

power management

If you have network adapter issues, check out this in-depth guide to help with troubleshooting.

Fix 9: Enter the gateway settings manually

If the default gateway is not available, your connection settings are broken. Windows is not automatically fixing the problem; you can bypass the problem by manually entering the required gateway settings.

Sometimes reset operations for TCP/IP (via code running in an elevated command prompt window) are forced to configure themselves by the user without causing the necessary changes.

First, you have to find the IP address subnet mask and default gateway used by your computer. Please follow these steps to enter the gateway settings manually.

Step 1: Open an elevated command prompt window and Right-click on the Windows icon on the desktop to see a list of options, then select Command Prompt (Admin).

command prompt admin

Step 2: This time you need to run the following code in an admin command prompt window: “ipconfig.” The computer displays a list of fields and values. There you need to record important details.

Step 3: Record the values for the IP address, subnet mask, and default gateway. At this point, you need to close the command prompt window.

close command prompt window

Step 4: Now, you need to go to the critical menu on the control panel and do the work.

Step 5: You should press the Windows button + letter X key combination to launch the Power User menu list of programs and options.

Step 6: This time, you need to select Control Panel to start this application.

select control panel

Step 7: Open Control Panel window, set the View By parameter to Category; you can find it from the top right corner of the screen.

Control Panel window category

Step 8: Now you need to click on Network and Internet. On the next screen, you need to click on the Network and Sharing Center.

Step 9: Check the link close to the upper left area of the window and click Change adapter settings.

Change adapter settings

Step 10:

  • If you connect to the Internet via Ethernet, you will see an Ethernet or wired connection. To see the available dropdowns, right-click and select Properties.
  • When you connect to the Internet via Wi-Fi, you will see a Wi-Fi or wireless connection. To see the available dropdowns, right-click and select Properties.

Step 11: Assuming you are now in the Properties window for the selected connection, you should check the list use the following entry for this connection.

Step 12: Find Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP / IPv4), the IP protocol used by your computer. Double click on it.

Internet Protocol Version 4

Otherwise, if you are sure that your computer uses the latest protocol, you need to double-click on Internet Protocol Version 6 (TCP/IPv6).

Step 13: In the IP window, you need to check the following IP address box and then fill in the required fields with the values obtained from the command prompt window previously.

Step 14: Then, you need to go to the DNS section, click the Use the following DNS server address box, and then fill in the fields with the following values.

Primary DNS server: 8.8.8.8
Alternate DNS server: 8.8.4.4

dns server record

Step 15: If necessary, click the OK button to save your changes. Lastly, you need to close the Control Panel app (and other program windows).

You are done. Now you need to run some tests to make sure your computer connects to the web typically (as expected) without reporting that the default gateway not available.
Fix 10: Change the frequency of the wireless router

The next-generation routers operate at a frequency of 5 GHz, but often the adapter you are using does not support this frequency. So, changing the frequency from 5GHz to 2.4GHz solves the gateway problem. The frequency change process is in the router manual to change it with the steps mentioned.

Fix 11: Change the channel settings for the wireless router:

Some users have solved the default gateway issue by changing the router’s channel settings and using manual values (instead of automatic numbers). You need to do some research to find the best value for your computer and internet settings. Use that value.

FAQs:

1. How do I fix the default gateway is not available?

To fix the default gateway not available error, you can install a new Ethernet driver, change your wireless router channel, or change power management settings.

2. How does the default gateway work?

The default gateway allows devices on one network to communicate with devices on another network. So, it acts as an access point that your PC uses to transfer information.

3. What if the computer does not have a default gateway configured?

In this case, there is no intermediate route between the local network and the Internet. Therefore, devices on one network cannot communicate with devices on another network.

Conclusion:

These are the effective ways to solve the “the default gateway is not available” error. You can try any of these. I hope that this article helps you to solve this error. Comment below if you have any questions.

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