Your device says WiFi connected but no internet — full signal bars, yet nothing loads. This means your phone or laptop reached the router fine, but the router-to-internet link is broken, or something on your device is blocking traffic. Here’s how to find the real cause in a couple of minutes.
Fix it in order — fastest first
- Restart the router. Unplug it 30 seconds, plug back in, wait for all lights steady. This alone fixes the majority of cases.
- Check if it’s just one device. If other devices work, the problem is your device — skip to step 5. If nothing works, it’s the router or the line.
- Check the internet line. Look at the router’s internet/WAN light. Red or off means the signal from your provider is down — check for an outage or a loose cable.
- Restart your device too — it re-requests an address from the router and clears temporary faults.
- Renew the IP / forget the network. On the affected device, forget the WiFi network and reconnect, or toggle airplane mode. This forces a fresh connection.
- DNS issue. If pages won’t load but apps partly work, it’s often DNS — see DNS not responding for the fix.
What “connected, no internet” actually means
WiFi has two layers. The first is your device talking to the router — that’s what the WiFi icon shows, and it’s clearly working. The second is the router talking to the wider internet through your provider. When only the first works, you get full bars and zero web — which is why restarting the router (the bridge between the two) is the top fix.
If it’s only one device
A single device that won’t connect while others work points to that device’s network settings: a wrong static IP, a stuck DNS entry, or a bad saved profile. Forgetting the network and rejoining clears most of these. On computers, running the built-in network troubleshooter often resets the adapter automatically.
Still down?
If the router’s internet light is red across all devices, it’s your provider’s line, not your equipment — contact them. For the DNS-specific version of this problem, go to DNS not responding; if you also can’t open the router page, see router page not loading.
Why does it say connected but no internet?
Your device reached the router (that’s the WiFi icon), but the router’s link to the wider internet is down. Restarting the router usually restores it.
How do I fix WiFi with no internet?
Restart the router first, check whether other devices work, look at the router’s internet light, then restart the affected device and forget/rejoin the network.
Only one device has no internet — why?
That device’s network settings are the cause: a stuck IP, bad DNS, or corrupt saved profile. Forget the network and reconnect, or run the network troubleshooter.
Router internet light is red — what now?
A red WAN/internet light means the signal from your provider is down. Check cables and for a local outage; if it stays red, contact your provider.