Set Up A Mobile Hotspot Connection In Windows 11 Network And Internet Settings

Prerequisites for Setting Up a Mobile Hotspot

Not every Windows 11 PC can broadcast a hotspot.

• Wi-Fi 📶 Hardware: Your computer must have a wireless network 📶 adapter that supports hosted networks or Wi-Fi Direct. Most modern laptops and pre-built desktops include compatible hardware, but older USB Wi-Fi dongles might lack this capability.
• Internet Connection: Your PC must have an active internet connection to share. This can come from an Ethernet cable plugged into your port, a separate Wi-Fi 📶 network, or an integrated cellular modem.
• Administrator Privileges: You must be signed in with an administrator account to modify network sharing properties and change secure hotspot configurations.

How to Configure Your Mobile Hotspot Settings

Before turning on the broadcast, you should customize the network name, password, and frequency band. Windows 11 generates default credentials, but changing them makes the network easier to identify and more secure.

To access and modify these settings, open the Settings ⚙️ app:

1. Press the Win+I on your keyboard to open Settings ⚙️.

   

2. Click on Network & internet in the left-hand menu.
3. Click on Mobile hotspot to open the configuration panel.

   

4. Click the Edit button next to “Network details” to change your network name, password, and network band.
5. Type a new name in the Network name field.
6. Type a secure password in the Network password field. The password must be at least 8 characters long.
7. Select your preferred frequency band from the Band dropdown menu, choosing between 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, or Any available (if your wireless adapter supports dual-band broadcasting).
8. Click Save to apply your changes.

How to Turn On Mobile Hotspot in 🪟 Windows 11

Once your network details are configured, you can activate the broadcast so other devices can discover and connect to it.

To turn on the feature through the Settings app:

1. Open Settings by pressing the Windows key + I.
2. Select Network & internet.

   

3. Click on Mobile hotspot.

   

4. Toggle the switch next to Mobile hotspot to the On position.

Alternatively, you can toggle the feature quickly using the Quick Settings panel:

1. Press the Windows key + A on your keyboard to open the Quick Settings flyout.
2. Click the Mobile hotspot quick action button to turn it on or off. If the button is missing, click the pencil icon at the bottom of the flyout to add it.

   

When the hotspot is active, the Mobile hotspot settings page displays a list of connected devices under "Devices connected," showing how many of the maximum allowable devices (usually 8) are currently using your network.

Connecting Other Devices to Your 🪟 Windows 11 Hotspot

With the broadcast running, your Windows 11 PC acts just like a standard wireless router. You can now connect any Wi-Fi-enabled device to it.

1. Open the Wi-Fi settings menu on the device you want to connect (such as a smartphone, tablet, or another laptop).
2. Scan for available wireless networks and locate the Network name you configured in Windows 11.
3. Select the network and enter the Network password you set up.
4. Confirm the connection on the client device. Once authenticated, the device accesses the internet through your Windows 11 PC.

How to Share Your Connection Over Bluetooth

If your computer lacks a traditional Wi-Fi adapter or you prefer not to broadcast a Wi-Fi signal, Windows 11 allows you to share your internet connection via Bluetooth instead. Bluetooth sharing uses significantly less power, making it ideal for mobile devices running on battery power, though it offers much slower data transfer speeds than Wi-Fi.

To set up Bluetooth sharing, your client device must first be paired to your Windows 11 PC:

1. Open Settings by pressing the Windows key + I.
2. Click on Bluetooth & devices in the left-hand sidebar.
3. Ensure Bluetooth is toggled to On and pair your target device following the on-screen prompts.
4. Return to the main Settings menu and click Network & internet.
5. Click on Mobile hotspot.

   

6. Locate the "Share over" dropdown menu at the top of the page.
7. Change the setting from Wi-Fi to Bluetooth.
8. Toggle the Mobile hotspot switch to On.

Power Saving and Automatic Turn-Off Settings

Leaving a mobile hotspot running drains your laptop battery. Windows 11 includes a power-saving feature that automatically turns off the hotspot when no devices are connected.

To configure this behavior:

1. Open Settings and navigate to Network & internet.
2. Click on Mobile hotspot.
3. Expand the section or locate the toggle labeled Power saving.

   

4. Turn the switch to On. When enabled, Windows automatically turns off the hotspot if no client devices remain connected, preventing accidental battery drain.

Advanced Management via Registry Editor

For network administrators and power users looking to automate or enforce hotspot behavior across a local environment, advanced configurations can be managed using the Windows Registry Editor (regedit.exe — a tool for viewing and modifying system configuration settings in Windows).

Back up your registry before proceeding with any changes.

To view network sharing policies, open Registry Editor:

1. Press the Windows key + R to open the Run dialog box.
2. Type `regedit` and press Enter. Click Yes if the User Account Control prompt appears requesting administrator privileges.
3. Navigate to the following path in the left-hand pane: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\NetworkConnections

If the registry keys for managing connection sharing policies are present here, they govern how network sharing behaves under enterprise group policies.

Automating Mobile Hotspot with PowerShell

If you prefer using command-line tools over the graphical interface, you can manage your mobile hotspot state using PowerShell (a task automation and configuration management framework consisting of a command-line shell and scripting language).

To start or stop the hotspot programmatically:

1. Right-click the Start button and select Terminal (Admin) or PowerShell (Admin) to open an administrative console.
2. To start the mobile hotspot, run the following profile command: Start-Process -NoNewWindow -FilePath "ms-settings:network-mobilehotspot" (Note: Direct PowerShell cmdlets for starting the hotspot require specific network profile wrappers; use the Settings URI scheme to trigger the interface directly).

How to Undo This

To completely disable and remove your mobile hotspot configuration, toggle the Mobile hotspot switch to the Off position in your Network & internet settings. If you want to reset all network adapters and saved hotspot profiles back to their factory defaults, navigate to Settings › Network & internet › Advanced network settings and click Network reset.