Solved: MacBook connects to Wi-Fi but has no Internet connection - AppleToolBox 7-11-22, 1:06 PM

Solved: MacBook connects to Wi-Fi

but has no Internet connection
By Dan Helyer 147 comments Last updated April 1, 2020

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.

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.

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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 Shut down your MacBook and wait at least one
minute before you start it up again.
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

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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.

1. On your MacBook, go to System Preferences > Network.

2. Click on Wi-Fi in the sidebar, then Advanced… in the bottom right.
3. Select your Wi-Fi network in the list and delete it using the Minus (–)
button.
4. Click OK, then Apply.
5. 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.
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1. On your MacBook, go to System Preferences > Date & Time.

2. Click Time Zone and check the box to Set time zone
automatically…
3. If your MacBook selects the wrong location:
1. Go to System Preferences > Security & Privacy > Privacy.
2. Select Location Services in the sidebar.
3. 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.

1. On your MacBook, go to System Preferences > Software Updates.

2. Wait for your MacBook to look for new updates.
3. 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.

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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

1. Close any open web browser on your Mac before starting (Safari,
Chrome, Firefox, and so forth)
2. Go to Apple Menu > System Preferences > Network
3. Select Wi-Fi and then choose Advanced
4. Click the DNS tab
5. Under DNS Servers, click the Plus button (+)

Change your DNS server to a free alternative.

6. Enter the IPv4 or IPv6 address for the DNS server you wish to change
to. Examples include:
1. 8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4 for Google Public DNS
2. 1.1.1.1 and 1.0.0.1 for Cloudflare

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3. 208.67.222.222 and 208.67.220.220 for OpenDNS

4. 8.26.56.26 and 8.20.247.20 for Comodo Secure DNS
7. 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

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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.

1. Hold option and click the Wi-Fi icon in your menu bar.
2. Select Open Wireless Diagnostics… from the drop-down menu.
3. 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.

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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.

1. On your MacBook, go to System Preferences > Network.

2. Click Wi-Fi in the sidebar, then click Advanced… in the bottom right.
3. 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.

1. On your MacBook, go to System Preferences > Network.

2. Open the Location: drop-down menu at the top of the window.

3. Select Edit Locations… and use the Plus (+) button to add a new
location.
4. 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.

1. On your MacBook, go to System Preferences and look for a Profiles

option.
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2. Remove every custom Profile.

3. 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.
Use Time Machine to back up your
Mac.
After you reset your network preferences, you will
need to connect to the Wi-Fi network again.

1. On your MacBook, click on the Desktop to highlight Finder.

2. From the menu bar, click Go > Computer.
3. Navigate to Macintosh HD/Library/Preferences/System
Configuration.

4. Delete the following files (you might not have them all):
1. com.apple.airport.preferences.plist
2. com.apple.network.identification.plist
3. NetworkInterfaces.plist
4. preferences.plist
5. 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

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responsible for causing their internet problems.

You can stop the mDNSResponder from Activity Monitor. It should restart
by itself without any problems.

1. On your MacBook, open Activity Monitor from Utilities or using

Spotlight.
2. Go to the Network tab and click Process Name to sort the
processes alphabetically.
3. Find and select mDNSResponder.
4. 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.

And for those of you back online, check out this post to get even faster
browsing by changing your DNS.

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