Windows  ·  low  ·  Networking & connectivity

Hotel or guest Wi-Fi sign-in page never appears

Windows decides whether a network has internet by fetching one specific URL. When that check is broken, the sign-in page is never offered.

What you see

Connected to the guest network, "No internet, secured", and no browser prompt. Typing an address gives a certificate warning or nothing at all.

What is actually wrong

The connectivity check has been disabled by policy, or DNS-over-HTTPS and a custom DNS server are bypassing the portal's redirect, so Windows never sees the interception that triggers the prompt.

Codes and articles

captive portalmsftconnecttestNCSIno internet, secured

Fixes (2)

Trigger the portal by hand
Any browser5 minuteslow riskreversible

You need to be online now. Do this first.

  1. Open http://neverssl.com or http://msftconnecttest.com/redirect in a browser. Both are plain HTTP on purpose.

    A portal works by intercepting a request and returning its own page. It cannot do that to an HTTPS request without producing a certificate error, so an HTTP-only address is the reliable way to make the login page appear.

  2. If nothing appears, try the gateway address directly.

    Command Prompt
    ipconfig | findstr /i "Gateway"

  3. Turn off Secure DNS in the browser's privacy settings for the duration — encrypted DNS defeats the portal's redirect.

Confirm it workedThe portal loads and accepts the sign-in, after which the network shows as connected.
If you need to undo itTurn Secure DNS back on once online.
Restore the connectivity check itself
Elevated PowerShell10 minuteslow riskreversible

Every network shows "No internet" even when it clearly works — a policy has disabled the check.

  1. Look for the policy that switches active probing off.

    PowerShell
    Get-ItemProperty 'HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\NetworkConnectivityStatusIndicator' -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue

  2. Remove NoActiveProbe if it is set to 1.

    PowerShell
    Remove-ItemProperty 'HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\NetworkConnectivityStatusIndicator' -Name NoActiveProbe -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue

  3. Restart the location awareness service.

    PowerShell
    Restart-Service NlaSvc -Force
Confirm it workedThe network icon reflects reality, and a captive network prompts for sign-in.
PowerShell
Get-NetConnectionProfile | Format-Table Name,IPv4Connectivity,IPv6Connectivity
If you need to undo itRecreate NoActiveProbe as a DWORD of 1 if it was set deliberately for a disconnected network.

Where this stops. This write-up was written and checked by hand. It says what each step changes, how to confirm it worked and how to reverse it, and anything destructive is flagged before you reach it. If it does not match what your machine is doing, search the Support Centre for the exact code or message — and when something needs a person, get in touch.