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The Daily Insight

How do I fix network location awareness?

Author

Emma Johnson

Updated on April 22, 2026

Restart the Network Location Awareness Service.

  1. Click on Start and type Services. msc.
  2. Right click on Network Location Awareness Restart.
  3. On a domain joined computer if the location changes from Public/Private to Domain then you have an issue with the Network Location Awareness.

What is Network location awareness?

The Network Location Awareness service is responsible for tracking the type of network your computer is connected to (Public, Private, or Domain) and the speed of that connection. This is used for firewall policies, group policy, and various other network related services.

Can I disable network location awareness?

There are two common ways to force NLA to mark a connection as public. One is to use a firewall rule to block NLA so that it has no choice but to use the default location. The other is to use the registry to disable NLA on the connection.

Does network need location awareness?

3 Answers. The Network Location Awareness (NLA) service provider is vital for computers or devices that might move between different networks, and for selecting optimal configurations when more than one is available.

How do I turn off network location awareness?

5 Answers

  1. Open Administrative Tools -> Local Security Policy.
  2. Highlight the “Network List Manager Policies” item, then double click the “Unidentified Networks” on the right panel.
  3. Set the “Location Type” to “Private” or “Public”.

Where is NT Authority Network service?

NT AUTHORITY\Network Service is in system information.

What does error 1079 mean?

Error 1079: The account specified for this service is different from the account specified for other services running in the same process The service is started by the Local System account instead of the Local Service account ( NT AUTHORITY\\LocalService ). The Local System account may have insufficient permissions to start the service.

What is Network Location Awareness Service (NLA)?

Beginning with Windows Vista, Microsoft has included a service in Windows that will dynamically adapt the firewall rules and security based on the network connection that you are on. The service is called Network Location Awareness service or NLA for short.

How do I find network location awareness in Windows 10?

Open the Run dialog box by using the Windows Key + R key combo on your keyboard. Type “services.msc” in the box without the quotation marks and click OK in order to open Services. Locate the two services called Network Location Awareness and Network List.

What happens to the NLA when the server is restarted?

On a server, your network connection typically won’t (and for good reason) change therefore the NLA will set the network location at startup and not query again until the next restart of the service (typically on the next reboot).