Troubleshooting and Resetting Wi-Fi Settings on Mac

Having trouble accessing the internet over Wi-Fi on your Mac? Or will some important internet-dependent apps just not work for no apparent reason? I bet you checked the internet source (router) and everything seems fine. Other devices can access the internet on the same network, but your Mac cannot. Do not worry. Many were there. Here’s what you can do. Reset your device’s Wi-Fi settings or network stack. This will reset your Mac’s network configurations to default and resolve any connection issues.

Unlike other operating systems (e.g. Windows) that have simple network reset methods, things are different in macOS. This guide will walk you through solutions and highlight different ways to troubleshoot Wi-Fi connection problems on a Mac by resetting network settings.

Note: You should only reset Wi-Fi settings on Mac when other (basic but effective) troubleshooting methods fail. In simpler words, resetting the Mac’s network settings should be your last resort to fix connection problems.

Before we continue, you should check out some great (but hidden) tools that let you diagnose your wireless connection on Mac. These tools scan your Wi-Fi network, report connection problems and suggest troubleshooting solutions accordingly. If you’ve run out of options and Wi-Fi still isn’t working properly on your Mac (for purpose), get ready to reset network settings using the methods below.

Re-Add Wi-Fi Interface

This requires deleting your Mac’s Wi-Fi and re-adding it to your device’s network settings. This will also delete any previously connected networks and other Wi-Fi configurations that could be causing network connectivity issues on your Mac.

Stage 1: Launch System Preferences and select Network.

Step 2: Select Wi-Fi in the left pane and press the minus (—) icon in the lower left corner.

This will immediately remove Wi-Fi from the list of connection options in the Network settings menu. Keep re-adding Wi-Fi

Stage 3: Tap the plus (+) icon in the lower left corner.

Step 4: Then tap the Interface drop-down button to reveal other connection options.

Step 5: Select Wi-Fi from the list.

Step 6: Tap Create to add Wi-Fi to your Mac.

Step 7: Finally, tap Apply to save the changes made.

And that’s it. You have successfully reset your Mac’s Wi-Fi settings.

Delete Network Configuration Files

Another way to reset Wi-Fi settings on Mac is to delete Wi-Fi related configuration files. It’s also pretty easy to get. Simply go to the SystemConfiguration folder and delete the Property files (plist) holding the Macbook’s network configuration settings. To do this, follow the steps below.

Note: Make sure your Mac’s Wi-Fi is turned off before continuing.

Stage 1: Launch Finder and tap Go on the menu bar.

Step 2: Select ‘Go To Folder’ to launch the path navigation window.

Quick tip: You can use the keyboard shortcut ‘Shift + Command + G’ to quickly launch the ‘Go to Folder window’.

Stage 3: Enter the following path in the dialog and tap Go.

Step 4: Select the following property files (plist) from the SystemConfiguration folder and move them to another folder on your Mac or to the Trash (you can restore them later at any time).

• com.apple.airport.preferences.plist
• com.apple.network.eapolclient.configuration.plist
• com.apple.wifi.message-tracer.plist
• NetworkInterfaces.plist
• preferences.plist

You can move these (5) files to bin if you want, but backing them up to another folder is a much better and safer option. In the rare case that your Mac’s network configuration later gets corrupted, you can easily restore these files to fix the problem.

Step 5: Finally, restart your Mac.

After rebooting, macOS will automatically create all these new plist files after resetting your Mac’s network settings.

Reset Network Stack or Wi-Fi Connection Settings on Mac

‘TCP/IP stack’ generally refers to a Network stack on Mac. TCP/IP is an acronym that stands for Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol. Basically, these two protocols are responsible for connecting your device to the internet. If you’re having internet connection problems on your Mac and no other troubleshooting solutions have worked, resetting the TCP/IP network stack to default settings may help. Here’s how.

Stage 1: Launch System Preferences and select Network.

Step 2: Select the affected network interface (Wi-Fi or Ethernet) and tap Advanced.

Stage 3: Go to the TCP/IP tab.

Step 4: Tap the ‘Renew DHCP License’ button and tap OK when done.

DHCP stands for Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol. By renewing your Mac’s DHCP Lease, you are instructing it to obtain new routing information or an IP address from the DHCP server. When you do this, you successfully reset your Mac’s TCP/IP network stack.

stay connected

As mentioned earlier, resetting Wi-Fi settings will delete all previously connected wireless networks on your Mac. No need to worry if you can’t remember passwords for each network. There are numerous ways to check passwords of saved Wi-Fi networks on Mac. Read this comprehensive guide for more information.

Next: Wi-Fi or Bluetooth not working on your Android or iOS device? Do you want to reset network settings? Read the article linked below to find out what happens when you do this.