Aluminosilicate glasses are materials with a wide range of technological applications. The field strength of network-modifying cations strongly influences the structure of aluminosilicate glasses and their suitability for various applications. In this work, we study the influence of the field strength of network-modifying cations on the structure of [(Na 2 O) 1−x (MgO) x (Al 2 O 3) 0. 25 (SiO 2) 1. 25 ] glasses. Due to the higher cation field strength of magnesium than sodium, magnesium prefers the role of network modifier, while sodium preferentially acts as a charge compensator. When magnesium replaces sodium as network modifier, Q 3 silicon species are converted into Q 2 species. The replacement of sodium with magnesium as charge compensator leads to the following changes: (1) the proportion of aluminum-rich Q 4 species [Q 4 (4Al) and Q 4 (3Al)] decreases, while the proportion of aluminum-deficient Q 4 species [Q 4 (2Al) and Q 4 (1Al)] increases; and (2) there is an increased tendency for phase separation between silica-rich and alumina-rich glasses.