How to Create a WiFi Hotspot Using the Command Prompt

What “Command Prompt hotspot” really means in 2026

There are two different hotspot worlds on Windows:

• Legacy Hosted Network (netsh hostednetwork): The classic method where you run a few
  netsh commands in Command Prompt to create a SoftAP-style hotspot. This works on older Windows
  versions (and some older drivers), but it’s increasingly unsupported on modern Windows 10/11 hardware.
• Modern Mobile Hotspot (Wi-Fi Direct-based): The built-in Windows feature you toggle in
  Settings. It works on most current systems, but it’s not officially designed to be controlled fully from
  Command Prompt.

This article shows you both, so you can pick the path that matches your PC instead of arguing with it
at 1:00 a.m.

Before you start: the quick checklist

To create a WiFi hotspot from Command Prompt, you’ll need:

• Admin rights (Command Prompt must run as Administrator).
• A WiFi adapter capable of acting like an access point (important for the legacy method).
• An internet source to share (Ethernet, WiFi, or sometimes cellular/USB tethering).
• A strong password (minimum 8 characters for the legacy hosted network key).

Step 1: Open Command Prompt as Administrator

1. Press Windows key, type cmd.
2. Right-click Command Prompt → Run as administrator.

Step 2: Check if your PC supports the legacy hosted network

Run this command:

Look for a line like Hosted network supported. If it says Yes, you can try the
legacy method below. If it says No (common on Windows 11 and many modern drivers), skip ahead
to the modern method section.

Method 1: Create a hotspot with netsh (legacy Hosted Network method)

If your adapter supports hosted networks, this is the classic “type commands, feel powerful” approach.
You’ll set a network name (SSID), set a password, start broadcasting, and then share your internet connection.

Step 1: Set your hotspot name and password

Replace MyHotspotName and MyStrongPass123 with your preferred values.
Your password must be at least 8 charactersno “12345678” unless your goal is to share internet with the entire neighborhood.

Step 2: Start the hotspot

Step 3: Verify it’s running

You should see status information (running/not running), and once devices connect, the number of connected clients.

Step 4: Stop (or permanently disable) the hosted network

To stop it for now:

To disable the hosted network feature and clear it out:

Pro tip: If you plan to use the hotspot again, you usually only need start hostednetwork next time
you don’t have to re-enter the SSID and password unless you want to change them.

Make it actually share the internet: turn on Internet Connection Sharing (ICS)

Creating a hotspot is only half the job. Without Internet Connection Sharing, your phone might connect
to the hotspot…and then stare into the digital void with “No internet access.”

Step 1: Open Network Connections quickly (from Command Prompt)

Run:

Step 2: Identify the two key adapters

• Internet adapter: The connection that has internet (often Ethernet or your main WiFi).
• Hotspot adapter: The virtual adapter created for the hosted network.
  It may show up as something like Local Area Connection* 12 or a secondary WiFi connection.

Step 3: Enable sharing

1. Right-click your Internet adapter → Properties.
2. Open the Sharing tab.
3. Check Allow other network users to connect through this computer’s Internet connection.
4. In the dropdown, choose the hotspot/virtual adapter (the one created for your hosted network).
5. Click OK.

Now connect your phone/laptop to the hotspot SSID and test browsing. If it connects but doesn’t reach the internet,
jump to the troubleshooting sectionthis is a popular Windows party trick.

Method 2: When Hosted Network isn’t supported (Windows 10/11 reality)

If Hosted network supported: No appears, the legacy method typically won’t workno matter how intensely
you stare at the screen. Modern Windows versions commonly prefer a Wi-Fi Direct-based Mobile Hotspot.

Open Mobile Hotspot settings from Command Prompt

You can’t reliably toggle Mobile Hotspot purely through classic netsh commands, but you can
launch the correct Settings page instantly:

Turn it on in Settings

1. Toggle Mobile hotspot to On.
2. Choose which connection to share under Share my internet connection from.
3. Choose Share over: Wi-Fi (usually fastest).
4. Edit the network name and password if you want something more memorable than “DESKTOP-7G4K…”.

If your goal is “do it from Command Prompt,” the practical compromise is:
use CMD to launch the settings page instantly, then let Windows do the Wi-Fi Direct part the way it wants.
It’s not as cinematic as typing commands like a movie hackerbut it works on modern systems.

Create a handy one-click batch file (optional)

Want to avoid retyping commands? Create a batch file. This one tries the legacy hosted network start,
and if your PC doesn’t support it, it opens the Mobile Hotspot settings page.

Save it as StartHotspot.bat, right-click it, and run as Administrator.

Troubleshooting: common errors and how to fix them

Problem: “The hosted network couldn’t be started.”

• Cause: Adapter/driver doesn’t support hosted networks, or the WLAN service isn’t running.
• Fix: Check support again:

If support is “No,” use Mobile Hotspot (Method 2). If support is “Yes,” also check that WLAN AutoConfig is running:

If it’s stopped, start it:

Problem: Devices connect, but there’s no internet

• Cause: Internet Connection Sharing isn’t enabled (or is sharing to the wrong adapter).
• Fix: Open Network Connections and confirm sharing:

Make sure your internet adapter is sharing to the hosted network/virtual adapternot to the wrong “Local Area Connection*” cousin.

Problem: “Hosted network supported: No” (but it used to be Yes)

This often happens after a Windows upgrade or driver update. Many newer WiFi drivers no longer expose the legacy hosted network feature.
In plain English: your hardware may still be capable, but the driver model moved on.

Problem: Mobile Hotspot is missing or grayed out

• Try: A network reset, then reboot.
• Try: Updating WiFi drivers from your laptop manufacturer (or rolling back if a new update broke hotspot behavior).
• Try: Confirm you have a working internet connection firstWindows won’t share what it doesn’t have.

Problem: It works… until sleep/restart

Hotspots can stop after sleep, hibernate, or reboot. If you’re using the legacy method, rerun:

If you’re using Mobile Hotspot, Windows may remember the setting, but some devices/drivers still require a manual toggle.

Security and performance tips (so your hotspot doesn’t become a neighborhood festival)

• Use a strong password: 12+ characters, mix letters/numbers, and avoid obvious phrases.
• Turn it off when done: A hotspot is like leaving your front door openfine while you’re moving furniture, weird overnight.
• Mind the band: If Mobile Hotspot offers a band choice (2.4 GHz vs 5 GHz), use 5 GHz for speed and 2.4 GHz for range/compatibility.
• Watch your upstream: If you’re sharing a slow hotel connection, every connected device is now sharing the same tiny internet straw.
• Be careful with VPN sharing: Some VPNs don’t play nicely with hotspot sharing without extra configuration.

FAQ

Can I create a WiFi hotspot with Command Prompt on Windows 11?

Sometimes, but not reliably with the legacy netsh hostednetwork method. Many Windows 11 systems and modern drivers
don’t support hosted networks anymore. The most dependable approach is to use CMD to open the Mobile Hotspot settings page and enable it there.

What’s the fastest “command-line-ish” way to get this done?

Try the legacy method if supported. If not, run:

Then toggle Mobile Hotspot on and set your SSID/password.

Do I need extra software?

Usually no. Windows can do it nativelyeither via hosted network (older) or Mobile Hotspot (newer). Third-party tools exist,
but you should treat them like any networking software: only download from reputable vendors and keep security in mind.

Conclusion

Creating a WiFi hotspot from Command Prompt can be wonderfully simpleif your system supports the legacy hosted network feature.
When it does, a few netsh commands plus Internet Connection Sharing can turn your PC into a mini-router in minutes.
When it doesn’t (which is increasingly common on Windows 11 and newer WiFi drivers), the modern solution is to use Windows Mobile Hotspot
and you can still use Command Prompt to jump straight to the right settings page.

Either way, you now have a practical playbook: test compatibility, create the hotspot, share the connection properly,
and troubleshoot the most common errors without performing a ritual sacrifice to the WiFi gods.

Real-World Experiences: What It’s Like Using a CMD Hotspot Day-to-Day

Here’s the part most “just run these commands” tutorials skip: hotspots are simple in theory and weirdly emotional in practice.
Not because the commands are hard, but because real life loves throwing curveballsdriver quirks, hotel networks, VPN rules,
and that one device that insists it’s connected while silently refusing to load a single webpage.

One common scenario is the “conference room classic”: you’ve got a laptop on Ethernet (fast, stable, glorious),
and you want to share it with a phone, a tablet, or a coworker who wandered in asking, “Do you have WiFi?”
On systems that still support the legacy hosted network method, this can feel magical. You set your SSID, start the hosted network,
flip on Internet Connection Sharing, and suddenly your laptop is a tiny internet lighthouse. The practical lesson:
the hotspot itself is only half the storyICS is the real MVP. When people say “my hotspot doesn’t work,” they often mean
“I forgot to share the internet to the right adapter.”

Another classic experience is the “it worked yesterday” mystery. You run netsh wlan show drivers and
you swear it used to say “Hosted network supported: Yes,” but now it says “No.” This isn’t your imagination playing tricks.
WiFi driver updates and Windows upgrades can change which features are exposed. For a regular user, it feels unfair:
you didn’t change the laptop, yet your hotspot superpower vanished. The practical move is to stop fighting the legacy method
and switch to Mobile Hotspotbecause your time is valuable and Windows will not pay you back for stubbornness.

Then there’s the “connected, no internet” situation that makes people distrust technology as a concept. Your phone connects to the SSID,
gets an IP address, and still can’t load anything. This is usually ICS again: either it’s not enabled, it’s pointing to the wrong
virtual adapter, or Windows got confused because you have multiple active connections (Ethernet + WiFi + VPN + virtual adapters from
virtualization tools). In messy setups, the best habit is to keep your hotspot configuration minimal:
one internet source, one hotspot method, and no extra “network experiments” running in the background.

Hotspots also behave differently depending on where you are. In some hotels, the network uses a login portal (captive portal).
Your laptop can authenticate through a browser, but your phone connecting through the laptop may not pass through the portal cleanly.
In those cases, Mobile Hotspot sometimes behaves better than hosted networks, but the real-world workaround is often to authenticate
on the laptop first, confirm it has working internet, and only then enable sharing. And yes: sometimes you’ll still need to disconnect
and reconnect the client device because the first attempt is basically a warm-up lap.

Finally, performance is a real experience too. Sharing a connection doesn’t create new bandwidth; it distributes what you already have.
If your upstream is slow, adding more devices can feel like inviting extra people to drink from the same milkshake using tiny straws.
The practical tip: keep the hotspot password private, limit the number of devices, and disable the hotspot when you’re done.
Your future self (and your battery) will thank you.

Bottom line: the commands are the easy part. The “experience” is learning how Windows networking behaves in the wild
and having a calm checklist when it inevitably decides to be dramatic.