Windows 10: Manage and Hide Known Wi-Fi Networks Easily

Alright, listen up, y’all. We gonna talk about how to hide them darn Wi-Fi networks on your Windows 10 contraption. Don’t you worry none, it ain’t rocket science. Even this old gal figured it out, so you can too.

First off, you gotta find them settings. You know, that little gear thingy? Click on that “Start” button, looks like a little window, and then type in “settings.” See, simple as pie. Then you click on that “Settings” thing that pops up.

Now, you gotta find the “Network & internet” section. It’s got a little picture of a globe, kinda looks like the world, but flatter. Click on that, and then find “Wi-Fi.” Should be right there, plain as day.

Okay, here’s where it gets a little tricky, but stick with me. You see that “Manage known networks” thing? Click on that. This here is where your computer remembers all the Wi-Fi networks you’ve connected to before.

Now, you gotta pick the Wi-Fi network you wanna hide. Say, for example, it’s called “Smith Family Wi-Fi.” You click on that “Smith Family Wi-Fi” and you’ll see some more stuff. Don’t worry about most of it. What you really wanna look for is somethin’ about the “Network Profile” type. Sometimes it says “Public” and sometimes it says “Private.” That ain’t what we’re after today, though. We are here to hide it, not change if it is public or private.

Hidin’ that Wi-Fi, the sneaky way

See, hidin’ a Wi-Fi network ain’t nothin’ more than tellin’ that router box to stop shoutin’ its name out loud. Normally, that router box is like a town crier, yellin’ “Hey! I’m Smith Family Wi-Fi! Come connect to me!” When you hide it, it’s like tellin’ that crier to just whisper. It’s still there, but nobody can see it unless they already know its name.

To hide it you need to know that fancy name, the SSID. It’s just the Wi-Fi name. You can usually find this by clickin’ on that little Wi-Fi lookin’ icon down by the clock. It looks like little waves, you know, like the air when it’s hot out.

Now, some folks say you gotta use that “Command Prompt” thing, but that sounds too complicated for my taste. We’re gonna do this the easy way, through the router settings. But see, every router box is different, so I can’t tell you exactly what buttons to push. You might have to ask your grandkid or somethin’ to help you with this part.

You gotta open up a web browser, like that Chrome thing or that Firefox one, and type in some numbers. Usually, it’s somethin’ like “192.168.1.1” or “192.168.0.1”. You might need to look on the back of your router to see what to type in here. It is usually written on a sticker somewhere. Then, you gotta type in a username and password. Again, this is different for every router, but a lot of times it’s just “admin” for both. If that don’t work, you gotta find the little booklet that came with your router, or again, ask one of them young’uns for help.

Once you’re in the router settings, you gotta find the Wi-Fi settings. It might be called “Wireless” or “WLAN” or somethin’ like that. And then you gotta find the setting that says “SSID Broadcast” or “Hide SSID” or “Enable SSID Broadcasting.” You wanna uncheck that box or disable it or switch it to off. It’s like tellin’ that crier to shut his trap.

Now, you gotta save your changes. There’s usually a button that says “Save” or “Apply” or somethin’ like that. Click on that, and your Wi-Fi network should be hidden. It might take a minute or two for the changes to take effect.

Keep in mind, hidin’ your Wi-Fi ain’t foolproof. Someone who really wants to find it still can, but it’ll keep most folks from seein’ it. It’s like hidin’ your valuables under the mattress – not the safest place, but better than leavin’ ’em out in plain sight.

Removing old Wi-Fi networks so you don’t connect to them accidentally.

Now, if you just want to get rid of a network from your computer’s memory, that’s even easier. Go back to them “Manage known networks” settings we talked about earlier. Click on the network you wanna get rid of, and then you should see a button that says “Forget.” Click on that, and your computer will forget all about that Wi-Fi network. It’s like eras in’ it from your brain, only it’s your computer’s brain.

And there you have it. That’s how you hide your Wi-Fi networks and forget old ones. Like I said, it ain’t rocket science. Just takes a little fiddlin’ around. And if you get stuck, just ask a young person. They seem to know all about this stuff these days.

Tags：[windows 10, hide wifi, network settings, ssid, wireless network, security, router, manage known networks, wifi settings, computer tips]