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.
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?
Shut down your MacBook and wait at least one minute before you start it up again.
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
Re-enter your Wi-Fi password after you tell your MacBook to forget it.
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
Your MacBook can set the time and date automatically.
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
Check for software updates on your MacBook.
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
Unplug the USB accessories from your MacBook.
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
Run Wireless Diagnostics to find out more about your Wi-Fi connection.
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
You can renew the DHCP Lease from your 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
Use Time Machine to back up your Mac.
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.
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.
Highlight the process and use the stop button to terminate it.
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.
Dan writes tutorials and troubleshooting guides to help people make the most of their technology. Before becoming a writer, he earned a BSc in Sound Technology, supervised repairs at an Apple Store, and even taught English in China.
Installed intego and ran into this problem straight away.. no.11 dns solved the problem for me after working through the whole list. Had to restart after ending the process. Then everything came back. Thanks for the post!
Hello, I got a weird issues that “Wifi is turned on but is not connected to a network”. The wifi is shown as on but there is no network shown. How to resolve this problem? Thanks.
No options were a solid or permanent fix. Wi-Fi remained connected but Internet would lose connection after every page refresh using every option. For each option The connection was only good for less than a minute.
Many thanks, Dan, for all the ideas for solving the MacBook Air problem of no access to the internet despite a connection to WLAN. The one that worked for me was #11, stopping the mDNSResponder. Strange, though, that the idea #6 (analysis) didn’t show that as a problem. But #4. a new DNS. has speeded up my internet experience. Best regards.
Hi Dan, you’ve solved a very frustrating problem for me, thank you.
I installed a new router and was getting intermittent internet with my Opera browser, and unable to load many websites.
With my Safari browser I wasn’t able to get any websites. I tried several different things and was ready to return the Router.
I decided to do a search for a fix. I found your site by connecting with the modem. It was quite simple I only had to select ( date and time automatically) and (enable location services)
Number 9 worked for me. I’m in the scenario when all devices (I think we have no iOS here but Android, Windows, TV) work in home Wifi. Only the Mac didn’t.
I wonder if it’s another case of Apple making something “better” than industry standards, but that in the end doesn’t work 100% except with certified routers (a bit like for bluetooth, which is in the end not good with Mac).
I’m having this problem its been weeks. I tried EVERYTHING you could possibly imagine.
Including reseting NVRAM, Reseting the MacOS, the modem, the internet network configs, absolutely everything.
I have no VPN’s, no conflicting apps, no idea what could be causing this problem.
Called apple support thousands of times and no one could help me, I’m running Catalina in an old 2012 MacBook Pro, hell of a machine. Everything was working perfectly for months, out of nowhere this problem started and its fucking my life up cause I need internet to work.
Thanks, the tip on DNS servers was priceless. I brought a computer from the office that had already been configured to work there. However, when I brought it home it would connect to wifi but Safari could not browse to a site. Clearing out the DNS server IP addresses that had been set up did the trick! Fyi, every IP address I removed looked like it was in the office network, so it figures.
I spent 1.5 hours working with apple to resolve my internet connectivity issues via chat. I went to the apple store and they couldn’t schedule me for two days. I read this article and followed the steps proscribed and resolved the problem in 15 min. Thanks so much
It was renewing the lease that did it for me. I tried a number of other suggestions first, working my way through the list. Clicked on ‘renew lease’ and bang! Straight away connected. Thank you!
Tried to watch a lot of YouTube videos but #2 in this article was the only thing that helped me. Just goes to show that articles that can be easily updated will always beat YouTube videos anytime. Thanks a lot! You’ve gained a new subscriber in me.
None of this works. MacBook Pros cannot connect to the internet when ANY external devices are plugged in. Shielding makes absolutely no difference at all.
For anyone else that may still be experiencing the issue, I tested in safe mode and my internet worked. A VPN I had installed was blocking the internet. Once I removed the VPN from the network options, it started working again. I am not an expert by any means, but wanted to share in case it may be helpful for anyone else.
I tried all the steps except macOS update. 1-9 didn’t work. 10 or 11 worked. Don’t know which one cuz it didn’t show the result instantly, rather there was no list of available networks visible. But it worked after restarting the MacBook after these steps.
I tried all the steps one by one till #9 (except updating macOS) and none of those solved the problem. It was one of the last two solutions that helped; I’m not sure which one because it didn’t work instantly, it couldn’t even connect to the wifi, didn’t even show any available wifi networks after either method. Then I restarted the MacBook and checked again. It’s working now!
I tried everything and nothing worked, until I came here. My resolution was #8. Once I deleted all my other locations and created a new one, it automatically reconnected. Thanks so much, as I struggled for a long time with this and almost did a format to fix the problem.
Many thanks for the tips on troubleshooting the issue I have with my MAC not connecting to internet. It only connects through Wi-Fi only.
I tried the steps one by one but unfortunately there was no change. The internet connection is still Off.
The only steps I did not do are “Create New Network Location”. From the “Run Wireless Diagnostics” check I found out that my AWDL is disabled. Is that an issue?
I would appreciate if could help me out how to get my internet back as the Wi-Fi connection is slow. Please note to make sure my ethernet cable connected to the MAC works I plugged in a laptop and connects fine at full speed.
Thank you for your time hoping to resolve this problem.
I raised a case with Apple and they fixed this issue for me by booting in safe mode (so hold down Shift key when booting). The internet then worked OK, so when I booted again in the normal way it magically worked. I can’t explain why this fixed it, but it did. Hope this is helpful…
I had similar issue but problem resolved by login into Wifi router admin console, Security, SPI-Firewall and removed MACBOOKPro from block DDOS client.
my macbook was creating DDOS attack in network so Wifi Router had blocked access.
Tried all of them until I got to #10. Wasn’t sure about deleting files but I did anyways. Now the wifi won’t connect at all and I can’t go into network preferences. It just stuffed up my laptop even more, don’t recommend
Thank you for the valuable, well-structured info. Tried all steps except #10, Resetting Network Preferences. Still does not work. All other devices working fine and consistently on Wi-Fi and internet. New Macbook Air connects to Wi-Fi but not internet. Multiple calls to ISP with no resolution but did not suspect a problem on their end. Maddening.
Did you ever find a solution? I’ve done all the steps above (except 10) and it does not work. I have other computers and devices on the same Wi-Fi and don’t have any issues. I did take my MacBook Air to an Apple certified repair shop and the internet worked immediately but out again as soon as I get it home.
Tried all steps except #10, Resetting Network Preferences. Still does not work. All other devices working fine and consistently on Wi-Fi and internet. New Macbook Air connects to Wi-Fi but not internet. Multiple calls to ISP with no resolution but did not suspect a problem on their end. Maddening.
Thanks so much for this excellent trouble-shooter. The initial (Apple) setup failed to provide internet access on my new MacBook Air M1, but #3 got me online.
I got all the way down to number 8: Change your location. And it worked. I was completely shocked, but I don’t care what fixes it as long as it’s fixed.
None of these worked for me. I just upgraded to Big Sur two days ago. No problems then. Today there was a power outage and since then I have not been able to get on the internet on my main desktop. Everything else connects (2 Apple TVs, 2 laptops, other desktop, iPhone) I tried every suggestion above. com.apple.network.identification.plist and Settings.plist are not options to delete in the preference folder. There is a com.apple.network.eapolclient.plist but I was afraid to delete it. Any other ideas?
Renewing DHCP leak did a trick.
My wifi was conflicting with 2 bands 2.4 GHz and 5ghz. It was connecting but internet access was not coming. After renaming the SSID to the same name, disabling 5 GHz one and reconnecting to 2.4 GHz did a trick. Then I enabled 5ghz and now the same SSID connects to 5ghz one automatically and internet is coming.
So I have been running Catalina on one machine for about a year with no problems. I only run minor system updates, not major OS updates. All of a sudden, networking stops working…. mostly. {All the other macs and winders machines on my network are fine.}
The system boots up, uses Ethernet and successfully grabs an IP address from my DHCP server, but then all network services fail. The machine is successfully networked, I can select to RENEW DHCP address, and it successfully talks to my router and gets an address. I have switched network cables to another known good one. But all local and internet-based network tools fail… Chrome, AFP, SMB, Screen Sharing, DropBox, Google Drive… literally every network service fails.
Yes, I have added a second USB based ethernet connector, and it works fine as above. I have all Firewall’s turned off, so I don’t think that is the problem. I have reset all known Network preferences with no better success.
I really need some help here please.
I made a mistake to download a vpn called “hide.me” and even paid a month after I thought it would work well but it started a bug and my wifi did not work anymore even though it was connected. I deleted itthe vpn everywhere but still wifi connected but internet not getting threw.
I land on this article and finally number #10 of this article did the trick (thanks a lot by the way).
But now whenever I turned off my computer and turn it back on, it does the same again, wifi connected but internet not working. So I have to, again, go in the systemconfiguration file and do again the steps of #10, restart the computer and then internet works again. So basically, I can not really just turn off my computer without knowing that when I turn it on again, I will have to do the steps, turn it off and on again just to get it back to a common use. It has been a little time now, so being lazy, I naturally turned it off less and less and my battery starts to get tired…
I brought it to a shop and I had to leave my computer for a day but could not do it because of my work.
So I’m asking to you now if you maybe have s solution so I can fix the problem myself. I have a MacBook Pro 13-inch, 2017 running on macOsCatalina. Please help me if you can. I’ll be sooo grateful.
Number 10 worked awesome. Couldn’t connect to anything, but had good internet connection. After deleting the files and reconfiguring the WiFi settings, now I can load any page. Thanks a lot. 🙂
Thank you for this. The section where you delete certain files in the library/preferences folder and then restarting the Mac, has fixed a long standing issue with the internet on my MacBook Pro 2011. First the wifi stopped a couple months ago, so we ran an Ethernet cord, and then that even stopped working tonight. But this article helped fix the issue. Thanks again for sharing!
In my case I’ve a bad wifi extender which is not giving internet and the primary is fine so when I disconnected the extender it worked all fine. I restarted n number of times unable to figure out what was the issue.
my mac sometimes connects to wifi but most of the times it dosen’t.
It do connects to hotspot without fail everytime.
I did all the steps but nothing worked for me.
please give solution.
Mine seems to be related to my Verizon Fios / MacBook pair. I can connect the Mac to another hotspot and get to the internet (allowed me to update OS ) but when I reconnect to my Verizon Fios router, the internet is gone again. I have other computers including another MacBook connected that work fine.
Wow, I’ve been trying everything possible solution after being so frustrated for weeks. My wifi signal would show I was connected but I wasn’t. When I would finally connect, and, let’s say, join a Zoom call, I’d be disconnected any old time. Not reliable at all.
Number 8 did the trick. I renamed my laptop and whoosh, everything is working perfectly. Thank you thank you!!!
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!!
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.
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!
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.
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
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!
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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Thank you. Deleting ip numbers under the DNS tab and adding the ip 8.8.8.8 did work for me.
The best troubleshooting guide I have ever come across. Simple to understand and well laid out. Thank you.
THANK YOU SO MUCH BRAND NEW MACBOOK M1 AND I COULDNT CONNECT FOR THREE DAYS YOU SAVED ME!!!!
The mdnsreponder tip worked.
Thanks for sharing these ideas. Unfortunately, my brand new Macbook Air must just be a dud. Because it’s still not connecting.
Installed intego and ran into this problem straight away.. no.11 dns solved the problem for me after working through the whole list. Had to restart after ending the process. Then everything came back. Thanks for the post!
Thank you so much, changing the DNS to Google worked for me.
Thank you so much!! I got all the way to adding a new location.. and I am running again. You rock
Hello, I got a weird issues that “Wifi is turned on but is not connected to a network”. The wifi is shown as on but there is no network shown. How to resolve this problem? Thanks.
Such a good post, the DNS part fixed it for me
No options were a solid or permanent fix. Wi-Fi remained connected but Internet would lose connection after every page refresh using every option. For each option The connection was only good for less than a minute.
Many thanks, Dan, for all the ideas for solving the MacBook Air problem of no access to the internet despite a connection to WLAN. The one that worked for me was #11, stopping the mDNSResponder. Strange, though, that the idea #6 (analysis) didn’t show that as a problem. But #4. a new DNS. has speeded up my internet experience. Best regards.
Thanks Dan. My internet problem was resolved at Step 4 after I added a new DNS as per the list you furnished. Do I need to remove the old DNS?
Thank you so much This article is so helpful !!
Hi Dan, you’ve solved a very frustrating problem for me, thank you.
I installed a new router and was getting intermittent internet with my Opera browser, and unable to load many websites.
With my Safari browser I wasn’t able to get any websites. I tried several different things and was ready to return the Router.
I decided to do a search for a fix. I found your site by connecting with the modem. It was quite simple I only had to select ( date and time automatically) and (enable location services)
So far it’s working great, thanks again.
Thanks Dan,
problem at my MacBook was (an expired) Nord VPN connection.
VPN is increasing in popularity, so first stap in many problems solving might include to check if any VPN is active.
Kind Regards!
Thank you Dan!!
Number 9 worked for me. I’m in the scenario when all devices (I think we have no iOS here but Android, Windows, TV) work in home Wifi. Only the Mac didn’t.
I wonder if it’s another case of Apple making something “better” than industry standards, but that in the end doesn’t work 100% except with certified routers (a bit like for bluetooth, which is in the end not good with Mac).
I’m having this problem its been weeks. I tried EVERYTHING you could possibly imagine.
Including reseting NVRAM, Reseting the MacOS, the modem, the internet network configs, absolutely everything.
I have no VPN’s, no conflicting apps, no idea what could be causing this problem.
Called apple support thousands of times and no one could help me, I’m running Catalina in an old 2012 MacBook Pro, hell of a machine. Everything was working perfectly for months, out of nowhere this problem started and its fucking my life up cause I need internet to work.
I need help!!!!!!!!!!
DHCP lease refresh did it for me.
Thanks a lot!!
Thank you! No. 9 did it for me 🙂
the DNS trick worked for me on my 2020 (Pre-M1) Macbook Pro
Thanks, the tip on DNS servers was priceless. I brought a computer from the office that had already been configured to work there. However, when I brought it home it would connect to wifi but Safari could not browse to a site. Clearing out the DNS server IP addresses that had been set up did the trick! Fyi, every IP address I removed looked like it was in the office network, so it figures.
I spent 1.5 hours working with apple to resolve my internet connectivity issues via chat. I went to the apple store and they couldn’t schedule me for two days. I read this article and followed the steps proscribed and resolved the problem in 15 min. Thanks so much
very helpful
Awesome tips, No 4 worked for me. Thank You!!
Spent hours. This happened after unstalling Norton. Just went to System Preferences, then Network, then removed with minus (-) Norton.
Thanks for the Norton tip. I had tried everything and had missed this. Now my brand new MacBook Pro is ready to go!
Same here – brand new Macbook, no internet. Tried everything in this article. Finally removed Norton and bingo!
Setting my time and date to automatic solved the problem! Thank you!!
Renewed lease !
It was renewing the lease that did it for me. I tried a number of other suggestions first, working my way through the list. Clicked on ‘renew lease’ and bang! Straight away connected. Thank you!
Thank you for sharing this methodical process. I followed each step and number 7 resolved my problem.
Tried to watch a lot of YouTube videos but #2 in this article was the only thing that helped me. Just goes to show that articles that can be easily updated will always beat YouTube videos anytime. Thanks a lot! You’ve gained a new subscriber in me.
Thank you for sharing this methodical process. I followed each step and number 10 resolved my problem.
I have a very old MacBook Air – 2011and thought it had reached the end of its life :).
Thanks again.
Julio
Woohoo #8 did the trick. Thanks!
None of this works. MacBook Pros cannot connect to the internet when ANY external devices are plugged in. Shielding makes absolutely no difference at all.
Correcting the date resolved the issue !
I never imagined that changing the date and time would work. Well, it did!
MANY THANKS!
For anyone else that may still be experiencing the issue, I tested in safe mode and my internet worked. A VPN I had installed was blocking the internet. Once I removed the VPN from the network options, it started working again. I am not an expert by any means, but wanted to share in case it may be helpful for anyone else.
Thanks heaps Dan. Changing the DNS to Google etc solved my problem connecting.
Changed only dns to google public then worked.
Thanks
I tried all the steps except macOS update. 1-9 didn’t work. 10 or 11 worked. Don’t know which one cuz it didn’t show the result instantly, rather there was no list of available networks visible. But it worked after restarting the MacBook after these steps.
How did you manage to update if you couldn’t connect to the internet? I’ve tried everything to connect and no success.
Use an Ethernet adapter to connect directly to your router.
I tried all the steps one by one till #9 (except updating macOS) and none of those solved the problem. It was one of the last two solutions that helped; I’m not sure which one because it didn’t work instantly, it couldn’t even connect to the wifi, didn’t even show any available wifi networks after either method. Then I restarted the MacBook and checked again. It’s working now!
No clue what on earth happened that screwed up my macOS network settings so badly, but #8 helped my too. Thanks!
I tried everything and nothing worked, until I came here. My resolution was #8. Once I deleted all my other locations and created a new one, it automatically reconnected. Thanks so much, as I struggled for a long time with this and almost did a format to fix the problem.
I just tried #8 straight and it worked for me! Thanks.
Good evening Dan,
Many thanks for the tips on troubleshooting the issue I have with my MAC not connecting to internet. It only connects through Wi-Fi only.
I tried the steps one by one but unfortunately there was no change. The internet connection is still Off.
The only steps I did not do are “Create New Network Location”. From the “Run Wireless Diagnostics” check I found out that my AWDL is disabled. Is that an issue?
I would appreciate if could help me out how to get my internet back as the Wi-Fi connection is slow. Please note to make sure my ethernet cable connected to the MAC works I plugged in a laptop and connects fine at full speed.
Thank you for your time hoping to resolve this problem.
Kindest Regards
Socrates
Number 8 has miraculously worked! Thank you!
#7 worked for me, thank you so much!
Thanks alot my mac is Mac book pro 2020 13 inch, and #1 steps in the network list doing the (- minus) thing worked for me.
keep post the good things and save the world!
I raised a case with Apple and they fixed this issue for me by booting in safe mode (so hold down Shift key when booting). The internet then worked OK, so when I booted again in the normal way it magically worked. I can’t explain why this fixed it, but it did. Hope this is helpful…
creating a new location worked for me, thank you so much.
I had similar issue but problem resolved by login into Wifi router admin console, Security, SPI-Firewall and removed MACBOOKPro from block DDOS client.
my macbook was creating DDOS attack in network so Wifi Router had blocked access.
Tried all of them until I got to #10. Wasn’t sure about deleting files but I did anyways. Now the wifi won’t connect at all and I can’t go into network preferences. It just stuffed up my laptop even more, don’t recommend
Did you try restarting your Mac after that? That’s when it worked for me after performing steps 10 and 11.
Number 4 for me. Thank you for the help.
I was about to lose all hope when I finally got to step number 8… and it worked!!!!!!! Thank you so much!
Internet works now after changing DNS to Google Public one. Thank YOU!
Thanks no.8 worked for me
Thank you for the valuable, well-structured info. Tried all steps except #10, Resetting Network Preferences. Still does not work. All other devices working fine and consistently on Wi-Fi and internet. New Macbook Air connects to Wi-Fi but not internet. Multiple calls to ISP with no resolution but did not suspect a problem on their end. Maddening.
Did you ever find a solution? I’ve done all the steps above (except 10) and it does not work. I have other computers and devices on the same Wi-Fi and don’t have any issues. I did take my MacBook Air to an Apple certified repair shop and the internet worked immediately but out again as soon as I get it home.
Tried all steps except #10, Resetting Network Preferences. Still does not work. All other devices working fine and consistently on Wi-Fi and internet. New Macbook Air connects to Wi-Fi but not internet. Multiple calls to ISP with no resolution but did not suspect a problem on their end. Maddening.
#7 worked for me THANK YOU SO MUCH!!
Oops … It was #4 a new DNS server that solved the problem for me, not #3!!
Thanks so much for this excellent trouble-shooter. The initial (Apple) setup failed to provide internet access on my new MacBook Air M1, but #3 got me online.
I tried them all but #10 ended up fixing it once I’d rebooted the MacBook. When it started back up net fired up no problem! Cheers for the advice
I got all the way down to number 8: Change your location. And it worked. I was completely shocked, but I don’t care what fixes it as long as it’s fixed.
Me too!
None of these worked for me. I just upgraded to Big Sur two days ago. No problems then. Today there was a power outage and since then I have not been able to get on the internet on my main desktop. Everything else connects (2 Apple TVs, 2 laptops, other desktop, iPhone) I tried every suggestion above. com.apple.network.identification.plist and Settings.plist are not options to delete in the preference folder. There is a com.apple.network.eapolclient.plist but I was afraid to delete it. Any other ideas?
Hi there
Number 8 worked for me. Thanks for the help!
Renewing DHCP leak did a trick.
My wifi was conflicting with 2 bands 2.4 GHz and 5ghz. It was connecting but internet access was not coming. After renaming the SSID to the same name, disabling 5 GHz one and reconnecting to 2.4 GHz did a trick. Then I enabled 5ghz and now the same SSID connects to 5ghz one automatically and internet is coming.
Number 8 fixed it for me. Thank you. Wow! Even apple care could not fix it.
Thanks for writing this article Dan, #8 worked for me! Cheers
Found this very useful
So I have been running Catalina on one machine for about a year with no problems. I only run minor system updates, not major OS updates. All of a sudden, networking stops working…. mostly. {All the other macs and winders machines on my network are fine.}
The system boots up, uses Ethernet and successfully grabs an IP address from my DHCP server, but then all network services fail. The machine is successfully networked, I can select to RENEW DHCP address, and it successfully talks to my router and gets an address. I have switched network cables to another known good one. But all local and internet-based network tools fail… Chrome, AFP, SMB, Screen Sharing, DropBox, Google Drive… literally every network service fails.
Yes, I have added a second USB based ethernet connector, and it works fine as above. I have all Firewall’s turned off, so I don’t think that is the problem. I have reset all known Network preferences with no better success.
Any suggestions?
Change services order in network settings (by clicking the wheel, select “services order”) to be the wifi interface first. gl
number 10!! I don’t understand why it happened and what I did to fix it, but thank you!
Hello community,
I really need some help here please.
I made a mistake to download a vpn called “hide.me” and even paid a month after I thought it would work well but it started a bug and my wifi did not work anymore even though it was connected. I deleted itthe vpn everywhere but still wifi connected but internet not getting threw.
I land on this article and finally number #10 of this article did the trick (thanks a lot by the way).
But now whenever I turned off my computer and turn it back on, it does the same again, wifi connected but internet not working. So I have to, again, go in the systemconfiguration file and do again the steps of #10, restart the computer and then internet works again. So basically, I can not really just turn off my computer without knowing that when I turn it on again, I will have to do the steps, turn it off and on again just to get it back to a common use. It has been a little time now, so being lazy, I naturally turned it off less and less and my battery starts to get tired…
I brought it to a shop and I had to leave my computer for a day but could not do it because of my work.
So I’m asking to you now if you maybe have s solution so I can fix the problem myself. I have a MacBook Pro 13-inch, 2017 running on macOsCatalina. Please help me if you can. I’ll be sooo grateful.
This saved me a lot of worked. I have to change the DNS to that of Google
Thank you so much for this! #10 did the trick.
Changing the date and time back fixed the issue for me. This was an excellent article and was really easy to follow. I really appreciate you.
Number 10 worked awesome. Couldn’t connect to anything, but had good internet connection. After deleting the files and reconfiguring the WiFi settings, now I can load any page. Thanks a lot. 🙂
Tkanks a lot ! No. 5 did the trick. I had an usb external disk connected to the laptop. After I removed it I was able to join the network.
Thank you for this. The section where you delete certain files in the library/preferences folder and then restarting the Mac, has fixed a long standing issue with the internet on my MacBook Pro 2011. First the wifi stopped a couple months ago, so we ran an Ethernet cord, and then that even stopped working tonight. But this article helped fix the issue. Thanks again for sharing!
Thank you so much for your help.. it works.
thanks this works. I run the wifi diagnostics and it works
Thank you very much the #8 one worked for me , you are an amazing person
Thank you so much! You saved my day! ❤️
In my case I’ve a bad wifi extender which is not giving internet and the primary is fine so when I disconnected the extender it worked all fine. I restarted n number of times unable to figure out what was the issue.
Thanks!!!!!. You literally saved my life.
Number #11 worked for me, why didn’t you just put that as number #1???
Sorry I meant #10
my mac sometimes connects to wifi but most of the times it dosen’t.
It do connects to hotspot without fail everytime.
I did all the steps but nothing worked for me.
please give solution.
Mine seems to be related to my Verizon Fios / MacBook pair. I can connect the Mac to another hotspot and get to the internet (allowed me to update OS ) but when I reconnect to my Verizon Fios router, the internet is gone again. I have other computers including another MacBook connected that work fine.
Thank you so much. #7 worked for me. 🙂
Wow, I’ve been trying everything possible solution after being so frustrated for weeks. My wifi signal would show I was connected but I wasn’t. When I would finally connect, and, let’s say, join a Zoom call, I’d be disconnected any old time. Not reliable at all.
Number 8 did the trick. I renamed my laptop and whoosh, everything is working perfectly. Thank you thank you!!!
Thank You! #10 seem to be the fix for me!
Thanks so much! Number 8 worked for me right away. Been struggling for the past 4 days, ISP wouldn’t assist
Good work .
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.
Thank you for posting this! Turns out that unchecking the “SOCKS Proxy” is what enabled all of my applications to connect to the internet and update.
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!