This will work in Windows 7, 8, 8.1, and 10. If you’re in a similar situation, here is how you can tell Windows 10 to always connect to the internet over the Ethernet network when it’s available and only switch to a WiFi network when the cable is disconnected. It’s common enough to see people connected to an Ethernet network when at their desk but still preferring to keep the WiFi switch on so that they don’t lose internet connectivity when they have to step away.

That said, laptops still come with Ethernet ports and they are still used to connect to the internet sometimes being preferred over WiFi. I can still remember the havoc I caused because I didn’t know what it was for and played around with it more than anyone would normally need to. Today, WiFi is the preferred way to connect to the internet simply because there are no restraining wires involved and it’s super easy. Long before routers were the default way to connect to the internet, when we had dial-up modems that were louder than car alarms, and wireless connectivity just wasn’t something your system had because it was a tower PC, we had the choice to select which connection, of those available, Windows should connect with.

Ethernet icon instead of wireless