If your Mac isn't connecting to the internet over Wi-Fi

If your Mac is connected to a Wi-Fi network but can’t get online to connect to websites, email and all other internet services, try these solutions.

To connect to the internet over Wi-Fi:

1. Your Mac must first be connected to a Wi-Fi network: from the Wi-Fi menu in the menu bar or Control Centre, choose a network. You may then be asked to enter the Wi-Fi network’s password or agree to terms and conditions.

2. After connecting to a Wi-Fi network, your network must then allow your Mac to connect to the internet. If websites, email and all other internet services remain unavailable after connecting to Wi-Fi, the following solutions may help.

Restart your Mac

Restarting may help because your Mac will then automatically renew the internet address it was assigned when joining the Wi-Fi network. Or you can renew the IP address manually. This is known as renewing the DHCP lease. If the lease has expired and the address is already in use by another device, your Mac will be assigned a new address.

Check date and time and update macOS

Make sure the date and time are set correctly on your Mac.

If you can connect to the internet from a different Wi-Fi network, connect to that network and then update macOS on your Mac.

Check VPN or other security software

If you've installed VPN or other software that monitors or interacts with your network connections, that software could be affecting access to the internet. Find out about network issues related to VPN and other software.

Use the built-in diagnostic tools

Wi-Fi Recommendations. Click Wi-Fi in Control Centre or the menu bar and check for a menu item named Wi-Fi Recommendations. If you can see it, then your Mac has detected an issue and has recommendations. Choose Wi-Fi Recommendations to find out more.*

Wireless Diagnostics. Press and hold the Option key on your keyboard while clicking Wi-Fi in Control Centre or the menu bar, then choose Open Wireless Diagnostics from the menu. Find out more about using Wireless Diagnostics to analyse your wireless environment.

Update the Wi-Fi router

If you manage the network's Wi-Fi router, install the latest firmware updates for the router, as recommended by its manufacturer. It may also help to simply restart the router and use Apple's recommended settings for Wi-Fi routers and access points.

Try a different network or contact your ISP

If you can access the internet when connected to a different network, or you’re not sure, check with your internet provider or network administrator to make sure your network is working properly and there isn’t an internet service outage.