Your MacBook is definitely connected to Wi-Fi, so why is there no Internet connection? Find out what’s going on and how to solve it in this short troubleshooting guide.
Contents
- 1 Why is my MacBook connecting to WiFi but not to the Internet?
- 2 How do I fix when there’s no Internet connection on my MacBook?
- 2.1 1. Forget your Wi-Fi network then reconnect
- 2.2 2. Make sure your date, time, and location are correct
- 2.3 3. Update macOS, if you can get online
- 2.4 4. Change your Mac’s Domain Name System (DNS)
- 2.5 5. Disconnect all your USB accessories
- 2.6 6. Run Wireless Diagnostics on your MacBook
- 2.7 7. Renew the DHCP Lease in Network preferences
- 2.8 8. Create a new network location
- 2.9 9. Remove Profiles from your MacBook
- 2.10 10. Reset your network preferences
- 2.11 11. Stop mDNSResponder from running
- 2.12 Related Posts:
Related:
- Wi-Fi not working? How to fix your Wi-Fi problems
- Cannot connect to Internet; Fixed for Mac
- Common Mac Wi-Fi and Internet connectivity issues
Why is my MacBook connecting to WiFi but not to the Internet?
Your MacBook might be on Wi-Fi but with no Internet connection for a range of different reasons. It could be down to your router, your Internet service provider, or your MacBook software.
Whatever the cause of your problem, you should be able to fix it with our tips below.
How can my Mac have WiFi but no Internet?
We often use the terms interchangeably, but your Wi-Fi is not actually the same as your Internet connection. Wi-Fi connects you to a local network. And usually, that network connects to the Internet.
Your router has an ethernet cable connected to the back of it. If you were to unplug that cable you’d lose Internet connection. But you’d still be able to connect to the Wi-Fi network.
How do I fix when there’s no Internet connection on my MacBook?
The first thing to do is to restart your MacBook and your wireless router. You should restart your router even if other devices can connect to the Internet.
If you haven’t already, try connecting your MacBook to a different Wi-Fi network. Go to school, work, the library, or a friend’s house and see if you can get online there.
If you can, the problem is with your personal network. Contact your Internet service provider for help on how to fix it.
Otherwise, follow our steps below to troubleshoot problems with your MacBook.
1. Forget your Wi-Fi network then reconnect
Don’t do this unless you know the password for your Wi-Fi connection. Otherwise, you won’t get back online even if the Internet is working.
- On your MacBook, go to System Preferences > Network.
- Click on Wi-Fi in the sidebar, then Advanced… in the bottom right.
- Select your Wi-Fi network in the list and delete it using the Minus (–) button.
- Click OK, then Apply.
- Now reconnect to your Wi-Fi connection and enter your Wi-Fi password.
2. Make sure your date, time, and location are correct
It seems strange, but the wrong date, time, or location can affect the Internet connection on your MacBook. Correct them in the settings.
- On your MacBook, go to System Preferences > Date & Time.
- Click Time Zone and check the box to Set time zone automatically…
- If your MacBook selects the wrong location:
- Go to System Preferences > Security & Privacy > Privacy.
- Select Location Services in the sidebar.
- Check the box to Enable Location Services.
3. Update macOS, if you can get online
Some users can access the Internet by restarting their router or their MacBook. Often this doesn’t last long. But if you can get online, check for new macOS updates on your MacBook.
- On your MacBook, go to System Preferences > Software Updates.
- Wait for your MacBook to look for new updates.
- Download and install any available updates.
4. Change your Mac’s Domain Name System (DNS)
Domain Name System (DNS) servers map domain names to their Internet Protocol (IP) addresses and allow you to go quickly to websites and servers you visit frequently without typing the complete address.
Sometimes, changing the DNS provider from your Internet provider to a free public service like Google or Cloudflare helps your Mac connect swiftly to the internet.
Quickly switch your DNS on a Mac or MacBook
- Close any open web browser on your Mac before starting (Safari, Chrome, Firefox, and so forth)
- Go to Apple Menu > System Preferences > Network
- Select Wi-Fi and then choose Advanced
- Click the DNS tab
- Under DNS Servers, click the Plus button (+)
Change your DNS server to a free alternative. - Enter the IPv4 or IPv6 address for the DNS server you wish to change to. Examples include:
- 8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4 for Google Public DNS
- 1.1.1.1 and 1.0.0.1 for Cloudflare
- 208.67.222.222 and 208.67.220.220 for OpenDNS
- 8.26.56.26 and 8.20.247.20 for Comodo Secure DNS
- Once added, tap OK to confirm
5. Disconnect all your USB accessories
USB devices and other peripheral accessories connected to your MacBook should have shielding. Unshielded accessories can interfere with your MacBook’s Wi-Fi or Internet connection.
Unplug everything from your MacBook: mouse, keyboard, hard drive, etc. Then try connecting to the Internet again. If you can get online now, one of your accessories is causing the problem.
Reintroduce your USB accessories one at a time to find the troublemaker. Contact the manufacturer for help fixing it.
6. Run Wireless Diagnostics on your MacBook
There’s a Wireless Diagnostics tool built into macOS. This diagnostics tool can’t fix all your Wi-Fi problems, but it can point you in the direction of a solution.
- Hold option and click the Wi-Fi icon in your menu bar.
- Select Open Wireless Diagnostics… from the drop-down menu.
- Follow the onscreen prompts to complete your diagnostics.
If you get an error code from the Wireless Diagnostics, find more information about it online.
7. Renew the DHCP Lease in Network preferences
The Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) lets your network devices talk to each other. These devices include your router, MacBook, iPhone, or anything else on your network.
A problem with your DHCP Lease might be the reason your MacBook connects to Wi-Fi but can’t get on the Internet. The good news is it’s easy to renew the lease.
Your IP address might change when you renew your DHCP Lease.
- On your MacBook, go to System Preferences > Network.
- Click Wi-Fi in the sidebar, then click Advanced… in the bottom right.
- Go to the TCP/IP tab and click Renew DHCP Lease.
8. Create a new network location
The network location is usually set by your MacBook. But if something went wrong with this automatic selection, you can fix it yourself.
- On your MacBook, go to System Preferences > Network.
- Open the Location: drop-down menu at the top of the window.
- Select Edit Locations… and use the Plus (+) button to add a new location.
- Click Done, then Apply your new settings.
9. Remove Profiles from your MacBook
Apps and websites sometimes ask you to install Profiles on your MacBook. But bad Profiles can interfere with other processes on your computer, like the Internet connection.
- On your MacBook, go to System Preferences and look for a Profiles option.
- Remove every custom Profile.
- Restart your MacBook and try to connect to the Internet again.
10. Reset your network preferences
A common troubleshooting tip for Internet problems on iPhone is to Reset Network Settings. Unfortunately, there isn’t an easy Reset Network Settings button in macOS. But you can delete your preferences files instead.
This resets several settings on your MacBook, so make a backup first.
After you reset your network preferences, you will need to connect to the Wi-Fi network again.
- On your MacBook, click on the Desktop to highlight Finder.
- From the menu bar, click Go > Computer.
- Navigate to Macintosh HD/Library/Preferences/System Configuration.
- Delete the following files (you might not have them all):
- com.apple.airport.preferences.plist
- com.apple.network.identification.plist
- NetworkInterfaces.plist
- preferences.plist
- Settings.plist
11. Stop mDNSResponder from running
It seems unrelated, but one of the processes related to iTunes could be causing the problem. Some users have found the mDNSResponder is responsible for causing their internet problems.
You can stop the mDNSResponder from Activity Monitor. It should restart by itself without any problems.
- On your MacBook, open Activity Monitor from Utilities or using Spotlight.
- Go to the Network tab and click Process Name to sort the processes alphabetically.
- Find and select mDNSResponder.
- Click the octagonal Stop button in the top left of the window.
Hopefully, those tips got your MacBook connected to Wi-Fi and the Internet. Let us know which steps helped you fix your MacBook! We’ll be sure to keep this post updated with the best solutions.
And for those of you back online, check out this post to get even faster browsing by changing your DNS.
Dan is a freelance writer based in South West England.
He spent two years supervising repairs as a Genius Admin for Apple Retail and uses that knowledge to keep our troubleshooting guides up to date.
Long before that, Dan turned to Apple products from a musical background. Having owned iPods for years, he bought a MacBook to learn sound recording and production. It was using those skills that he gained a first-class Bachelor of Science in Sound Technology.
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Thanks a million! Really grateful. Step #10 did it for me.
Thanks so much! Not sure why this Happened, moved the computer upstairs worked great for weeks then stopped. So I had to change my DNS to an open one.
I tried every single step mentioned here and then restarted my macbook pro, and it didn’t help. The internet still wont work.
Thank you for this post. It seems like your tip number 7. Renew the DHCP Lease in Network preferences fixed our problem.
Keep up the good work.
tried many many of these… to no avail…
got to renew DHCP Lease after re-starting modem and macbook air (a few times – sometime sin safe mode)… Restart modem then Renew DHCP worked!!
Thank you!
I’ve already tried changing the location, setting the time zone and location correctly, i also enabled location services, i also renewed the lease a couple of times and still has the same ip address.
But when i connected my mac to a portable hotspot, it immediately functions well. I used google chrome and going through youtube did not give me any issues at all.
So is the wifi the problem or the macbook itself?
Thank you saved me.
What step did you do?
Saved me a ton of time and likely expense. Well worth the time to try each step, I had no luck until the very end. Thank you so much for putting this together, better than Apple Support!
Fantastic and such good problem solving.
I fixed my problem by adding a new network location.
Oh my word!!!! Point 8 has completely saved my life!! Thank you so much!!
Hi,
Thank you for help. I had problem, where my MacBook connects with 5G router (WIFI) but no internet.
I simply follow step 10 and it works perfectly.
Thanks once again
n. 6 worked for me. Thanks a million!!
Hi, what did work for me eventually was typing in 1.1.1.1 into the address bar.
I’m at a hotel and all of the sudden wifi stopped working, even though it was working the previous day. Hope this helps someone!
Really useful. No 7 worked for me.
I have just switched from BT to Zen so i thought it was a problem with the new router.
But then I realised it wasn’t connecting through my Android mobile hotspot either, so obviously a Macbook problem, as my iPad was happy with the new setup. Thank you.
I tried every single one of these methods one after the others , only the last one seemed to work for about a minute or so before going back to wifi connected but no internet, please help
Very Helpful ! Thank you
I have 2 MacBook. Old one is working well but new one failed to connect internet.
For new laptop,I ran step 1-10 except step 8 and 9 but still failed to access internet. But cable connection is working well.
What I do comparison between my working MacBook and non-workable MacBook, I saw DNS setting of Network is different.
I can not see “xxxxxxxx.net” in Search Domains with my new laptop while it’s existing in my old laptop.
Reset my WiFi route and Laptop, still failed.
Seems I could not fix the issue.
Finally, I ran step 7 again. Changed my location “home” to “automatic”, and saw “xxxxxxx.net” was there in “search Domains” of network,Which is exactly same as my old MacBook, also internet is connected successfully!
Thank you so much !
#7 saved my father-in-law’s computer !
I tried every step on the list. I found no myDSNResponder on my activity monitor screen at all.
OMG! finally, my iMac is back after 2 nights and a day
I did 1-10 except 9
very happy, thank you a bunch
Oath
OMG! No.2 fixed it! I was already fighting with my husband because he said i’m not connected via lan cable, but I knew I was right, it’s not the cable! Thanks for saving our marriage!
No.7 fixed it for me!
Thank you so much! #9 fixed my problem!
Yahoooo! My internet works! I am not computer savvy at all…but I went through every step as you explained and I can use my computer! Thank you! All the best.
Hi Dan, thank you! Your article is resourceful.
I managed to connect to the internet again after changing my date and time as you recommended.
I’ve been trying to figure out what was hindering my laptop from connecting to the internet for almost a week now until I came across your article.
I was trying to update my system software thinking it was the issue since I had previously done some troubleshooting on my laptop with no positive outcome.
I want to thank you for the great article by Dan Helyer on getting my MacBook Pro reconnected to the internet.
I had to go thru all the suggestions until #9, deleting preference files, did the trick. The instructions were so clear and simple to follow.
Extremely helpful…
Thanks. Suggestion 9 did the trick!
7 did. and it’s workable! Thank you!!!
6 did the trick, very thankful!!
#7 did the trick. Many thanks for the help!
Thank you!!! My issue was the numerous profiles. I deleted them all and rebooted. All good.
I’m really happy I found this webpage. It’s great advice. Point 8 worked for me.
Best advise- went through your list of processes and my internet is working once again. Thank you for posting this.
Hello,
I’m having issue with my wifi connectivity on my mac.It is connected to router but internet is not working.While it is working on other devices.
I would like you to help me with this problem.
Thank you so much! #9. Reset your network preferences – did the job for me!
Step 9, resetting network preferences did the trick.
Thank you!
Thanks Dan,
got me going again. I can normally figure these things out and find the appropriate pref file but didn’t know about those in the system config folder.
did the trick
rob
I had this problem after cleaning up my MacBook Air after a malware infection.
Finally found in the ‘proxies’ , that ‘SOCKS Proxy’ had been set!
Unticking this, solved the problem and internet was active again.
Extremely useful.
I have experienced this situation twice and I tackled with them by applying two different methods mentioned above.
More than gratitude!
I tried all of this to no avail. then i went to keychain and deleted my vpn and web pages loaded once again.
Dear Dan,
I cannot find enough words to thank you for helping to resolve “wifi-but-no-internet” issue. !!!!!
I am in Europe on vacation and suddenly internet connections thru wi-fi stopped working.
I have tried a dozens of posts /solutions, including contacting Apple team, but to no avail. Nothing was working at all.
Until I found your site/suggestions and fixed my problem in 3 minutes.
Thanks a lot. YOU ARE THE PRO !!!!!!
Walter
The very last one fixed it!!
Thanks!