Connectify Hotspot: an mHotspot Alternative That Is Still Updated
mHotspot is a free Windows app that turns a laptop into a Wi-Fi hotspot. Its official website was down when we checked on 27 October 2026, so the copies you will find now come from third-party download sites.
Connectify Hotspot does the same job, is still updated for Windows 10 and 11, and its Lite edition is free. Download Connectify Hotspot free and follow the steps below.
Connectify Hotspot 27 runs on 64-bit Windows 10 (version 1703 or later) and Windows 11. On a Windows 7 or 8 PC, use Connectify Hotspot 2021 instead: see our Windows 7 and Windows 8 guides.
If mHotspot Won’t Start a Hotspot, Check Your Wi-Fi Driver
Many older hotspot apps rely on a Windows feature called hosted network, and many current Wi-Fi drivers no longer support it. To check your PC, open Command Prompt and run netsh wlan show drivers. If the result says Hosted network supported: No, apps that depend on that feature can’t start a hotspot on this PC, and no setting inside the app will change that.
Connectify Hotspot 27 uses Wi-Fi Direct by default, the same method as the Windows built-in mobile hotspot, so it works with these Wi-Fi adapters.
Set Up the mHotspot Alternative in 5 Steps
- Download and install Connectify Hotspot on your 64-bit Windows 10 or 11 PC.
- Open it and choose Wi-Fi hotspot.
- Under Internet to share, pick the connection you want to share: Wi-Fi, Ethernet, a VPN or a phone plugged in with USB.
- Set a password. Turn on Block ads if you want lighter pages on every device.
- Click Start hotspot. Devices join by scanning the QR code on the Hotspot screen, or with the network name and password, like any other Wi-Fi network.
Side by side
Where the built-in Windows 11 hotspot stops and Connectify Hotspot keeps going
Windows 10 and 11 include Mobile Hotspot, and for sharing a connection with a few devices now and then it does the job well. Here is where the two differ, so you can tell whether you need more.
If the Windows hotspot covers what you need, keep using it. Turn it off before you start Connectify Hotspot, since running both at once causes dropouts.
For 64-bit Windows 10 and 11
Checked against Windows 11 26H2 and Connectify Hotspot 27, October 2026
What Connectify Hotspot Adds
- See every device on your hotspot with the data it uses, switch internet access off for any one of them, and turn on gaming mode for a console. Free in every edition.
- Block ads on every device with the universal ad blocker, including ads inside apps, whether the device runs iOS, Android, Windows, macOS or Linux.
- Share your VPN connection with every device on the hotspot.
- Give the hotspot your own name with PRO, without renaming your Windows PC.
- Extend an existing Wi-Fi network with Wi-Fi repeater mode, part of MAX, if your Wi-Fi adapter supports it.
- Put devices on the same network as your PC with bridged mode, part of MAX, when the PC is on Wi-Fi or Ethernet.
Connectify Hotspot Lite is free. It shares Wi-Fi, Ethernet, a VPN or a USB-tethered phone, with per-device controls, gaming mode and ad blocking, and it runs in timed sessions. PRO removes the time limit, shares 4G and 5G modems, and adds wired router mode and a custom hotspot name. MAX adds Wi-Fi repeater mode and bridged mode.
Available for Windows 10 and 11