How to Turn Off Wi-Fi When Connecting Ethernet in Windows 10

Windows does not turn off the Wi-Fi connection automatically when you connect an Ethernet cable. You have to do it manually — unless you use this nifty method that’s easy enough to do even if you aren’t tech-savvy.

Disabling Wi-Fi When Ethernet Is Plugged In

We will have to make a simple change to your network adapter settings. Before going ahead with these instructions, make sure you’re connected to Wi-Fi internet.

1. Go to the System Tray icon and click on Open Network and Sharing Center. Alternatively, you can also type ncpa.cpl in the Run box and open your Network Connections.
   
2. Click on the adapter icon for your connected Wi-Fi connection. The Wi-Fi Status window is displayed. Click on Properties.
   
3. In the Wi-Fi Properties box, select the Network tab and click on the Configure button.
   
4. In the new window, switch to the Advanced tab. All the Wireless Adapter Properties are displayed as a list. Go through the list and select the Disable Upon Wired Connect property. Now, choose Enabled from the Value dropdown on the right side.
5. Click OK.

Note that the “Disable Upon Wired Connect” entry is a property of the wireless network adapter and it may not be present if the adapter does not support it. For instance, my Ralink RT3290 adapter does not.