I actually got the idea for this post after helping someone in a tech forum who was dealing with a super relatable problem in which their laptop kept connecting to the wrong WiFi network at work. They had a bunch of SSIDs floating around the office, and Windows would stubbornly pick the slow guest one every time.

As we dug into it, I showed them a quick little Command Prompt trick to control which WiFi connects first. It’s one of those lesser‑known Windows tweaks that can save a lot of frustration, so I figured it was worth turning into a quick guide in the hopes it might help others.
 

Step 1: See All the Networks Your PC Knows

Open up Command Prompt and type this:

netsh wlan show profiles

You’ll see a list of all the WiFi networks your computer remembers. The order they’re listed in shows which ones Windows will try first.
 

Step 2: Choose Who Connects First

Now comes the fun part setting your WiFi network priorities.

Here’s the genreal command structure:

netsh wlan set profileorder name="TheNetworkSSIDName" interface="Wi-Fi" priority=1

So if you’ve got your main office network and a backup one, you can do this:

netsh wlan set profileorder name="OfficeNetworkName" interface="Wi-Fi" priority=1
netsh wlan set profileorder name="BackupNetworkName" interface="Wi-Fi" priority=2

Priority 1 means “always try this one first.” Priority 2 means “fall back to this one if the first isn’t available.” So on and so forth for priorities: 3, 4, 5, 6, …
 

Step 3: Double‑Check

Run the original command again to ensure your new order stuck:

netsh wlan show profiles

You should now see your favorite network sitting proudly at the top.
 

Quick Tip

Even if Windows sees a different WiFi nearby with a stronger signal, it’ll obey your priority order. So in a crowded office or apartment building, this trick keeps your device loyal to the right SSID.
Done and Dusted
 

Deleting a Profile

Should you ever wish to delete an old Wi-Fi profile from your system you can do so by issuing the following command:

netsh wlan delete profile name="TheNetworkSSIDName"

 
 
That’s it, a tiny tweak that saves you from constant WiFi roulette. Next time your laptop connects exactly where you want it to, you’ll know why.