my laptop loses internet connection when it sits for awhile

Hi Doug,

Thanks for reaching out to the Microsoft community and mentioning the problem with your laptop disconnecting from the internet when it's idle. To help you out better, could you let me know the specific model of your laptop?

This is likely tied to power management settings, the behavior of the Wi-Fi adapter, or it might need an update. I'll share some options for troubleshooting network connectivity issues.

First, let’s check the Power Management tab. Press Win + X - Device Manager Expand Network adapters → Right-click your Wi-Fi adapter - Properties Go to the Power Management tab Uncheck "Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power" • Click OK Next, check the Sleep Settings.

Make sure your laptop isn’t entering a deeper sleep state that disconnects Wi-Fi. Go to Settings - System - Power & Battery. Click the Screen and sleep. Set "When plugged in, PC goes to sleep after" to a longer duration or Never (just for testing)

We should also look into updating or rolling back the Wi-Fi Driver.

A recent driver update might be causing the issue. In Device Manager, right-click your Wi-Fi adapter - Properties. Go to the Driver tab. Click Update Driver to see if there are newer versions available or click Roll Back Driver if the problem started after an update.

Disable Fast Startup. Fast Startup can lead to networking issues after waking from sleep. Go to Control Panel - Power Options - Choose what the power buttons do. Click Change settings that are currently unavailable. Uncheck "Turn on fast startup." Save changes and reboot.

Please do check for Windows Updates. Sometimes, Microsoft releases fixes for known issues. Go to Settings - Windows Update, Click Check for updates. If this answer helps, please click "Accept Answer" and feel free to upvote it. If you have any more questions about this response, just click "Comment".

Warm regards

Edward Schlobohm