How to set network adapter preference on Windows 10
A lot of people use both a WiFi and an Ethernet connection simultaneously. It’s easy enough to manage. Windows 10 doesn’t stop you from connecting both network adapters however, it doesn’t let you set priority for them. There used to be a way to do this but it no longer works in the latest version of Windows 10. That doesn’t mean it’s impossible to set connection priority. You can set the network adapter preference on Windows 10 and thus give WiFi or Ethernet priority over the other.
Network adapter preference
In order to set network adapter preference, you need to download an app called Wired WiFi Switcher.
Once you’ve downloaded the app, you need to install it. During installation, it will ask you to set the network adapter priority. You should know what your WiFi and Ethernet adapters are called. Normally, if the network cards are fairly new, the app will be able to recognize which network adapter is used to connect to the WiFi network and which is used to connect to the Ethernet network.
The app will ask you to select the Primary Adapter from the ones listed. You can only select one primary network adapter.
Next, you will be asked to select the secondary adapter and again, you can only select one. Complete installation by clicking Next, and the network preference will be set.
The app has no interface whatsoever so while it can set the network adapter priority, it doesn’t offer an easy way to change it on the fly. If you have trouble with the app not setting the adapter preferences correctly, it might have to do with your network drivers.
It’s unfortunate that there’s no way to do this out of the box. It’s a configuration that a lot of people need to change and it isn’t limited to just WiFi and Ethernet preferences. Users also need to set network preferences of the same type i.e., WiFi network preferences. With Microsoft constantly revamping the Settings app and cutting out features from the Control Panel, it has yet to add a simpler way for managing networks.
If you experience connectivity issues after installing this app, you should remove it. It doesn’t appear as a new app in the apps list on the Start Menu but you can uninstall it from the Control Panel. Go to Programs and select Uninstall a program. The app should appear in the list of installed apps. Select it and click Uninstall.
