How to find your network adapter, driver and GUID

Q: My GUID has no braces. Is that OK?

Add them. The scan expects the format {xxxxxxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxxxxxxxxxx}.

Open PowerShell and run Get-NetAdapter | Format-List Name, InterfaceDescription, Status, InterfaceGuid. Pick the adapter with Status Up that you play on. InterfaceDescription is the model, InterfaceGuid is the GUID.

Fastplay team · Updated Nov 2026

Why the scan asks for it

Your PC has several network adapters: Ethernet, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, maybe a VPN. Windows keeps network settings separately for each one and tells them apart by GUID.

Network tuning has to land on the adapter you actually play on. Wrong GUID, and the settings go to an adapter you never use. Nothing breaks, nothing gets better. Copy the right one and it counts.

The quick way: PowerShell

Right-click Start and choose Terminal (Windows 11) or Windows PowerShell (Windows 10). No admin needed.

Run:

Get-NetAdapter | Format-List Name, InterfaceDescription, Status, LinkSpeed, InterfaceGuid

You get one block per adapter. Find the one with Status : Up that you game on.
- Name is what Windows calls it, like Ethernet or Wi-Fi.
- InterfaceDescription is the model, like "Realtek PCIe 2.5GbE Family Controller" or "Intel(R) Wi-Fi 6 AX201 160MHz".
- InterfaceGuid looks like {3F2A9C1E-7B4D-4E8A-9C21-0D5E6F7A8B9C}.
Copy the InterfaceGuid including the curly braces and paste it into the scan.

Example output (yours will differ, every PC's GUIDs are unique):

Name                 : Ethernet
InterfaceDescription : Realtek PCIe 2.5GbE Family Controller
Status               : Up
LinkSpeed            : 1 Gbps
InterfaceGuid        : {3F2A9C1E-7B4D-4E8A-9C21-0D5E6F7A8B9C}

Name                 : Wi-Fi
InterfaceDescription : Intel(R) Wi-Fi 6 AX201 160MHz
Status               : Disconnected
LinkSpeed            : 0 bps
InterfaceGuid        : {A81C44D0-1E9B-4C27-B3F5-6D0E92A7C3B8}

Don't copy the GUID from Device Manager's Details tab. Its Class Guid, {4d36e972-e325-11ce-bfc1-08002be10318}, is the same on every PC. It just means "network adapter".

Tip: to see only connected adapters, run Get-NetAdapter | Where-Object Status -eq 'Up' | Format-List Name, InterfaceDescription, InterfaceGuid.

Driver version

In the same window:

Get-NetAdapter | Format-Table Name, InterfaceDescription, DriverVersion, DriverDate

Or with Device Manager:

Right-click Start and open Device Manager.
Expand Network adapters.
Double-click your adapter, open the Driver tab, and read Driver Version and Driver Date.

No PowerShell? Use Command Prompt

ipconfig /all shows every adapter's model (the Description line) and whether it's connected. It doesn't show the GUID.
netsh lan show interfaces shows the GUID for cable adapters (if it errors, the Wired AutoConfig service is off, so use getmac), and netsh wlan show interfaces shows it for Wi-Fi.
getmac /v /fo list shows each adapter with a Transport Name ending in {GUID}. Copy the part in braces.

Picking the right adapter

Several adapters? Most PCs list Ethernet, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. Use the one that says Up and that you actually play on.
VPN adapters (names like TAP-Windows, WireGuard, NordLynx, Wintun, ProtonVPN) are virtual. Don't use their GUID, even if they're Up.
Hyper-V, WSL, VirtualBox or VMware add "vEthernet" or "Virtual" adapters. Skip those too.
On a cable and Wi-Fi at once? Windows prefers the cable. Use the Ethernet GUID.
Disconnected means the adapter exists but has no link. If that's your gaming adapter, plug in or connect first.

Want to go further?

The steps above are the settings Windows and your driver show you, and they are worth doing either way. Underneath them is a deeper layer of Windows scheduling, input, network and storage behavior that the normal menus do not expose. That is what Fastplay builds for, from a team working on gaming regedit optimization since 2015, with modules developed and tested over years. See what each module does.

Run a free scan

FAQ

What is the adapter GUID?

A unique ID Windows gives each network interface. Windows uses it to tell adapters apart, which is why we ask for it.

Is the GUID private?

It identifies an adapter on your PC, not you or your location. It's not your MAC address or IP.

My GUID has no braces. Is that OK?

Add them. The scan expects the format {xxxxxxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxxxxxxxxxx}.

Does the GUID change?

It stays the same unless you reinstall Windows, reinstall the adapter driver in a way that recreates it, or swap the card. If any of that happens, look it up again.