Only Microsoft Programs Say I have no internet

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Only Microsoft Programs Say I have no internet

Bruno Martin 25

Whenever I try to use any apps on my windows 11 hp laptop, Microsoft says it can't connect to the internet. I'm posting this from said laptop, so I know it's not a problem with my school's internet. Most sources I've found are outdated or too complex to follow, and I'm scared of jacking something up messing with settings I don't understand. the error code it's giving me is 0x800704cf. I already tried resting the Microsoft store, but that hasn't fixed anything.

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Answer 1

John Jefferson Doyon 65,240 Independent Advisor

Hi, I'm John! I will help you with this.

Do you have a VPN enabled? If so, try disabling it temporarily and see if that makes a difference. You can check by going to Settings > Network & Internet > VPN or looking for a VPN app running in the background.

In the meantime, if you haven’t already already:

Forget and reconnect to your Wi-Fi network:

Go to Settings > Network & Internet > Wi-Fi > Manage known networks.
Find your current Wi-Fi network and click "Forget" next to it.
Restart your main router/modem, then reconnect to the Wi-Fi and enter the password again.

Flush the DNS cache:

Press Start and search for CMD.
Right-click on Command Prompt and select “Run as administrator”.
In the Command Prompt, type the following commands one by one, pressing Enter after each and wait:

ipconfig /flushdns

ipconfig /release

ipconfig /renew

netsh winsock reset

Restart your PC and check if the issue persists.

If issue still persists try to enable IPv4:

Press Windows + R key to open Run dialog.
Type this and press Enter: ncpa.cpl
Right-click on your current Wi-Fi connection and select Properties.
Double click Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4)
Under "Use the following DNS server automatically," use these values: 8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4
Click OK to save and restart your PC and connection.

If the issue persists, please provide more details by answering my questions.

Click "Add comment" below to let me know.

Regards,

John J.D.

Bruno Martin 25 Reputation points

2026-03-17T19:07:38.8933333+00:00

Thank you, I've never had a vpn on this device so that wasn't the issue. Flushing the DNS cache is what did the trick. It was a little intimating looking at that command screen, thanks for making the steps so clear.
John Jefferson Doyon 65,240 Reputation points Independent Advisor

2026-03-17T19:25:47.5233333+00:00

Glad to assist!
Henri Hemmerechts 10 Reputation points

2026-03-17T20:04:21.4266667+00:00

Until today my laptop running windows 11 pro worked seamlessly.

I use it exclusively for gaming. Today I was unable to start my games through the xbox app. The windows store would give me a window constantly popping up that I have no internet connection (no vpn and all other non microsoft apps work perfectly regardless of which connection I put it on).
If i dont get the no internet message and i continue with passkey login it just says there's been an error try again later.
I have done network resets, windows security ceritificates removals, moved to a local account, then try to log back into windows hello constantly fail with errors.
I also tried above...
I am able to login to all my accounts through browser, just can't connect my windows, store or xbox app anymore. HELP!
norma b 0 Reputation points

2026-03-21T14:50:32.9333333+00:00

hi John - i have the same problem with my one drive saying not connected to internet - I have followed all your steps above and still getting error message 0x800704cf

Answer 2

Error 0x800704cf with Microsoft apps while the browser works usually means Windows thinks there’s “No Internet” even though the network is fine. Use these built‑in network steps that don’t require deep configuration changes:

Confirm Windows sees the connection

On the taskbar, check the network icon:
- If it shows Wi‑Fi Connected, Windows sees the internet and the issue is likely app‑specific.
- If it shows No Internet, Windows believes there’s no internet even though the browser works.

Turn Wi‑Fi off and back on

Open Settings > Network & internet.
Turn Wi‑Fi off, wait a few seconds, then turn it back on.
Reconnect to your school Wi‑Fi and test a Microsoft app (Store, Teams, etc.).

Renew IP configuration This only refreshes your network lease; it does not change permanent settings.

Open Command Prompt as Administrator.
Run these commands one by one, pressing Enter after each:
- ipconfig /release
- ipconfig /renew
When it finishes, test a Microsoft app again.

Flush DNS cache

In the same elevated Command Prompt, run:
- ipconfig /flushdns
Try the Microsoft Store or other Microsoft apps again.

Check proxy settings School networks sometimes use proxies, but a wrong setting can cause Microsoft apps to think there’s no internet.

Go to Settings > Network & internet > Proxy.
Under Manual proxy setup, turn Use a proxy server Off (unless the school IT specifically told to use one).
Under Automatic proxy setup, leave Automatically detect settings On.
Test Microsoft apps again.

Check IP address isn’t in the 169.254.x.x range If Windows failed to get a proper IP, Microsoft apps can fail while some traffic still appears to work.

Follow the steps in Find your IP address from the “Essential network settings and tasks” article.
If the IP looks like 169.254.x.x, Windows did not get a valid address from the router. In a school environment, contact school IT so they can check DHCP on their network.

As a last resort: Network reset Use this only if the above steps do not help, because it will remove and reinstall all network adapters and reset their settings.

Open Settings > Network & internet.
On Windows 11, select Advanced network settings > Network reset.
Select Reset now > Yes.
After the restart, reconnect to Wi‑Fi and sign in again if required, then test Microsoft apps.

Note: After network reset, VPN clients or virtual switches (Hyper‑V, etc.) might need to be reinstalled or reconfigured, and known networks may be set to Public.

If the problem persists after these steps, especially on a managed school device, contact the school’s IT support, as group policies or security software on their side may be blocking Microsoft services.

References:

Fix Wi-Fi connection issues in Windows

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