Mac connected to Wi-Fi but no internet? What to do

When a Mac is connected to Wi-Fi but has no internet, the link to the router works but the way from the router to the internet doesn’t. First check whether other devices on the same network can get online. Then restart the modem, the router and your Mac, renew the Mac’s address in System Settings > Network, and run Wireless Diagnostics. If nothing on the network can get online, contact your internet provider.

By the Scope teamUpdated 6 min read

Is it just my Mac, or the whole network?

Try another device on the same Wi-Fi, such as your phone with mobile data turned off. Its answer tells you where to look:

Other devices online?Where the problem isWhat to try
NoThe router, the modem or the internet providerRestart the modem and router; check with your provider for an outage
YesYour MacRestart it, check the date and time, renew its address, check VPN and security software

If nothing on the network gets online, start with the router:

  1. Restart the modem and the router: turn them off, wait a moment, and turn them on again.
  2. If you manage the router, install its latest firmware, as its maker recommends.
  3. If it still doesn’t work, ask your internet provider whether there’s an outage.

What does the Wi-Fi icon tell me?

The Wi-Fi icon in the menu bar changes with the connection. Apple shows its No internet icon when a router and IP address can’t be assigned to your Mac’s Wi-Fi. An IP address is your Mac’s address on the network, and the router hands it out.

Click the Wi-Fi icon in the menu bar or in Control Center. If you see a menu item named Wi-Fi Recommendations, your Mac has detected an issue: choose it to see what macOS suggests.

How do I get my Mac back online?

Work through these in order, checking after each one. They’re Apple’s steps for a Mac that’s connected to Wi-Fi but can’t get online.

  1. Restart your Mac. When it starts again, it renews the IP address it was given when it joined the network.
  2. Check the date and time. Go to System Settings > General > Date & Time, and turn on “Set time and date automatically”.
  3. Renew the DHCP lease. DHCP is how the router hands out addresses, and the lease is how long your Mac keeps one. Choose Apple menu > System Settings, click Network, click Wi-Fi, then click Details. Click TCP/IP, click Renew DHCP Lease, then click OK.
Network settings for Studio, TCP/IP: Configure IPv4 Using DHCP, IP address 192.168.1.24, Router 192.168.1.1, with Renew DHCP Lease ringed
Renew DHCP Lease asks the router for an address again. Illustration with made-up readings.
  1. Check VPN and security software. VPN, firewall, antivirus, parental-control and content-blocking apps can block the connection. Turn off the app’s features and try again. In System Settings, search for VPN, profile, firewall and filter to find related settings.
  2. Run Wireless Diagnostics. Quit your open apps. Hold down Option, click the Wi-Fi icon in the menu bar, and choose Open Wireless Diagnostics. Follow the instructions, then click the Info buttons in the Summary to read about each issue it found. It doesn’t change your network settings.
The Wi-Fi status menu, Option-clicked, with Open Wireless Diagnostics ringed below the details of Studio
Wireless Diagnostics checks the network’s connection to the internet. Illustration with made-up readings.
  1. Check DNS and proxies. DNS turns names like apple.com into addresses, and a wrong DNS server or proxy can stop websites loading. In the same Details window, click DNS, then Proxies, and look for servers you don’t recognize. If someone at work or school set them up, ask them before changing anything.
  2. Try another network. If your Mac gets online on another Wi-Fi network or your iPhone’s Personal Hotspot, the problem is your own network or provider. While you’re on it, update macOS.

Why can’t my router get anything online?

If every device has the same problem after a restart, it’s usually the router, the modem or the provider. Apple’s recommended router settings help with two common causes:

  • Only one device should hand out addresses. If DHCP is on in both the modem and the router, address conflicts can stop devices getting online.
  • Only one device should use NAT. NAT lets all your devices share one internet address. With NAT on in both the modem and the router, devices can lose access to some of the internet.

Change these in the router’s own app or webpage, and back up its settings first. If they look right, your internet provider can check the line.

Questions people also ask

Why does my Mac say there’s no internet when my phone works?

If your phone gets online on the same Wi-Fi, the network is fine and the problem is on your Mac. Restart it, check the date and time, renew the DHCP lease and check VPN or security software.

What does Renew DHCP Lease do?

It asks the router for your Mac’s address again. If the old lease expired and another device took that address, your Mac gets a new one.

Should I forget the Wi-Fi network?

Apple suggests it after a router’s settings change: forgetting the network makes your Mac use the router’s new settings when it joins again. Go to System Settings > Wi-Fi, click Details next to the network, then Forget This Network.

Can a VPN block the internet on a Mac?

Yes. Apple says VPN and other security software can block connections to the internet. Turn off its features to test.

Scope for Mac · Free, coming to the Mac App Store

How Scope helps

Scope is a free Mac menu bar app that shows your Wi-Fi connection and its signal separately from a one-click internet speed test, so you can see whether your Mac has reached the router and whether the internet behind it answers. Scope can’t fix a connection, but it shows where it stops.

In your menu bar

Scope in a Mac’s menu bar: the Scope icon and Network, 4.8 MB/s down and 830 KB/s up
Scope’s Network panel, opened from the menu bar: Studio on Wi-Fi, a strong signal at −48 dBm, and 4.8 MB/s down, 830.0 KB/s up
Scope sits in your menu bar, and one click opens its Network panel.

Connected to the router

Connection and Local IP show whether your Mac has joined the network and what address it has there. If Wi-Fi drops, Scope shows the connection as Disconnected.

Scope's connection details: Connection Link active, Network Studio, Interface details Wi-Fi · en0, Local IP 192.168.1.24, Wi-Fi signal −48 dBm · Excellent
Link active, with an address on the network.

A strong signal

Scope labels the signal “Signal strength · not internet speed”: a strong signal shows the Wi-Fi link is good, not that the internet works.

Scope's Wi-Fi signal card: Wi-Fi signal is strong, Excellent · −48 dBm, labeled Signal strength · not internet speed
Your Mac hears the router clearly.

The internet itself

The speed test runs macOS’s own networkQuality test, which has to reach Apple’s test service over the internet. When it can’t, Scope says Test did not finish, with a note that the download test couldn’t be completed. With a strong signal beside it, that points past your Mac’s Wi-Fi: to the router, the modem or the provider.

Scope shows and explains. It never changes your network settings or your router.

Scope's Internet speed test on Studio: Download 935.3 Mbps, Upload 117.6 Mbps, 11 ms latency
On a working connection, the test reaches Apple’s test service and measures it.
Everything this part of Scope showsMac network monitor: live speed and data per app

Try it here

The real Scope, working, right in this page.

Click any item in the menu bar, or a card inside, as you would on your Mac.

Scope Pro Every menu bar item is shown here. Scope Free keeps one whole item of your choice, with every reading inside.

See where your own connection stops.

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Sources

Last checked October 18, 2026. Readings, apps and files in the pictures are from a made-up Mac.