How to Resolve Internet Connectivity Issues on Mac

A computer is of no use if there is no internet connectivity. Laptops and most MacBooks connect to the internet wirelessly. When you start facing connectivity issues, you may need to connect your Mac to Ethernet for troubleshooting. There are different ways to troubleshoot internet connectivity issues on Mac. We have tried the most common, basic, linear, and logical troubleshooting steps to resolve connectivity issues. If you have encountered, ‘Your connection is not private on Mac’ troubleshooting steps will be different.

Restart Your Mac

The first basic step to resolve the internet connectivity issue is to restart your Mac. Most of the issues on any PC or Mac can be resolved just with a simple restart. There can be configuration conflict issues that can only be resolved by restarting the Mac. Restart your Mac and try to connect it to the wireless internet connection. You can also try checking your smartphone’s hotspot connection.

Connect Ethernet to MacBook

If the wireless connection fails, you will need to connect Mac to Ethernet to proceed with further troubleshooting. If your Wi-Fi router is working properly and you are able to connect other devices wirelessly to the internet, you can establish a wired connection to your Mac.

A Thunderbolt device is required to connect the Ethernet cable to the Type-C port. As soon as you connect the device, turn OFF Wi-Fi and let it pick up the wired connection automatically. If it doesn’t initiate automatically, restart the Mac and it will start picking up wired connection properties.

Old MacBook models may have an ethernet port to connect Ethernet to MacBook. You can connect an ethernet cable to establish a connection or you may require an ethernet adapter to connect your Mac to Ethernet.

Check Your Wi-Fi Range

Ensure that you are in the Wi-Fi range of the router before starting any troubleshooting. There are possibilities that you are far away from your router or there are obstacles in your way. If there is any speaker or microwave nearby the router, it may interrupt the internet connection. Check if other devices like your smartphone are connecting to the Wi-Fi router or you can establish a Wi-Fi connection to your mobile hotspot. Ensure that you are connecting to the right Wi-Fi network.

Update MacOS

A connectivity issue may occur if there are pending uninstalled updates available. Most of the time, there can be a conflict between the date and time. Ensure the date and time settings are set to update automatically.

Step 1. Click on the Apple menu and then go for the ‘About this Mac’ option.

Step 2. On the Overview tab, if you see the ‘Software Updates’, ‘Software Upgrade’, or ‘Restart Now’ button highlighted, that means it requires an immediate update, upgrade, or restart.

Step 3. Click on the button and finish installing important updates. Your Mac may restart several times during the course of this update.

Reset Your Wi-Fi Connection

Forgetting and reconnecting to your Wi-Fi connection can be a nice idea. If you are able to connect to other devices on your Wi-Fi network, you can try to forget and re-establish a Wi-Fi connection to your network.

Step 1. Click on the tiny Wi-Fi icon on the bar and select your Wi-Fi network.

Step 2. Click to forget the Wi-Fi network and it will be removed from your saved Wi-Fi list.

Step 3. Click on the Wi-Fi icon again and it will populate available Wi-Fi networks.

Step 4. Click on your Wi-Fi connection and enter the credentials to connect. Check if you are able to connect to your Wi-Fi connection.

Run Wireless Diagnostic Tool

Wireless Diagnostic tool is Mac’s inbuilt utility to diagnose and fix wireless issues on MacOS. You can access this tool with the Mac Spotlight utility.

Step 1. Press and hold the Option key and click on the Wi-Fi icon on the top right bar.

Step 2. Click on the ‘Open Wireless Diagnostics’ option from the menu.

Step 3. Click on the Continue button to initiate the Wireless Diagnostic test on your Mac. Follow the steps to finish the diagnostic test. It will identify any conflicts in settings or fix the wireless driver issue on Mac.

Reset Wi-Fi Router

If there is a connectivity issue with all other wireless devices, you may need to reset the wireless router. Resetting the wireless router can update the router’s firmware and reseating the cables can ensure that you have proper connectivity. If still there is no internet, you can contact the ISP to troubleshoot internet issues on Mac. For resolving the error ‘Your connection is not private on Mac’ troubleshooting steps will be different.

Final Words

This article on how to resolve internet connectivity issues on Mac has the best checks and solutions to resolve the issue. You can try these tips and tricks to resolve Wi-Fi connectivity issues or issues with connecting Ethernet to MacBook. The best practice is to connect the Mac to the Ethernet port and then proceed with further troubleshooting. If all the checks and troubleshooting steps can’t fix your internet connectivity issue, you may need to connect your ISP to fix the issue.