If your MacBook keeps connecting to a WiFi network that you don’t want it to connect to, here’s how to remove a WiFi network from your Mac so that it no longer connects automatically.
In OS X, when you connect to a WiFi network, it will remember that network by default and automatically connect to it the next time you come to the area. This can be very handy, especially if you use it every day – you don’t have to manually connect to the WiFi network every time.
However, if you plan to use the WiFi network only once, there is no point in saving the network so that you can automatically reconnect when you are in the area in the future. In fact, it can be pretty annoying when your MacBook automatically connects to a WiFi network within range that you saved.
Of course, you can choose not to have your Mac remember a WiFi network the first time you connect, but most of us quickly miss this step when we go to connect to the internet, mostly because we are in a hurry and need it. do some work.
However, there is a way to fix it, and it consists of removing that WiFi network from the list of saved WiFi networks that your MacBook remembers. Here’s how to remove a saved WiFi network from your Mac.
Remove WiFi Networks from Mac
Over the years, your Mac has built up a huge list of WiFi networks it probably remembers. Every hotel WiFi network you connect to, every Starbucks you go to, your Mac remembers those WiFi networks if you’re connected.
In terms of security, it’s not dangerous or anything, but mostly just annoying. If you go back to that Starbucks, your MacBook will automatically reconnect to the WiFi network there, which may be convenient, but it can be annoying that it automatically reconnects if you don’t want to be connected to the internet.
Fortunately, there is a quick fix. Just follow these simple steps to remove saved WiFi networks from your Mac.
Open System Preferences by going to the Apple logo in the menu bar and selecting (or clicking the dock icon, if available).
Then click on it. A new window will open and on the left you will see a list of different ways to connect to the internet. Go ahead and click on the option if it is not already selected.
Then click the button at the bottom. Next, you will see a list of different WiFi networks, which are all the WiFi networks your Mac has saved. There are probably a few WiFi networks that no longer need to be on the list, including when you go to Starbucks to get some work done while on vacation. You’ll probably never return to the same Starbucks location, so it’s a good idea to delete it from the list as well as any other WiFi networks you’ve saved.
To delete a WiFi network from the list, select it and click the little minus button to the left of the plus button. This instantly deletes the WiFi network from the list. Make sure you don’t delete any of your primary WiFi networks, like at home or at work. It won’t be the end of the world if you do this, but you’ll have to manually reconnect next time.
After deleting the WiFi networks you no longer want saved, you can exit System Preferences and you’re done! The next time you enter an area with a WiFi network you previously connected to, your Mac will no longer automatically connect to that area.
This is especially useful if you have two WiFi networks in one area but prefer to connect to the other. You can also adjust the priority of your registered WiFi networks by clicking and dragging in the list to adjust their order. This helps if you want multiple WiFi networks to be saved but prefer to connect to another when you enter an area with multiple WiFi networks.