How to Change Network Adapter Priority in Windows 11

Have you ever experienced problems with your internet connection when using multiple network adapters at once? For example, you connect to Wi-Fi and Ethernet at the same time, but you want to use one of the two as your primary internet source.

Or, you want to run multiple programs that require different network priorities, such as online gaming or video streaming. How can you set the priority of the network adapter in Windows 11 to suit your needs?

In this article, Bardimin will explain how to change the priority of network adapters in Windows 11 easily and quickly. You will learn how to determine which network adapter Windows 11 will use as the main internet source, and how to set network priorities for specific programs. This article will help you improve the performance and stability of your internet connection on Windows 11.

What is Network Adapter Priority?

Network adapter priority is a numeric value that determines the order in which network adapters will be used by Windows 11 to send and receive data over the Internet. Network adapter priority values range from 1 to 9999, where 1 is the highest priority and 9999 is the lowest priority. The network adapter with the highest priority will be used by Windows 11 as the main internet source, while the network adapter with the lower priority will be used as a backup or for specific purposes.

You may have multiple network adapters installed in your computer, such as Wi-Fi, Ethernet, Bluetooth, VPN, or a mobile modem. You can change the priority of this network adapter according to your preferences, for example, if you want to use Wi-Fi as the main internet source and Ethernet as a backup, or vice versa. You can also set network priorities for specific programs, for example, if you want to use Ethernet for online games and Wi-Fi for video streaming, or vice versa.

Changing the priority of network adapters in Windows 11 can help you improve the performance and stability of your internet connection, especially if you frequently switch between different network adapters. By setting the appropriate network adapter priority, you can avoid conflicts, interruptions, or speed drops that may occur due to incorrect use of the network adapter.

How to Change Network Adapter Priority in Windows 11

One way to change the priority of network adapters in Windows 11 is through PowerShell. This is a more complicated and advanced way, but you can set the priority of the network adapter specifically, that is, for the specific program you are running. Here are the steps:

1. Open PowerShell by pressing the Windows + X button on your keyboard, then select Windows PowerShell (Admin) from the menu that appears. You may be prompted to grant administrator permissions, click Yes to continue.
2. Type the following command to see a list of all network adapters installed in your computer, along with their priorities:

Get-NetIPInterface | Sort-Object -Property InterfaceMetric -Descending

3. You should see output like this:

ifIndex InterfaceAlias AddressFamily NlMtu(Bytes) InterfaceMetric Dhcp ConnectionState PolicyStore
------- -------------- ------------ ----------- --------------- ---- --------------- -----------
7 Ethernet IPv6 1500 25 Enabled Connected ActiveStore
7 Ethernet IPv4 1500 25 Enabled Connected ActiveStore
8 Wi-Fi IPv6 1500 35 Enabled Connected ActiveStore
8 Wi-Fi IPv4 1500 35 Enabled Connected ActiveStore
9 Bluetooth Network Connection IPv6 1280 65 Enabled Disconnected ActiveStore
9 Bluetooth Network Connection IPv4 1280 65 Enabled Disconnected ActiveStore

4. Pay attention to the InterfaceAlias and InterfaceMetric columns. InterfaceAlias is the name of the network adapter, while InterfaceMetric is the priority value of the network adapter. A lower network adapter priority value indicates a higher priority, and vice versa. For example, in the example above, the Ethernet network adapter has the highest priority with a value of 25, while the network adapter Bluetooth Network Connection has the lowest priority with a value of 65.
5. To change the priority of a network adapter, type the following command, where <InterfaceAlias> is the name of the network adapter that you want to change, and <InterfaceMetric> is the value of the new priority that you want to set:

Set-NetIPInterface -InterfaceAlias “<InterfaceAlias>“ -InterfaceMetric <InterfaceMetric>

6. For example, if you want to change the priority of the Wi-Fi network adapter to 15, type the following command:

Set-NetIPInterface -InterfaceAlias “Wi-Fi” -InterfaceMetric 15

7. You can repeat steps 5 and 6 to change the priority of other network adapters as you see fit.
8. To check whether the changes have been successfully applied, type the following command again:

Get-NetIPInterface | Sort-Object -Property InterfaceMetric -Descending

9. You should see output like this:

ifIndex InterfaceAlias AddressFamily NlMtu(Bytes) InterfaceMetric Dhcp ConnectionState PolicyStore
------- -------------- ------------ ----------- --------------- ---- --------------- -----------
7 Ethernet IPv6 1500 25 Enabled Connected ActiveStore
7 Ethernet IPv4 1500 25 Enabled Connected ActiveStore
8 Wi-Fi IPv6 1500 15 Enabled Connected ActiveStore
8 Wi-Fi IPv4 1500 15 Enabled Connected ActiveStore
9 Bluetooth Network Connection IPv6 1280 65 Enabled Disconnected ActiveStore
9 Bluetooth Network Connection IPv4 1280 65 Enabled Disconnected ActiveStore

10. Note that the priority value of the Wi-Fi network adapter has changed to 15, which means that its priority has increased.

Tips and Tricks to Set Network Adapter Priority in Windows 11

In addition to following the steps above, you can also use some of the following tips and tricks to set the priority of network adapters in Windows 11 more easily and effectively:

• You can use the Get-NetAdapter command in PowerShell to view more information about your network adapter, such as name, status, speed, and type.
• You can use the Get-NetRoute command in PowerShell to view your network routing table, which shows the path used by Windows 11 to send and receive data over the internet.
• You can use the Test-NetConnection command in PowerShell to test your network connection, such as ping, latency, and bandwidth.
• You can use New-NetQosPolicy commands in PowerShell to create a network quality of service (QoS) policy, which lets you allocate network bandwidth to specific programs.
• You can use third-party applications, such as NetBalancer or NetLimiter, to control network traffic and set network priorities for specific programs with a graphical interface.

Conclusion

That’s how to change the priority of network adapters in Windows 11 easily and quickly. By setting the appropriate network adapter priority, you can improve the performance and stability of your internet connection in Windows 11. Hope this article was useful and good luck!