Why my hotspot is not connecting to laptop?

Technical angle — things to inspect: - Confirm phone hotspot uses a Wi-Fi band the laptop supports (2.4 GHz is safest; some older laptops can’t see 5 GHz). - On laptop, update wireless drivers (Device Manager → Network adapters → update driver). - Check power-saving settings that disable the Wi-Fi adapter. - Firewall or third-party security software could be blocking network access — temporarily disable to test. If nothing helps, connect the phone to another Wi-Fi network or use USB tethering as a workaround while you diagnose.

Checklist — quick fixes (written like a helpful friend): - Ensure hotspot is actually turned ON and visible on your phone. - On the laptop, toggle Wi-Fi off and on and try reconnecting. - Confirm the password: re-enter it on the laptop rather than relying on saved credentials. - Check airplane mode — turn it off on both devices. - If the phone uses USB tethering or Bluetooth, ensure you're using Wi-Fi hotspot and not the other mode. - Restart both devices (simple but often effective). If it still fails, try forgetting the network on the laptop and then re-add it; or test by connecting another device to your phone’s hotspot to isolate whether the issue is phone or laptop side.