Windows netsh wlan show interfaces equivalent in Linux
Shows wireless interfaces, connection state, SSID, signal and other Wi-Fi information.
netsh wlan show interfaces
nmcli device show
nmcli device show
nmcli device show
Overview
What this command does
On Windows, "netsh wlan show interfaces" is used to inspect the active Wi-Fi connection. On Linux, the closest practical mapping shown here is "nmcli device show". Shows wireless interfaces, connection state, SSID, signal and other Wi-Fi information. This reference is grouped under Networking.
Windows → Linux context
What changes when you use this on Linux?
Equivalent task, different tool
Windows netsh wlan show interfaces maps to nmcli device show for this task. Treat this as a workflow mapping rather than a character-for-character syntax translation.
Portable across the compared distros
The Debian/Ubuntu, Fedora and Arch rows use the same command in this mapping. Package availability or defaults can still vary, so check the installed tool version when an option behaves differently.
For the broader concept behind this mapping, read Linux networking for Windows users.
Practical tasks
Common use cases
Inspect the active Wi-Fi connection
Shows wireless interfaces, connection state, SSID, signal and other Wi-Fi information.
nmcli device status
Show interface states
nmcli -f GENERAL,IP4,WIFI-PROPERTIES device show wlan0
Inspect one Wi-Fi device
iw dev wlan0 link
Show the current wireless link
Ready to run
Copyable Linux commands
Review paths, device names, package names and permissions before running any command.
nmcli device status
nmcli -f GENERAL,IP4,WIFI-PROPERTIES device show wlan0
iw dev wlan0 link
Walkthrough
Examples with explanations
nmcli device status # show all device states
nmcli -f GENERAL,IP4,WIFI-PROPERTIES device show wlan0 # inspect Wi-Fi details
iw dev wlan0 link # show the active wireless connectionReference
Common options and variations
| Command or option | Use |
|---|---|
nmcli device status | Show interface states |
nmcli -f GENERAL,IP4,WIFI-PROPERTIES device show wlan0 | Inspect one Wi-Fi device |
iw dev wlan0 link | Show the current wireless link |
Distro differences
Debian/Ubuntu vs Fedora vs Arch
Debian/Ubuntu, Fedora and Arch all use "nmcli device show" for this mapping. The command syntax shown here is portable across the three rows, although installed versions and system defaults can still vary.
| Distribution | Package manager / base | Equivalent command | Difference to notice |
|---|---|---|---|
| Debian/Ubuntu | same command | nmcli device show |
Same command on this distribution. |
| Fedora | same command | nmcli device show |
Same command on this distribution. |
| Arch | same command | nmcli device show |
Same command on this distribution. |
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