Troubleshoot Wi-Fi and Internet Connection Issues in macOS Ventura

Some users are reporting Wi-Fi issues and other internet connectivity issues after updating to macOS Ventura 13. Problems can range from slow Wi-Fi connections or reconnections, random Wi-Fi disconnects or Wi-Fi not working at all, or internet connectivity not working after updating a Mac to macOS Ventura. Network connectivity issues seem to appear randomly for some users after installing almost every macOS update, and Ventura is no exception.

We’ll explain how to fix Wi-Fi connection issues in MacOS Ventura so you’ll be back online in no time.

Troubleshooting Wi-Fi and Internet Connection Issues in macOS Ventura

Some of these troubleshooting methods and tips will involve modifying system configuration files. So you should back up your Mac with Time Machine or your backup method of choice before you begin.

1: Disable or remove third-party firewall/network filtering tools

If you are using third-party firewall or network filtering tools, such as Little Snitch, Kapersky Internet Security, McAfee, LuLu, or similar, you may experience Wi-Fi connection issues on macOS Ventura. Some of these apps may not yet be updated to support Ventura or may not be compatible with Ventura. So turning them off can often fix network connectivity issues.

1. Go to the Apple menu  and choose “System Settings”
2. Go to “Network”
3. Choose “VPN and filters”
4. In the “Filters and Proxies” section, identify any content filters and remove them by selecting and clicking the – minus button, or changing the status to “Disabled”.

You must restart the Mac for the change to take full effect.

If you rely on a firewall or third-party filtering tools for specific reasons, you should ensure that you download any available updates for these applications as soon as they become available, as running earlier versions may result in compatibility issues with macOS Ventura, affecting your network connection.

2: Delete current Wi-Fi preferences in macOS Ventura and reconnect

Deleting current Wi-Fi preferences, restarting, and setting up Wi-Fi can fix common network issues on a Mac. This will involve deleting Wi-Fi preferences, which means you’ll need to reconfigure any customizations you’ve made to TCP/IP networking or similar.

1. Quit all active applications on the Mac, including System Settings
2. Disable Wi-Fi by going to the Wi-Fi menu bar (or Control Center) and flipping the Wi-Fi switch to the off position
3. Open the Finder in macOS, then go to the “Go” menu and choose “Go to Folder”
4. Enter the following file system path:

/Library/Preferences/SystemConfiguration/

5. Press return to navigate to this location, now locate and select the following files in this SystemConfiguration folder

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


6. Drag these files to the desktop (to serve as a backup)
7. Restart the Mac by going to the  Apple menu and choosing Restart
8. Once the Mac restarts, go back to the Wi-Fi menu and turn Wi-Fi back on
9. From the Wi-Fi menu, select the Wi-Fi network you want to connect to, connecting to it as usual

At this point, Wi-Fi should work as expected.

3: Try starting the Mac in Safe Mode and using Wi-Fi

If you’ve done the above and are still having Wi-Fi issues, try starting the Mac in Safe Mode and using Wi-Fi on it. Booting in Safe Mode temporarily disables Login Items , which may help to further resolve the internet connectivity issue. Starting a Mac in Safe Mode is easy but differs between Apple Silicon and Intel Macs.

• For Intel Macs, restart the Mac and hold down the SHIFT key until you log into the Mac
• For Apple Silicon Macs (m1, m2, etc.), shut down the Mac, allow it to shut down for 10 seconds, then press and hold the POWER button until the Options screen appears. Now hold down the SHIFT key and choose “Continue in Safe Mode” to start the Mac in Safe Mode

After booting the Mac in Safe Mode, you will find that many customizations and preferences are temporarily set aside in Safe Mode, but this can help you troubleshoot issues on the Mac. Try using Wi-Fi or internet from safe mode, if it works in safe mode but not in normal boot mode, there is a high chance that a third-party app or configuration is disrupting internet functionality (like the aforementioned network filters, login items, etc.), and you’ll want to try uninstalling these types of filtering apps, including third-party antivirus or firewall apps.

To exit safe mode, simply restart the Mac as usual.

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Have you restored your Wi-Fi and Internet connectivity in macOS Ventura? What trick worked for you? Have you found another troubleshooting solution? Let us know your experiences in the comments.

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