How to change the priority order of network connections – Windows 10

It is very common to have several network connections adapters especially if you use a laptop, since we can connect via an Ethernet cable, a wifi connection or use the mobile device as a means of connection, by having all these connections together the PC only connects to the first signal it gets.

But we can change the priority order of a network connection just by changing the interface metric, which is a value with which the system identifies a network connection, if you have checked the speed of a network card you have the option and use the adapter that offers the best internet speed, even if it connects last.

How to configure through the menu the adapter options?

In Windows 10 you can enter your adapter options through the options menu or by entering from the network icon located in the taskbar, you can also access the Windows settings and enter the adapter options. Learn how to do this from the menu as follows:

• Right-click on the Start button to display the options.
• Click on ‘Network Connections’ to enter the Internet settings section.
• Click on change adapter options to see all available adapters.
• To configure the adapter you want just right-click on it and enter the properties.

You can also change the name of the adapter in order to identify it in a simple way, or you can create shortcuts and send them to the desktop, in the same way when prioritizing some, the connection is done automatically. This means that you do not need to configure the adapter every time you turn on the PC.

How can I change the priorities on my Windows computer?

There are several ways to prioritize a network connection on your computer, the direct method is to go to ‘network connections’, and from there choose an adapter and change its metrics. It is important to know that the lower the value the higher the priority. Learn how to do this in the following way:

Using PowerShell

With PowerShell you must know how the metrics work in order to make the commands work. You can do it by following these steps:

• Open PowerShell on your Windows 10 PC with administrator privileges.
• Run the command ‘Get-NetIPInterface’ to display the connection data, i.e. the interface identifier (ifIndex) and the metric used (InterfaceMetric).
• Execute the command ‘Set-NetIPInterface -InterfaceIndex (ifIndex number to select a network) -InterfaceMetric (new metric number), here you must identify the interface and change the metric to give it priority, remember that the lower the value the higher the priority.
• Press Enter and you are done.
• A tip you should know is that you can run the ‘Get-NetIPInterface’ command again in order to verify if the new metric has been assigned correctly.

Using the CMD

The CMD is a command console that works just like the PowerShell, so you can run the same commands, no matter which console you use in the end the goal is the same. Of course you must execute the commands in the Windows CMD with Administrator permissions, otherwise it will not be possible.

With the key combination

You can use only the keyboard to enter the network connections, in order to configure or give priority to some adapter, since it is possible to execute commands without the need to use the mouse. To do this you only need to:

• Press the ‘Windows + R’ keys to open the run tool.
• Type the command ‘ncpa.cpl’.
• Press the Enter key and the network connections open.
• Right click on any adapter to enter the properties.
• Select the ipv4 protocol and enter its properties.
• Click on ‘advanced options’ and uncheck the automatic metrics box.
• Type a value to give priority to the connection the lower the number the higher the priority you will have, for example number 2.
• Click OK and you are done.

Network drop-down menu

In the network drop-down menu you can choose the adapter you want to prioritize, you can access it through the network icon on your PC or by running the command ncpa.cpl. There are also several suggestions to improve the performance of your PC, so that the network with the highest priority can use the maximum internet speed.