A slow internet connection turns everyday tasks — loading a webpage, joining a video call, streaming a show — into tests of patience. Most people immediately blame their ISP, but the bottleneck is usually something local: your router, your device settings, or your DNS server.
The seven fixes below cover the most common causes of slow internet, starting with the quickest wins and moving to more involved steps. If your Wi-Fi shows connected but pages won’t load at all, see our guide on Wi-Fi connected but no internet first — that’s a different problem with a different set of solutions.
Quick Answer
Restart your router and modem, then test your speed at fast.com. If results are well below your plan, switch your DNS to 1.1.1.1, move closer to the router, and close bandwidth-heavy background apps. Most slow-internet issues are resolved in under ten minutes with these steps.
1. Run a Speed Test to Establish a Baseline
Before touching anything, visit fast.com on the affected device and note your download and upload speeds. Compare those numbers to the plan you’re paying for.
- Speeds near your plan limit — the issue is local: device, router placement, or interference.
- Speeds far below your plan — restart your equipment first; if that doesn’t help, contact your ISP.
Pro tip: Test once over Wi-Fi, then again with an Ethernet cable plugged directly into the router. A large gap between the two readings means your wireless signal is the weak link, not the internet service itself.
2. Restart Your Router and Modem
This single step clears temporary glitches, flushes the router’s memory, and forces a fresh connection from your ISP — and it resolves more slowdowns than any other fix on this list.
- Unplug the power cable from your modem (the box connected to the coax or phone line).
- Unplug the power cable from your router (or from the combo unit if you have one).
- Wait 30 full seconds.
- Plug the modem back in and wait about 60 seconds for its lights to stabilize.
- Plug the router back in, wait another 60 seconds, then reconnect your devices.
Troubleshooting tip: If the modem’s “Online” or “Internet” light stays red or amber after two minutes, the problem is on your ISP’s end — a reboot won’t fix it. Check your ISP’s outage map or call their support line.
3. Move Closer to Your Router — or Go Wired
Wi-Fi signal weakens with distance and degrades through walls. Moving your laptop 10 feet closer to the router can produce a measurable speed improvement. For devices that stay in one place — desktop PCs, smart TVs, gaming consoles — an Ethernet cable eliminates wireless interference entirely and reliably delivers the full speed your plan allows. A standard Cat6 patch cable is inexpensive and takes two minutes to plug in.
4. Switch to a Faster DNS Server
Your ISP’s default DNS servers translate web addresses into IP addresses, and they’re often slower than free public alternatives. Switching takes under three minutes and reduces the lag on every new page load.
| Provider | Primary DNS | Secondary DNS | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cloudflare | 1.1.1.1 | 1.0.0.1 | Speed and privacy |
| 8.8.8.8 | 8.8.4.4 | Reliability | |
| OpenDNS | 208.67.222.222 | 208.67.220.220 | Parental controls |
Change DNS on Windows 11
- Open Settings → Network & Internet → Advanced network settings.
- Click your active adapter, then select Edit DNS server assignment → Manual.
- Enable IPv4, enter your preferred addresses, and click Save.
Change DNS on iPhone or Android
On iPhone: Settings → Wi-Fi → tap the (i) next to your network → Configure DNS → Manual, remove existing entries, and add 1.1.1.1 followed by 1.0.0.1. On Android: Settings → Network & Internet → Private DNS, choose Private DNS provider hostname, and enter one.one.one.one.
5. Limit Background Apps and Downloads
A single app silently updating software, syncing cloud files, or uploading a backup can saturate your connection and slow down everything else. On Windows, press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager and click the Network column header to sort processes by bandwidth — any process consuming several Mbps is a suspect worth closing. On iPhone, go to Settings → General → Background App Refresh and disable it for apps that don’t need to update in the background.
6. Clear Your Browser Cache
A bloated browser cache doesn’t slow your raw connection, but it makes browsing feel sluggish because the browser works harder to render pages. In Chrome, press Ctrl + Shift + Delete (Windows) or Cmd + Shift + Delete (Mac), select Cached images and files, set the time range to All time, and click Clear data. The fix takes under 30 seconds and often produces an immediate improvement.
7. Reset Network Settings (Last Resort)
Corrupted TCP/IP settings can silently throttle speeds in ways that other fixes won’t touch. On Windows, open Command Prompt as administrator and run these commands one at a time:
netsh int ip reset
netsh winsock resetRestart your PC afterward. On iPhone: Settings → General → Transfer or Reset iPhone → Reset → Reset Network Settings. You’ll need to rejoin Wi-Fi networks manually after this step. For slowdowns specific to a shared mobile connection, our mobile hotspot troubleshooting guide covers additional steps.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Skipping the speed test. Without baseline numbers you’re guessing what to fix. Test before and after each change so you know what actually helped.
- Restarting only the router and forgetting the modem. Modems cache connections just like routers and need the same power-cycle treatment to clear stale data.
- Blaming the ISP when the wired speed is fine. If a direct Ethernet connection hits your plan’s advertised speeds, the problem is in your home network, not at the ISP level.
- Staying on 2.4 GHz when 5 GHz is available. The 2.4 GHz band is more congested and slower for close-range use. If your router broadcasts a network with “5G” or “5GHz” in the name, connect to that one instead.
- Ignoring idle connected devices. Smart TVs, old phones, and tablets left on Wi-Fi can consume bandwidth in the background even when nobody is actively using them.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I tell if the problem is my device or my internet connection?
Run a speed test on two different devices — a laptop and a phone, for example. If both are slow, the issue is the connection or router. If only one device is slow, the problem is on that device; try restarting it or clearing the browser cache.
Will a Wi-Fi extender fix slow internet speeds?
Only if weak signal in a far room is the cause. If your speed next to the router is already slow, an extender won’t help — it extends wireless range but can’t create bandwidth that isn’t there to begin with.
Does the number of connected devices affect speed?
Yes, especially on older routers. Each device competes for bandwidth. Disconnecting idle devices or upgrading to a Wi-Fi 6 router — which handles many simultaneous connections more efficiently — can make a noticeable difference.
How often should I restart my router?
Once every one to four weeks is a sensible routine. Routers run continuously and accumulate memory clutter over time, much like a computer that’s never rebooted.
Can my neighbors’ Wi-Fi slow down my connection?
On the 2.4 GHz band, yes. Overlapping channels from nearby networks create interference. Switching to 5 GHz, or using a router that automatically selects the least-congested channel, resolves most of these cases.
Conclusion
A speed test and a router restart solve the majority of slow-internet complaints — start there every time. If speeds are still lagging, work through the DNS switch and background-app audit before escalating to your ISP. For slowdowns that reproduce even over a direct wired connection, your current plan tier may be the limiting factor.
Bookmark this page for the next time your connection bogs down. For related issues, see our guides on Wi-Fi connected but no internet and mobile hotspot not working.
Last updated: June 22, 2026