OS X El Capitan: Change the priority of your network connections

Change the priority of your network connections
Change the order of the network port your computer uses to connect

If you connect to the Internet or a network in several different ways (using Wi-Fi or Ethernet, for example), you can change the order of the network connections your computer tries when you connect.

If you have multiple active connections, your computer tries the one at the top of the list first, then tries the others in descending order.

You can’t change the order of virtual private network (VPN) connections because they already take priority over non-VPN connections.

  1. Choose Apple menu > System Preferences, then click Network.

  2. Click the Action pop-up menu , then choose Set Service Order.

  3. Drag a service, such as Ethernet, to the top of the list.

  4. Click OK, then click Apply to make the new settings active.

Last Modified: Apr 13, 2016
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