While Apple products are generally known for being reliable and user-friendly, MacBooks can still experience internet problems from time to time. Even sending a small PNG file could prove to be problematic if your internet connection struggles.
There are a variety of potential causes if your Mac keeps disconnecting from WiFi, ranging from weak or intermittent WiFi signals to outdated software.
Fortunately, there are a number of steps you can take to troubleshoot and fix internet problems on your MacBook. This article will walk you through a few of the most common solutions.
Restart Your MacBook
If you’re having WiFi problems on your MacBook, one of the first things you can try is restarting your computer. To do this, simply click the Apple logo in the top-left corner of your screen and select “Restart.”
Restart the SMC
Rebooting SMC is another potential method to troubleshoot the issue. Your SMC controls a lot of low-level functions on your MacBook, including wireless networking.
To reboot your SMC:
1. Shut down your MacBook.
2. Unplug the power cord from your MacBook.
3. Wait at least 15 seconds.
4. Plug the power cord back into your MacBook.
5. Turn on your MacBook.
After you’ve rebooted your SMC, try connecting to WiFi again and see if the issue has been resolved.
Update MacBook’s Software
Verifying and updating MacBook software is important to keep your computer running smoothly and to ensure that you have the latest security patches. The former point also applies to internet issues. Missing the latest software updates could be the reason behind a poor internet connection.
To update the MacBooks software:
1. Open the App Store application on your MacBook.
2. Click on the Updates tab at the top of the screen.
3. You will see a list of available updates for your system. Make sure to install all critical updates.
4. Once you have installed all updates, reboot your MacBook to complete the process.
Run Apple Diagnostics
Apple Diagnostics will help identify any hardware issues that may be causing your WiFi to not work properly. To do this, simply hold down the D key while booting up your MacBook.
Once Apple Diagnostics has finished running, it will provide you with a report of any issues it found. If there are no hardware issues, then you can try some of the other troubleshooting steps below.
Tinker With DNS Settings
DNS, or Domain Name System, is a service that translates domain names (like www.apple.com) into IP addresses (like 17.172.224.47). By default, your Mac will use the DNS servers provided by your network provider. However, you can also manually specify which DNS servers to use.
To do this, open System Preferences and click on Network. Select your WiFi connection from the list of interfaces on the left, and then click the “Advanced” button in the main window. Under the “DNS” tab, you’ll see a list of currently active DNS servers. To add a new server, simply click the “+” button and enter the IP address.
If you’re having trouble connecting to a specific website, you can also add that site’s IP address to the “hosts” file on your computer. This file overrides DNS lookups, so specifying the IP address of a website will ensure that you always connect to the correct server.
To edit the hosts’ file, you’ll need to use a text editor like TextEdit or BBEdit. Open the file, which is located at /private/etc/hosts, and add the website’s IP address followed by the domain name. For example, to add Apple’s website, you would add the following line:
17.172.224.47 www.apple.com
Save the file and then try accessing the website again. If it still doesn’t work, you may need to flush your DNS cache.
To flush the DNS cache on a MacBook, open the Terminal application. Then type in the following command:
sudo dscacheutil -flushcache
Press Enter, then enter your password when prompted. This will flush the DNS cache and hopefully fix any WiFi problems you’re having.
Restart the WiFi Network
To restart WiFi, simply go to the Apple Menu in the upper left corner of your screen and select “Restart.” Once your MacBook has restarted, try connecting to WiFi again.
If restarting your MacBook’s WiFi doesn’t work, you can also try resetting your computer’s network settings. This will erase all of your current network settings and allow you to start fresh. To reset your network settings, go to the Apple Menu and select “System Preferences.” Then, click on the “Network” icon and select the “Reset” button.
If you’re still having trouble connecting to WiFi after restarting your MacBook and resetting your network settings, you may need to contact your ISP or visit an Apple Store for further assistance.
