How to Fix Wi-Fi Disconnecting on Mac

Wi-Fi that drops every hour has one of three culprits: your Mac, your router, or the air between them. The fastest fix is to find which one before you change any setting.

Work out where the drop happens#

Isolate the problem in two tests

Do your phone or other computers also lose Wi-Fi at the same moments?

Yes, everything drops togetherNo, only the Mac dropsI'm not sure

The path your connection takes#

1. 1Your Mac

   Wi-Fi chip, settings, VPN and filters.

   ↓→

2. 2The air

   Distance, walls, other networks, microwaves.

   ↓→

3. 3Router

   Band, channel, firmware, heat.

   ↓→

4. 4Modem

   Your line to the provider.

   ↓→

5. 5Internet

   Outages happen upstream.

Router-side checks#

• Position. A router in a cupboard or on the floor weakens the signal. Raise it and open it up.
• Band. 5 GHz is faster but has shorter range. 2.4 GHz reaches farther but is more crowded. If drops happen far from the router, try 2.4 GHz. If they happen in the same room, try 5 GHz.
• Channel. Auto channel selection can pick poorly. Set a channel manually if neighbours share yours.
• Firmware. Updates fix real bugs. Check your router's admin page.
• Restart schedule. A weekly router restart is a cheap fix for many consumer routers.

Mac-side fixes#

Work from top to bottom. Each step is more disruptive than the one above.

1. Turn Wi-Fi off and on, and renew the lease#

1. Open System Settings → Wi-Fi, switch it off, wait ten seconds, switch it back on.
2. Open the details of your network and choose Renew DHCP Lease.

2. Forget the network and rejoin#

In Wi-Fi → Advanced, find the network in the Known Networks list, remove it, then join again and re-enter the password.

3. Remove extra software in the way#

VPN clients, content filters and security apps can interrupt connections. Quit them for a day. A firewall such as Little Snitch lets you review what is allowed, but it can also block traffic if misconfigured.

4. Run Wireless Diagnostics#

Hold ⌥ and click the Wi-Fi icon in the menu bar, then choose Open Wireless Diagnostics. Follow the prompts to monitor your connection. It reports signal strength, noise and any issues it notices.

5. Create a new network location#

New locations start with default network settings, which helps if yours are corrupted. Open System Settings → Network, use the menu for locations if available on your version, and add one. Test for a day.

6. Update macOS and check for a hardware fault#

Install pending updates. If the Mac drops on every network after all of this, run Apple Diagnostics. See the startup guide for the key combinations.

Check that the drops are not a slowdown in disguise#

Sometimes Wi-Fi seems to disconnect when a heavy app starves the network. If pages stall and then recover, compare against why your MacBook runs slowly. A Mac that crashes apps whenever the network flickers is a different problem; see apps that keep crashing.

When to call your provider#

Call when every device drops, the modem lights change when it happens, and a restart does not help for long. Give them timestamps. That turns a vague complaint into a testable one.

Frequently asked questions#

Why does my Mac disconnect from Wi-Fi when it sleeps?#

Some routers and some power settings drop idle connections. Renewing the lease, updating the router, and checking Battery settings for network wake options usually helps.

Should I use 2.4 GHz or 5 GHz?#

Use 5 GHz near the router for speed and 2.4 GHz at distance for reach. Giving each band a separate name lets you choose.

Will a new router fix it?#

Only if the router is the cause. Test other devices first, so you do not buy hardware that changes nothing.

Does a VPN cause Wi-Fi drops?#

It can cause connection resets that look like drops. Disconnect the VPN for a day to find out.