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Are you experiencing those Wi-Fi problems with your Mac? For example, your MacBook Pro won’t connect to wifi, connected but no Internet, or the network speed is super slow, etc.
Our smartphones may be equipped with the latest wireless data capabilities, but our MacBooks definitely aren’t. We rely on Wi-Fi to do our daily work, and when it inevitably experiences an error of some sort, all you want to do is throw your hands in the air.
After all, Wi-Fi frequently seems to be on the more technical end of things, shrouded in mysterious terms like “DNS”, “modem”, and “IP address”. It can be a bit intimidating to try and fix without worrying that you’re either doing nothing or making the problem worse.
But no one likes mindlessly refreshing a webpage and hoping the Wi-Fi fixes itself in the meantime, so in this guide, we’ll show you a few ways you can take matters into your own hands to find a solution.
Knowledge Time about Wi-Fi
You can troubleshoot network connections in the office or at home with WiFi Explorer. It’s an awesome app that shows you what’s going on with your network and helps you fix it when needed. The app offers a range of extensive details about all your Mac networks in the vicinity, including their band, signal quality, range, security status, etc.
Your Internet Service Provider (ISP) is what determines your maximum internet speed, but your usage at home is what ultimately determines how well your connection functions. Whatever your provider advertises is always going to be more than the rates you actually get, but you can always make adjustments on your end to get things running faster.
Bandwidth is not the same as Internet speed. The Internet speed is how fast data can travel on your network, whereas your bandwidth determines the volume of information that can travel at that speed. A larger amount of bandwidth means you can request more data at once, which will make your connection seem faster, but it’s not worth paying for if you don’t use your Mac for much beyond Facebook and email.
It’s important to connect to secure networks even if it means using a Virtual Private Network (VPN) or proxy. While it’s tempting to use the free coffee shop Wi-Fi, the lack of a protective password puts your computer at risk because malicious users can use the shared network and attempt to break in. If you must use one of these networks, a proxy or VPN can protect your computer by isolating it from the other connections.
An excellent example of a secure, user-friendly VPN is ClearVPN 2. It allows you to browse any corner of the internet without having to worry about your data and privacy.
Now back to the Wi-Fi not working issues on MacBook Pro, let’s see how to fix each of them.
Connection Problems
Issue 1: Physical router interference
Cause: A router sends electronic waves, but these can be impeded by thick walls or other large blockages such as a row of metal filing cabinets.
How to Fix: If your router is currently buried behind a file cabinet, in a closet, or otherwise awkwardly placed you should move it to a more open and central location. If your router is already in a fairly clear area, consider where you’re sitting. Can you minimize the amount of distance between you and the router, or otherwise move closer?
Alternatively, consider purchasing an extended if you can’t seem to move the router to a location without too much interference.
Issue 2: Neighborly router interference
Cause: As we said earlier, a router sends electronic waves. These waves occur at certain frequencies and can be interfered with by other electronic devices such as microwaves or your neighbor’s router.
How to Fix: Most routers come pre-calibrated to certain frequencies or contain software that helps them pick the best channel. You can manually change the channel though by following a few steps.
- Step 1: Find out your router’s IP address. This is usually printed on the router, but you can also check in System Preferences (System Settings on macOS Ventura and above) > Network > Advanced > TCP/IP > Router;
- Step 2: Copy the IP address into the address bar of your browser and hit enter. You’ll be directed to your router’s settings;
- Step 3: Select the channel you want. Make sure to choose a channel 5 to 7 away from the original, since many frequencies overlap;
- Step 4: Use Wireless Diagnostics to monitor which frequencies make the biggest difference in your wireless signal.
You can get open wireless diagnostics by navigating to Spotlight and then beginning to type “wireless diagnostics”. It should be the first option.
Open the app and click “Continue” to start diagnosing.
Issue 3: MacBook Pro or router failure
Cause: When there doesn’t seem to any conceivable reason your Wi-Fi shouldn’t work, it’s not your fault. Sometimes the MacBook Pro, the router, or both experience an unexpected error that’s invisible to the eye and impossible to figure out exactly what went wrong.
How to Fix: Your best bet at solving this type of problem comes in two parts: your computer, and your router. Follow these steps:
Step 1: Turn off the wi-fi on your computer from the menu bar along the top.
Step 2: Turn off your router by physically disconnecting it (or pressing the power button if it has one) so that all the lights turn off.
Step 3: Restart your MacBook from the Apple menu in the top left of the menu bar.
Step 4: Once your Mac has restarted, turn the router back on. You’ll need to wait 2-5 minutes for all of the lights to come on and for the signal to begin sending again.
Step 5: Turn your Mac’s Wi-Fi back on, and allow it to connect to the network.
While this method isn’t guaranteed to work every time, it often solves mysterious wireless issues and with a little luck, your problem is minor and will be resolved with a bit of restarting.
Problems Once Connected
If you have managed to connect to your router but are still facing issues, it may be due to the Wi-Fi connection itself. If you are working from home, you can be assured that your connection is secure and you need not use a Virtual Private Network (VPN).
However, if you are facing these issues while working from a coffee shop or using an unknown Wi-Fi connection, make sure to connect to a safe and trusted VPN like ClearVPN 2 before trying out the following methods.
Issue 4: Wi-Fi connection is spotty
Cause: If we’ve said it once, we’ve said it a million times: your router transmits waves, and when these are weak at your location, you’re going to have connection issues. In this case, you may have been able to connect to the network but now the service is patchy at best. The cause is simple — you’re too far away from the frequency you’re trying to use.
How to Fix: There are two different ways you can fix this issue. First, move closer to the router if you can. This is the easiest way to attempt to solve the problem and maybe all you need to do.
The second way is to use a different frequency band than you normally would. By default, your router uses the 2.4GHz band, which is weaker than the 5GHz many router models have available. If your router supports 5GHz, you should switch to this instead- it usually appears as a different network in your Wi-Fi list, with a “5GHz” or “5G” as part of the name.
For example:
If you have a large home, an extender might be a more practical solution. It will amplify the signal from your router so that it can reach the areas of your house that usually suffer from poor coverage.
Issue 5: Wi-Fi connection is very slow
Cause: If things have suddenly slowed down, it’s highly likely you can point to another person to take the blame — someone else is eating up your bandwidth! Make sure to check your own computer first though, especially if you’re running multiple programs in the background.
How to Fix: The easiest way to figure out the culprit is by running a quick scan using WiFi Explorer, it’ll show you the connection speed issues found with your current network and fix it if needed.
However, you can also fix that manually. Bandwidth refers to the volume of data that can be transmitted over your Wi-Fi connection. Certain apps can require larger bandwidth and thus restrict the data available to everyone else.
If this occurs in your home, the first step is to check your own applications. The most common offenders are multiplayer video games, video-intensive apps, or files that are uploading and downloading. If your Mac isn’t running anything strenuous, then ask the others in the household if they are.
While you can’t get more bandwidth without paying for it, you can ask anyone on the network to limit which applications they use at one time. In the worst-case scenario, you’ll need to wait a few minutes while a download finishes or until the other person is done working.
Check out this guide if you don’t know how to share wifi password to mac by MacBookProSlow.
Final Words
Wi-Fi issues on MacBook Pro are among the most frustrating issues that can occur on your computer. They’re confusing, bothersome, and significantly slow your productivity. We hope the methods listed above help you resolve any issues you face.
Do you use a different method to troubleshoot your wireless network? Tell us about it in the comments below!
About Eric
Peter
today is May, 2022. I have two mac book pros, All of a sudden BOTH Macbooks have ridiculous slow connection (3 M download, 0.96 upload). My iPhones (wife, children) all connect to 300M. That’s the expected speed, and it’s 100x the speed the MB pros have.
What’s going on?? I have found some articles about this, but the solutions, at the moment, do not work…
extremely disappointing. Something has upgraded in our MB pros that’s causing this.
Anonymous
Solution 6. If Mac requires rebooting router and impact others working without issue then kick out Mac and get rid of it. It is not suited for your network as it does not own your network and it should behave. Rebooting is not a solution – it is a workaround for some deeper issue.
Chris
When I travel I have an Alienware Windows laptop and I also use my personal Macbook. I’m sitting in a hotel as I type and I get FULL wi-fi bars on my Windows laptop and only 1 bar on my brand new 16″ 2022 Macbook Pro. The connections keeps dropping out on my Macbook – it’s useless. Your tips didn’t seem to help me. Any ideas what might cause such a big difference in performance between machines? It’s clearly not my location or bandwidth or interference. It’s baffling that my Macbook can’t perform a simple task!
Konversi Sunda
that’s work, Thanks Dude!
Putra Selembar
thank you for sharing the guide, hopefully the error on my macbook will be fixed soon
Patrick C
This article addresses possible problems with your network… How about the problem that the MacBook itself appears to suck?
I am In a vacation McMansion compound with 18 bedrooms and 30 people trying to get their devices connected. The router or the island connection gets overloaded periodically and everyone loses connection for a minute or 2, which is irritating….. BUT… All the android devices and the PC s and rokus and and artisan coffee pots and [everything else] gets back online in 2 minutes but the stupid farking $2500 macbook wanders around like a drunk fratboy moron .. unable to reconnect for hours every time there is the mildest hickup in the connection. The MacBook is just plain and simple the idiot cousin of the group… But at least I paid twice as much for the honor of owning this steaming pile of crap.
sahina
Not too difficult, just update your wi-fi driver using any process, manual or automatic.
Apno
To add to this old thread. My little MacbookPro also has crap WIFI. At home or at work it will drop out or not connect, connect and show no Internet, connect to the WIFI extender but not the modem and other annoying behaviors.
Three Dell laptops and 4 iPhones models 4 – 12 do not have this problem on the same networks. So it is not the WIFI itself, it’s the Macbook. It is embarrassingly bad. Although the MBP seems like a great piece of hardware overall, the WIFI sucks. (The battery hasn’t been great, either.)
Nigel Braithwaite
I fixed my WiFi connection accidentally…
WiFi working again but I don’t know exactly *why* disconnecting the external hard drives fixed the problem!!!
Chris B
I was having bad issues with my 2015 MBPro, even in direct line of sight to router the Wifi connection was slow to the point of being useless. If you go to Network control panel click on the Wifi and press ‘-‘ to delete it, then add ‘+’ a new Wifi connection back, maybe do a reboot after, then I found everything speeded up again! You can also go and delete all the related preferences but in my case just reinstalling the Wifi stack did the trick. Hope this helps someone.
Seth
External display issue is ridiculous. But I noticed that changing wifi channel on the router helps. In my case, channel 10 worked best.
T-Rev
Your response indicating that someone should switch from 2.4Ghz to 5Ghz is incorrect. Now, if someone is getting good speeds but wants faster speeds? Then sure, 5Ghz is the way to go. But your article is offering advice to people with spotty and/or slow connections to their own wifi. In which case they should stick with 2.4Ghz. 2.4Ghz is a wider band and has more range through obstacles such as walls, file cabinets, etc. than does 5Ghz. 5Ghz being a more narrow band offers higher throughput but less range through obstacles. Just thought I would point that out.
-Trevor St.
Brijesh Sharma
Go to your Wifi router settings and choose 40MHZ channel bandwidth. It fixed my issue.
mariya jonsan
Most of the Common MacBook Problems require three common steps to resolve, and they are listed below:
Reset SMC in MacBook Pro.
Reset PRAM/NVRAM in MacBook Pro.
Restart MacBook Pro in Safe Mode.
Sylvie
Hello my mom is having the same problem with her mac where it is connected to the wifi but it can’t go online. Her phone and ipad are connected to the wifi and she is able to go online. What should I do I have tried everything other people have recommended but it does not work. Is there any other solution?
Septian Rishal
Wow amazing! that’s work!
Thanks dude, you’re hero and save my money haha
pragya
All the other devices at my house are connected to the wifi and we working fine. Even my macbook air. Its just this new macbook pro that does not work. I dont know what to do, i tried everything.
mark jennings-bates
I have tried all the normal bullshit stuff to connect my macbook pro when I have problems. I have a newer machine with the thunderbolt usb ports which I hate because now I need an arm full of adaptors.
After hundreds of hours, piles of websites all the simple “turn it off and on again” answers. Here is the problem. Black and white. Plain and simple.
If my portable SSD hard drive is plugged in to one of the USB ports, my mac drops the internet. If I unplug it, it miraculously joins the internet. If it happens to connect while my external hard drive is plugged in, there is almost zero bandwidth but unplug it and it works perfectly. Now some rocket scientist can tell me exactly why the f__ck that happens ‘cos I am about ready to throw my mac out the window after being a mac user for 20 years
Erik
Might aswell throw it out. Read the answer on this article. Big design flaw.
https://discussions.apple.com/thread/253025054
Richard
I’ve owned Mac’s since 1994 and have run shops over the years with many Mac’s, recently I purchased a 2019 MBP model to replace ageing 2010 MBP in our household. This is the worst model I’ve ever owned with terrible internet connectivity. My household’s other two Macs (MBP 2010, MBP 2017) and three iphones (4S, 6S and XS) have no issues connecting and holding onto a wifi signal. Worst purchase ever – and don’t get me started on the joke that is the tiny, over priced SSD drive that is soldered onto the mother board.
Frrank
December 2019 and I’m having the exact same issue as described. Is there anybody out there who can provide a solution for this. I paid more than 2.000$ for a now almost unusable Macbook pro from 2017.
kay citron
My Mac Book Pro is 2013. I connect with my iPad, iPhone and other wifi devices easily and quickly. My MacBookPro however rarely connects when opened. It requires the shut down method and restarting to connect. Then if I walk away long enough for the window to shut, I loose connectivity again. VERY frustrating. My son has a 2018 Mac Book Pro and does not experience this problem. Is this a fixable problem for my 2013 or is Apple just trying to get me to upgrade?
M
Our house has about 4 wireless transmitters spread about to give good coverage, my problem is this over priced silver box wishes to connect to the furthest / slowest transmitter in the house instead of the one a metre away. 🙁
Dennis Chamberlin
While at work our network seems to operate fine on my phone and on my MacBook air for the first initial moments while connected. Soon pages are not pulling up at all and the wifi seems to be searching for a connection. I have to restart the MacBook and it will work again for a short time. Any ideas?
Steve
Here’s a new one. I picked up a new MacBook Pro a month ago with a 3-way USB-C adaptor. I tried using an HMDI cable through the HDMI connection on the 3-way adaptor to my new monitor. The screen would only turn on if I unplugged and replugged in the screen and it also flickered. Solution was to get a direct video cable from the MacBook to the monitor. Works perfectly now. I had the power cable and the backup hard-drive plugged into the 3-way adaptor. Suddenly, I had all kinds of intermittent problems with the WiFi whilst the desktop Mac on the same desk was fine. Plugged the power cable directly into the MacBook and now it seems to work fine. Lessons: video cable works better than HDMI (I’m sure there’s a technical reason); be careful using 3-way adaptors – direct is best.
Robert G. Raynor, Jr.
I have this same problem with my mid 2015 MacBook Pro. The problem is so bad that I cannot use it for conferences and it is costing me money. To be honest, this is a design defect that Apple has not addressed. I have three other iOS devices and the MacBook Pro is the only only having this problem. I am now considering an Windows oriented laptop as the MacBook Pro is unusable. By the way I have tried every recommendation without success.
Gaye
Sometimes my macbook shows that I’m on the wifi network, but web pages will not fill in, as though I’m off line. This is intermittent. Other devices are having no trouble, so it’s not the router, and it is happening at home and other locations. Any answers?
Thank you!
Lee
Any solution?
Jan
Having the same issue. MBP 2016 connects to wifi though at a certain point it won’t load the pages / loses internet connection (although the wifi signal stays up). I have to shut down wifi and restart again to re-establish the connection.
Other devices work fine (like my mbp 2012) … I also tried different browsers.
Would really appreciate it if someone could help me out
rebecca
I have the same issue!
Joni
I have this same problem.. The wifi says it is working fine.. I did a speed test..s ays it is fast.. and yet.. the computer doesn’t load webpages..and eventually will not let me do anything without restarting..and doing a fresh start.. this is so frustrating.. I think it is similar to your issue.. Did you get any responses or figure it out??
Zoltan
Hi Gaye! I have the same problem. Did you find any solution?
Greetings,
Zoltan
Ann Roberts
This is exactly the problem I am having as well. Hope someone offers up a solution
Greg
I informed apple of this issue and the reason behind it back in 2016, its nothing to do with faulty routers or software its down to how apple products connect to wifi and the fix is to not have the same SSID for 2.4ghz and 5ghz as it confuses the software on apple devices
Ian Q. Rowan
So what’s the solution here? How do you change the SSID for the apple devices?
MC
Might be the fix! As soon as I switched to my 5G option and turned off the 2G one, things are blazingly fast! Thanks.
DCRF
This does not address why my pc laptop is running fast, streaming video and audio, etc., while my macbook air is hardly able to load a website it is getting the internet so slowly. Is it the internal hardware on the mac that is the problem? I have turned off my pc (and other devices) to eliminate the competition for bandwidth and it makes no difference.
This seems to be a problem with the mac not with the router or router signal strength.
This macbook cost easily twice what my pc did, making this a frustrating issue. It is a small detail, but a very important one.
Also, I have this problem both at home and at the office.
Halocme
My iPhone is stably connected to UnitedWifi.com, from which I am typing this. On my MacBook Pro, I only occasionally see United_Wi-Fi in the list of preferred networks. This is not the first time I see the MacBook Pro not connecting to WiFi while I iPhone or iPad has no problem. Four weeks ago, I experienced the same at York University, Canada. Their IT department suggested that some security software probably stood in the way. Following their advice I disabled McAfee, but the problem persisted. If security-related software is the cause of the problem, what else should I do? Do I have to install something like Malwatebytes? Is it still possible to diagnose the problem of not seeing the network that must be there as I know from my iPhone?
Dave
I made a discovery on my internet connectivity problems. I have a new Spacegray Macbook Pro – I thought my bad internet connectivity was a problem with our office router or where I was sitting, but I was puzzled that I saw full bar strength. If I unplugged and moved away from my desk, no problems, router signal seemed super strong… I narrowed my problem down to whenever I was connected to my Thunderbolt monitor. I did speed tests unplugged and plugged into an ASUS monitor and I pulled over 40 Mbps, but whenever I plugged into the Thunderbolt… .4 Mbps or lower. I am still not sure if the problem is the monitor or the Apple adapter.
Brandi
I’m having this exact problem!!! Asus monitor and all. Did you ever find a solution?
Sheree
Yeah I have the same exact issue only my monitor is a Benq monitor! Perhaps it’s not dependent on the monitor…how strange!
Atif Saddique
I am having the same problem.
idk
if you stick the wire of your adapter up in the air, the internet goes faster. even better if you can find an adapter to you laptop without a cable
Joseph
I have the same problem!!! at the moment i use my extension to connect my monitor the internet stop working. the problem is my through hub adapter.
rob
This might fix “user error” problems with wifi, but it doesn’t address the fact that apple has consistently put the weakest wifi adaptors in their macbook line of any computer currently on the market.
Why is it that my iPad and iPhone can connect to wifi units two blocks away when my macbook rolls on and times out connecting to routers in the same room as me?
I never thought I’d say this as a previous apple fanboy… but I’m switching to SOMETHING else next computer/phone/tablet I buy.
clint
EXACTLY!!!! Phone wifi speed 360mbs. MacBookpro latest and greatest… 150mbs. This f..king sucks donkey droinkers!!!