How to force a PC to use Wi-Fi instead of Ethernet?

How to force PC to use Wi-Fi instead of Ethernet: Set priority

Learning how to force PC to use Wi-Fi instead of Ethernet helps users maintain a stable wireless connection without unplugging cables. Misconfigured network preferences cause computers to default to wired connections automatically. Understanding the correct network adapter configuration prevents internet disruptions and ensures your system utilizes the desired access point.

Why Force Your PC to Use Wi-Fi Instead of Ethernet?

Depending on your setup, you might need to connect to a specialized local network via a physical cable while browsing the web wirelessly. There are multiple ways to configure this network behavior, but we need to choose the most reliable one.

Windows 11 adoption reached 35.5 percent of the market share in late 2024, meaning millions of users are navigating these updated network settings. But there is one critical mistake that causes a massive amount of network sharing failures when tweaking these settings - I will show you how to avoid it in the PowerShell section below.

By default, Windows assumes that a wired connection is faster and more stable than a wireless one. Whenever you plug in an Ethernet cable, your operating system automatically prioritizes it over your Wi-Fi network. You might want to force Windows 10 to use Wi-Fi over Ethernet if your wired network is strictly for local file sharing or a specialized intranet, while your Wi-Fi provides the actual internet access.

Let us be honest - constantly unplugging physical cables is frustrating. You need a permanent software solution.

Method 1: How to Change Network Adapter Priority Windows Using Control Panel

The most visual way to prioritize wifi over ethernet in Windows 11 and 10 is by adjusting the Interface Metric. Think of the metric as a cost value - the lower the number, the cheaper the route, so Windows prefers it.

Here is how to adjust the metric priority: 1. Open the Control Panel and navigate to Network and Sharing Center 2. Click on Change adapter settings on the left panel 3. Right-click your Wi-Fi adapter and select Properties 4. Double-click Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4) 5. Click the Advanced button 6. Uncheck Automatic metric and type 10 in the Interface metric box 7. Repeat the process for your Ethernet adapter, but set its metric to 20 or higher

I have never seen anyone permanently break their computer doing this. If you lose internet access, simply check the Automatic metric box again to reset everything back to normal.

Why We Do Not Just Disable the Ethernet Adapter

You could just right-click and disable the Ethernet connection entirely. (That is what the quick summary above suggests as a basic fix.)

But here is where it gets interesting.

Wait a second. Disabling the adapter completely kills all traffic on that interface. If you rely on Ethernet to connect to a local storage drive or a network printer, disabling it breaks those connections completely. Adjusting the metric allows both to coexist gracefully, ensuring your laptop uses Wi-Fi for internet while keeping the local Ethernet alive.

Method 2: Prioritize Wi-Fi over Ethernet Windows 11 via PowerShell

For advanced users, PowerShell is much faster. Open PowerShell as an Administrator. Type Get-NetIPInterface to see your adapters and their current metrics. Take note of the InterfaceIndex number for both your Wi-Fi and Ethernet.

Then, type the command to set the metric. For example, Set-NetIPInterface -InterfaceIndex 15 -InterfaceMetric 10.

Here is that critical mistake I mentioned earlier: setting the metric to 1. Never set the metric to 1 because Windows reserves the lowest numbers for the loopback interface and internal system routing. Setting it to 10 for Wi-Fi and 20 for Ethernet is perfectly safe and ensures stability.

Dead wrong. Many older tutorials suggest setting it to 1, and it causes mysterious routing dropouts weeks later. I learned this the hard way after configuring an entire office network with a metric of 1, only to spend hours troubleshooting random disconnects.

Ethernet vs Wi-Fi: Shifting Paradigms

Conventional wisdom says to always use Ethernet for maximum speed. But in my experience managing office networks, modern Wi-Fi - assuming you have a high-end router - often outperforms legacy office wiring. Recent reports indicate that 37 percent of businesses have already deployed WiFi 6E to handle high-bandwidth tasks wirelessly.

Ethernet connections typically offer sub-millisecond latency, while Wi-Fi connections often experience varying latency spikes depending on wireless interference. However, if your Ethernet is routed through a ten year old 100Mbps switch, your modern 5GHz Wi-Fi is absolutely going to be faster.

That is it. It is not magic, it is just basic routing math.

In reality, most home users never need to touch these settings. But when you are dealing with complex office setups or strict firewall rules on a wired connection, forcing your PC to use Wi-Fi instead of Ethernet becomes essential.

Comparing Network Priority Methods

When deciding how to force your PC to use Wi-Fi, you have three primary approaches. Each method balances ease of use with flexibility.

Control Panel Metric (Recommended)

• Moderate - requires navigating legacy Windows menus and understanding TCP/IPv4 properties

• High - allows simultaneous connection to local Ethernet resources and Wi-Fi internet

• Settings persist through most reboots but might reset during major Windows updates

Disabling Adapter

• Very low - takes two clicks in the Network Connections menu

• Low - completely severs the physical wired connection

• Stays disabled until manually re-enabled by the user

PowerShell Automation

• Steep - requires command-line familiarity and administrator privileges

• High - exact same routing benefits as the Control Panel method

• Excellent for creating automated scripts that toggle priorities instantly

Office Network Architecture Struggle

David, a systems administrator at a small logistics firm, needed his team to access a secure legacy database via Ethernet while routing all web traffic through a fast Wi-Fi connection. The dual-connection requirement was non-negotiable for compliance.

First attempt: He simply plugged in both connections. Result: Windows automatically routed everything through the slow Ethernet, causing web applications to crawl. Next, he disabled the Ethernet adapters entirely, but that instantly broke access to the internal database.

After three days of frustrated complaints from the staff, he discovered the Interface Metric setting. He tried setting the Wi-Fi metric to 1, which caused unpredictable IP conflicts and dropped connections across the board.

Finally, he set the Wi-Fi metric to 10 and Ethernet to 20. Web traffic successfully bypassed the wired network, cutting load times by 60 percent, while the legacy database remained perfectly accessible. He learned that Windows routing requires gentle nudging, not absolute overrides.