If “Network Cable Unplugged” Occurs, Here’s What You Should Do

Ethernet Network Cable Unplugged

Internet connection is crucial for a computer. If you have a lot of work to do but you cannot access the Internet in Windows 10/8/7, you will be very frustrated. In Windows 10, you usually encounter Internet connection issues, for example, no Internet secured error, IPv6 connectivity no network access, etc.

In this post, you can find another error – Ethernet cable unplugged or Local Area Connection network cable unplugged. On the taskbar, you can see a red “X” and Windows says “A network cable is unplugged”.

If you open the Network Connections interface, you can find “Network cable unplugged” in the status of the Ethernet network connection or Local Area Connection. This error shows up every few minutes or every few days and it can occur even when you are using a Wi-Fi.

The reasons for the error regarding unplugged network cable are various, for example, outdated or faulty drivers, computers’ or an application’s conflict with the connection speed, etc. In the following part, we have listed some methods available to fix the issue.

Solutions to Network Cable Unplugged Windows 10/8/7

Fix 1: Restart Your Computer

Simply restarting the computer is not enough and you need to completely reboot it by following these steps.

Step 1: Shut down your computer and unplug the power cable. If you are on a laptop, remove the battery.

Step 2: Wait for a few minutes.

Step 3: Reconnect the power cable and battery.

Step 4: Start your computer again.

Fix 2: Check the Ethernet Network Cable

Sometimes the error happens in Windows 10/8/7 since the network cable is not properly plugged or may be broken. So, you need to check both ends of the Ethernet network cable to make sure they are not loose.

Just connect an end to your computer and connect another end to your router. If this doesn’t help, try testing a faulty cable.

If it is possible, you can connect the same cable on another computer. If the cable also doesn’t work correctly, it is the issue with the cable itself. You need to replace a new Ethernet cable.

Also, check the indicator lights of the router and make sure they are blinking on as normal.

Fix 3: Change the Ethernet Adapter’s Duplex Settings

Duplex is a system implemented on a computer to manage the directions of network communication. By default, the setting of Duplex is automatic.

However, sometimes the network cable unplugged error is caused by this setting. To fix your issue in Windows 10/8/7, you should change the value.

Step 1: Launch Device Manager.

Step 2: Expand Network adapters and right-click one to choose Properties.

Step 3: Go to the Advanced tab, choose Speed & Duplex from the Property section and change Value to a value other than Auto Negotiation.

Fix 4: Disable the Ethernet Network Adapter

If you are using a wireless connection, you may also encounter the Local Area connection network cable unplugged or Ethernet cable unplugged issue. This is because your computer has built-in Ethernet or LAN adapter.

In this case, you can choose to disable the adapter.

Step 1: Right-click the network icon on the taskbar and choose Open Network & Internet settings.

Step 2: In Windows 10, click Change adapter options.

Step 3: Locate your connection and right-click it to choose Disable.

If you are using an Ethernet connection, you need to enable it after disabling it.

Fix 5: Update the Network Adapter Driver

As mentioned above, the network cable unplugged error may occur in Windows 10/8/7 due to an old or faulty network adapter driver. So, you should update the driver to fix this issue.

Step 1: Go to Device Manager and right-click the driver to choose Update Driver.

Step 2: Choose the first option to make Windows search for the updated driver and install it.

Alternatively, you can choose to uninstall the driver, go to the website of the supplier, download the latest one and install it on your computer.

The End

Here are all the possible methods to fix “a network cable is unplugged”. If you are bothered by the network cable unplugged error in Windows 10/8/7, try these solutions at once so as to easily and effectively get rid of the trouble.