PowerShell Enable-NetAdapter

last modified February 15, 2025

In this article, we will cover the Enable-NetAdapter cmdlet in PowerShell. This cmdlet enables network adapters that are currently disabled.

Network adapter basics

A network adapter is hardware that connects a computer to a network. It can be physical (Ethernet, Wi-Fi) or virtual (VPN, Hyper-V). Adapters can be enabled or disabled for troubleshooting or configuration. PowerShell provides cmdlets for managing network adapters.

Basic Enable-NetAdapter usage

The simplest way to use Enable-NetAdapter is with the -Name parameter. This enables the specified network adapter. The adapter must exist and be disabled. Administrator privileges are required to run this cmdlet.

Enable-NetAdapter -Name "Ethernet"

This command enables the network adapter named "Ethernet". No output is returned unless you use the -PassThru parameter. The adapter will become active if the command succeeds.

Enable multiple adapters by wildcard

You can enable multiple adapters using wildcard characters. The -Name parameter accepts wildcards for pattern matching. This is useful when you need to enable all adapters matching a specific pattern.

Enable-NetAdapter -Name "Wi-Fi*" -Confirm:$false

This command enables all adapters whose names start with "Wi-Fi". The -Confirm parameter suppresses the confirmation prompt. Use wildcards carefully to avoid enabling unintended adapters.

PS C:\> .\enable2.ps1

Name                      InterfaceDescription                    ifIndex Status
----                      --------------------                    ------- ------
Wi-Fi                     Intel(R) Wi-Fi 6 AX201 160MHz                15 Up
Wi-Fi 2                   Microsoft Wi-Fi Direct Virtual Adapter       16 Up

Enable adapter by interface index

Network adapters can also be enabled using their interface index. This is a unique number assigned to each adapter. Use Get-NetAdapter to find the index. This method is precise when you know the exact adapter to enable.

Enable-NetAdapter -InterfaceIndex 15 -PassThru

This command enables the adapter with interface index 15. The -PassThru parameter returns the enabled adapter object. This lets you verify the operation succeeded.

Enable all disabled adapters

You can enable all disabled network adapters at once. First find disabled adapters with Get-NetAdapter, then pipe to Enable-NetAdapter. This is useful for quickly restoring network connectivity.

Get-NetAdapter | Where-Object { $_.Status -eq "Disabled" } | Enable-NetAdapter

This command finds all disabled adapters and enables them. The Where-Object cmdlet filters for adapters with Status "Disabled". Piping sends these to Enable-NetAdapter.

Enable adapter with confirmation

By default, Enable-NetAdapter prompts for confirmation. You can make this explicit or suppress it. The -Confirm parameter controls this behavior. This is important for scripting where you need predictable behavior.

Enable-NetAdapter -Name "Ethernet 2" -Confirm

This command enables "Ethernet 2" with explicit confirmation. You'll be prompted to confirm before the adapter is enabled. This prevents accidental changes in interactive sessions.

Source

PowerShell documentation

In this article, we have covered the Enable-NetAdapter cmdlet in PowerShell.

Author

My name is Jan Bodnar, and I am a passionate programmer with extensive programming experience. I have been writing programming articles since 2007. To date, I have authored over 1,400 articles and 8 e-books. I possess more than ten years of experience in teaching programming.

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