Wi-Fi & Bluetooth
Mac keeps disconnecting from Wi-Fi: find the cause, then fix it
Check whether the Mac, the router or the signal is dropping the connection, read the reason code macOS logs, and fix it in order from safest to strongest.
Mac wi-fi & bluetooth
1 tested guide, grouped by what is actually going on. Covers: Keeps dropping, AirPods, slow network.
- Tested guides
- 1
- Tested on
- MacBook Pro 14" (M1 Pro, 16 GB)
- Last verified
- Oct 19, 2026
Short answer
- Wi-Fi drops on a Mac come from one of three places: the router, the signal, or a setting on the Mac.
- Test another device on the same network first; if the phone also drops, restart the router and update its firmware.
- Hold Option and click the Wi-Fi icon to see the signal (RSSI) and noise; a signal weaker than -70 dBm is too weak to stay connected.
- On the Mac, forget the network and join again, set Private Wi-Fi Address to Fixed, and turn off VPN or filter apps to test.
- If the drops happen only after sleep, check that the Mac is not set to put the network to sleep and that the router is not kicking idle devices.
Start here
Other Mac problems
How we test every fix
Run on a real Mac
Every step is done on a MacBook Pro 14" (M1 Pro, 16 GB) before it is published. The Mac, the macOS version and the date sit at the top of each guide.
Built-in fixes first
macOS settings, Finder and Terminal come first. An app is mentioned only when it really solves the problem, and our own apps are labelled.
Sources you can check
Each guide links to Apple Support or the tool maker's docs, so you can confirm the steps yourself.
Re-checked over time
Guides are dated. When a guide is six months old it is flagged for a re-test on the current macOS.