If you too get annoyed with the unwanted Wi-Fi names in the available connections list of Wi-Fi, then we share the same pain. Some of the names given to Wi-Fi networks are obnoxious and might be inappropriate for small kids. Also, you might not want your computer connecting with any unsafe network by accident.
Well, don’t worry, you can hide it from available connections list and prevent them from ever showing it up. With only a few commands, we can block or manage which Wi-Fi Network shows up in available connections list on Windows.
So, let’s get started!
Steps To Manage Available Wi-Fi Connections List On Windows
How To Add A Wireless Connection To Your Blocklist?
Step 1: Type command prompt in the search bar and from the search results click on Command Prompt. Right click on Command Prompt and select Run as administrator.
Note: To execute a netsh command, you need to run Command prompt as administrator.
Step 2: If you wish to hide a single network from the list, then you can add it to the blocklist. Therefore, you can’t connect to it from computer.
netsh wlan add filter permission=block ssid=”Wi-Fi NAME” networktype=infrastructure
So, to add a single network to blocklist, execute this command by replacing “Wi-Fi NAME” with your WIFI’s name that you want to stop seeing on the list. The Wireless network name would be the same that you can see in the available connections list.
Once entered the command, press Enter to run the command. If you get the message, “the filter is added on the system successfully,” then the command is executed, and you will no longer see the wireless network in the available connections.
If you want to block more than one connections, then you can repeat the steps to add networks to the block list.
Note: If your neighbour changed the Wi-Fi name, then it can be seen in the list again.
How To Remove A Wireless Connection From Your Blocklist?
You can unblock a wireless connection from your blocklist in case you changed your mind. Follow these steps to remove it from blocklist:
netsh wlan delete filter permission=block ssid=”Wi-Fi NAME” networktype=infrastructure
So, to remove a single network from blocklist, execute this command by replacing “Wi-Fi NAME” with the name of Wi-Fi you want to unblock.
Well, following this process of adding and removing Wireless connections can be exhausting. Rather, you can add more than one Wi-Fi networks to the whitelist and be done with it.
Let’s know how!
How To Add A Wireless Network To Whitelist?
This process will make sure that your system can only be able to establish connections with the networks in the whitelist, therefore blocking others.
Note: This method cannot be feasible for laptops if you travel more often with your laptop with you, as it will not show you Wi-Fi hotspots without altering the settings.
Type this command and replace “Wi-Fi NAME” by the name of your wireless network:
netsh wlan add filter permission=allow ssid=”Wi-Fi NAME” networktype=infrastructure
Just like the blocklist, you can repeat the process to other networks that you want to add to the whitelist.
Once done, type this command to block all other wireless networks that you explicitly don’t want to allow:
netsh wlan add filter permission=denyall networktype=infrastructure
If you ever want to undo the change, you need to execute the below command.
netsh wlan delete filter permission=denyall networktype=infrastructure
Once executed, your computer will show and can establish connections to all networks except the ones added to block list.
If you want to remove any of the allowed networks from Wi-Fi network rules, then execute the command:
netsh wlan delete filter permission=allow ssid=”Wi-Fi NAME” networktype=infrastructure
Don’t forget to replace “Wi-Fi NAME” with the wireless network’s name that you wish to remove.
Steps To Check Your Filters Applied
If you want to use view all the applied filters you have created, type and execute the below-mentioned command:
netsh wlan show filters
This will show you all the active filters, you can add, or remove the filters by using the above-mentioned commands.
Note: You can use the command which you used to add a Wi-Fi name to the filter by using the word delete in place of add.
So, in this way, you can block all the unwanted Wi-Fi connections popping up in your available connections’ list. However, you need to make sure that you don’t give administrative rights to your kids or anyone who could access Command Prompt and change the active filters.
Liked the article? Please share your thoughts in the comments section below.