Internet Connection Sharing not working on Windows 10

If Internet Connection Sharing (ICS) is not working or has stopped working after restarting the Windows 10 computer or restarting the service, this message may help you resolve the issue.

Internet Connection Sharing is a method of connecting multiple computers on a local network to the Internet using a single connection and a single IP address. ICS generally uses NAT technologies to achieve this and works with most connection technologies, including DSL, cable, ISDN, remote access and satellite. The device with the modem or broadband interface that establishes the connection to the Internet is called ICS host, or bridge while other devices that connect to the Internet through the network and the ICS host are called ICS customers.

If the ICS host fails, all ICS clients lose their Internet connection.

Internet connection sharing does not work

You will experience this problem based on the following scenario.

You have a Windows 10 computer that has two network interfaces that connect to two different networks. You change the Internet Connection Sharing (ICS) a service Startup type at Automatic and you activate ICS on one of the network interfaces, then confirm that the ICS connection is working. You restart the ICS service or the computer.

In this scenario, the ICS settings are lost and the ICS connection does not work.

Note: Generally, if there is no traffic on ICS for 4 minutes, the service stops and does not restart automatically.

To resolve this issue, you will need to create and configure the following registry subkey:

EnableRebootPersistConnection: DWORD: 1

Since this is a registry operation, it is recommended that you back up the registry or create a system restore point in case the procedure does not work. Once you have taken the necessary precautionary measures, you can do the following:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESoftwareMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersionSharedAccess

• Then right-click an empty space in the right pane.
• To select New > DWORD value (32 bit).
• Name the key EnableRebootPersistConnection.
• Double click on the newly created key and set the value data to 1.
• Click on Okay to save the changes.

You can now exit the Registry Editor, then change the start mode of the ICS service to Automatic.

Here’s how:

• Press Windows key + R.
• In the Run dialog box, type services.msc and press Enter to open the services.
• In the Services window, scroll down and find the Internet Connection Sharing (ICS) a service.
• Double-click on the entry to modify its properties.
• In the properties window, click on the drop-down menu of the Startup type and select Automatic.
• Click on Apply > Okay to save the changes.

Now restart your PC and see if ICS works without problems.

Related Reading: An error occurred while activating Internet Connection Sharing.

I hope this helps you!