Having a good Internet connection is very important to navigate normally, download at a good speed and avoid continuous cuts. There are many factors that can affect the network, but in most cases we will be able to control them. In this article we are going to talk about how to reset Winsock in Windows and why it is something that can help our Internet connection to work better.
What is Winsock and what is it for?
Winsock’s name comes from Windows Socket . We can say that it is a programming interface that is used to establish communication between Windows network software and network services. It uses the TCP/IP protocol so that programs that need access to the Internet can connect.
It basically serves so that programs can connect to the Internet . For example a messaging application, a program to upload files to the cloud, etc. Any application you have installed on Windows that needs network access to work is going to depend on Winsock.
Although it comes pre-installed as standard on Microsoft operating systems, we can also find it on others such as macOS. It is not something recent, since it was created several decades ago. Over time it has been adapting to the new versions of the system and to the needs of the programs that we install.
We can say that Winsock is in charge of receiving and sending requests . What it does is translate requests to perform different tasks that require the use of the TCP/IP protocol. Therefore, it is a necessary tool for many of the functions that we do in our day to day on the Internet. If something goes wrong, if a problem appears, it will not be able to work correctly and we will have to take certain measures so that the programs that depend on this function can be executed correctly.
Why is it useful to reset Netsh Winsock
So why is it interesting to reset Winsock? Winsock will store important information about how those applications and communications will interact. This database can become corrupted and stop working properly. For example, if a virus enters the computer, a bad system configuration, an update that has failed, etc. Keep in mind that what we mentioned could also affect browsing, although it is not something that directly affects this feature of Windows.
This will cause applications to not be able to connect normally to the Internet. You may see speed glitches, continuous outages, or even not being able to connect. In this case, messages would begin to appear indicating that the application could not connect or error messages related to Winsock. It is in that case when we would have to take measures to achieve optimal operation.
Therefore, to make the Internet connection work correctly, it may be necessary to use Netsh Winsock , the command that allows you to restart it. In this way we will be able to restore operation, restart that database that is going to be created, and be able to use applications normally again.
It can be useful to solve specific problems that affect Winsock, since if it is a more general network error we could not achieve anything and we would have to see what the cause is to take correct measures.
How to restart it in Windows 11 or Windows 10
Resetting Winsock in Windows 10 or Windows 11 is a very simple process. Simply by following a series of steps you will be able to reset this component and see if it solves the error you are having in the connections when using some applications. You will not have to install anything, since everything comes with the operating system itself.
The first thing you have to do is go to Start and search for Terminal, Command Prompt or CMD. You have to run it with administrator permissions, so you right-click it and hit Run as administrator. This is essential to be able to execute the command.
Once you are inside the Terminal or Command Prompt and you have opened it with administrator permissions, the next thing you have to do is execute the following command in the window that is going to open:
- netsh winsock reset
Later you should see a message in the same window indicating that Winsock has been successfully reset . It’s a quick process and you don’t have to do anything else. If you have followed these steps, you will simply see that message indicating that it has been carried out successfully and that’s it.
The process is the same whether you are using Windows 10 or Windows 11. You will be able to run the command from Terminal or Command Prompt and quickly reset this system feature.
When you have reset Winsock in Windows, the next thing to do is reboot the system. This is important every time you make such a change, as it ensures that it was done correctly and avoids issues that can affect performance and limit usability.
Conclusions
In short, as you have seen, it is very easy to reset Winsock in Windows . It is a process that you are going to have to carry out if you run into connection problems, such as a malfunction of the applications that need to connect to the Internet, that there are cuts or that they cannot even connect.
One of the causes of problems with applications that require the Internet in Windows is that there has been a problem with Winsock. Therefore, by resetting it we can get it to work normally again and have access to the network again when using those programs.
However, your connection problem may not be caused by Winsock. Therefore, if you see that after having reset this feature you are still having problems, the ideal is that you look for what could be the cause. Perhaps it is due to poor coverage, some malware on the system, a program that is blocking the connection, etc. All of these could make the applications unable to connect normally to the network.
