What is WSL2-NETWORK-BROKEN?
WSL2 network not working after sleep/wake (WSL2-NETWORK-BROKEN) is a medium-severity fault affecting the Windows operating system. After the PC wakes from sleep, WSL2 has no internet connectivity. DNS fails and ping fails inside the subsystem. See the troubleshooting steps below for the fix.
Common Causes
- Hyper-V virtual switch does not properly recover after sleep
- WSL2 DNS server address gets stale
- Windows Firewall rule blocks WSL2 adapter
Step-by-Step Fix Guide
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1
Restart WSL: wsl --shutdown followed by wsl
Try "Restart WSL: wsl --shutdown followed by wsl" next if the issue persists — it addresses a secondary cause.
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2
Run inside WSL: echo 'nameserver 8.8.8.8' > /etc/resolv.conf
Still seeing WSL2-NETWORK-BROKEN after that? "Run inside WSL: echo 'nameserver 8.8.8.8' > /etc/resolv.conf" is the next thing to check.
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3
Check Windows Firewall for 'vEthernet (WSL)' adapter rules
"Check Windows Firewall for 'vEthernet (WSL)' adapter rules" targets windows Firewall rule blocks WSL2 adapter, one of the documented causes of WSL2-NETWORK-BROKEN.
Commands & Diagnostics
wsl --shutdown
netsh int ip reset
Frequently Asked Questions
Hyper-V virtual switch does not properly recover after sleep accounts for the majority of WSL2-NETWORK-BROKEN reports; WSL2 DNS server address gets stale and windows Firewall rule blocks WSL2 adapter come up less often but are documented.
Most WSL2-NETWORK-BROKEN reports resolve after "Restart WSL: wsl --shutdown followed by wsl". The rest of the guide above is there for the cases that don't.
As a medium-severity issue, WSL2-NETWORK-BROKEN is more of a stability annoyance than a hardware risk — the steps above should clear it up.
Usually. WSL2-NETWORK-BROKEN is fixable with the steps above; a full Windows reinstall is rarely necessary unless everything else has failed.
Sometimes. Microsoft regularly releases patches that fix known BSOD triggers including WSL2-NETWORK-BROKEN. Make sure Windows is fully up to date via Settings → Windows Update before attempting more advanced fixes.
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