Windows Server – Private Network Profile Fix

Sometimes, randomly, Windows Server will switch to a Private Network Profile after a reboot, or just sporadically. Usually restarting the NlaSvc service will resolve this, but I have found if it keeps happening on reboot, this will also help resolve this issue.

You can check this in a Powershell prompt by typing: Get-NetConnectionProfile

PowerShell> Get-NetConnectionProfile
[...]
NetworkCategory          : Private

In order to fix this, all I needed to change was the dependencies for NlaSvc (Network Location Awareness Service). From an Administrative command prompt I ran the following (NOTE: This is ONLY for servers that have the DNS role installed!):

sc config NlaSvc depend=NSI/RpcSs/TcpIp/Dhcp/EventLog/DNS

After rebooting, my profile finally showed as a Domain network instead of a Private Network.

If your server does NOT have the DNS role installed, then you can additionally run this command (I would also run this if your server has the DNS role and you’re still having problems):

reg add HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\NlaSvc\Parameters /v AlwaysExpectDomainController /t REG_DWORD /d 1 /f

Windows Server 2025 is available as a free evaluation: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/evalcenter/evaluate-windows-server-2025

Here’s a simple Powershell snippet that will check for the DNS role and apply the fix/fixes:

if (Get-Service DNS -EA SilentlyContinue) {
  Write-Host "Updating NlaSvc dependencies to include DNS and adding registry entry."
  cmd /c sc config nlasvc depend= NSI/RpcSs/EventLog/Dhcp/TcpIp/DNS
  reg add HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\NlaSvc\Parameters /v AlwaysExpectDomainController /t REG_DWORD /d 1 /f
} else {
  Write-Host "Adding registry entry to try and assist with Domain Network Profile."
  reg add HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\NlaSvc\Parameters /v AlwaysExpectDomainController /t REG_DWORD /d 1 /f
}