Windows — Wi-Fi Login Page Not Showing

How Windows handles captive portals

Windows Network Connectivity Status Indicator (NCSI) tests internet connectivity by requesting http://www.msftconnecttest.com/connecttest.txt after joining a Wi-Fi network. If the network returns a captive portal redirect instead of the expected response, Windows marks the connection as "No Internet" and shows a sign-in prompt. If DNS is set to a custom server that resolves differently, or a VPN is active, NCSI's probe may never reach the portal.

Step 1 — Check the system tray sign-in prompt

1. Look at the bottom-right system tray for a Wi-Fi icon with a globe or exclamation mark
2. Click it — a "Connect" or "Sign in" link may appear below the network name
3. Click the link — Windows opens a browser window pointed at the portal
4. If no prompt appears, continue to the next steps

Step 2 — Open the portal manually in Edge

1. Open Microsoft Edge (Edge handles portal redirects more reliably than Chrome on Windows)
2. Navigate to http://neverssl.com
3. Edge should be redirected to the portal login page by the network
4. If not, try http://www.msftconnecttest.com/redirect — this is Windows' own portal trigger URL

Step 3 — Set DNS to Automatic (DHCP)

On Windows 11:

1. Go to Settings → Network & Internet → Wi-Fi
2. Click Hardware properties (or View hardware properties)
3. Click Edit next to "DNS server assignment"
4. Select Automatic (DHCP) and click Save
5. Disconnect and reconnect to the Wi-Fi network

On Windows 10:

1. Go to Control Panel → Network and Sharing Center → Change adapter settings
2. Right-click your Wi-Fi adapter → Properties
3. Select Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4) → click Properties
4. Select Obtain DNS server address automatically
5. Click OK → OK, then disconnect and reconnect

Step 4 — Disable your VPN

1. Go to Settings → Network & Internet → VPN
2. Click your VPN connection → click Disconnect
3. Also open your VPN application and click Disconnect there too
4. If the VPN has a "Connect automatically" or "Kill switch" setting, disable it before reconnecting to Wi-Fi

Step 5 — Forget and reconnect to the network

1. Go to Settings → Network & Internet → Wi-Fi → Manage known networks
2. Click the network name → click Forget
3. Reconnect to the network — Windows re-runs NCSI on every fresh connection

Step 6 — Disable HTTPS-Everywhere or browser extensions

If you're using a browser extension that forces HTTPS (HTTPS Everywhere, uBlock with strict mode, Privacy Badger), it can block the HTTP redirect the portal needs. Open an InPrivate / Incognito window (extensions are disabled by default) and try loading http://neverssl.com again.

Windows Firewall / security software

Third-party security suites (Bitdefender, Kaspersky, ESET) sometimes block HTTP traffic or DNS on untrusted networks. Temporarily disable the network protection component of your antivirus, connect to the portal, then re-enable it.