Error messages

“The Internet connection appears to be offline.” on Mac

This is the macOS text for error -1009 in the URL Loading System. An app asked for a resource, and macOS had no internet connection for it.

Applies to: All current macOS versions. The text was checked on macOS 27.2.Checked: 29 October 2026

Symptoms

  • An app shows “The Internet connection appears to be offline.”
  • The app may show NSURLErrorDomain and -1009 with the text.
  • Only one app shows it, or every app does.

Likely causes

  • The Mac has no connection. Apple's documentation says that a connection has not been established and cannot be established automatically.
  • A VPN that is not ready. A VPN that connects, reconnects or blocks traffic can leave the Mac without a usable path.
  • A firewall or filter that blocks one app. If only one app fails, a firewall app or a content filter can block that app.
  • A router or provider fault. The Mac is on the network, but the network has no internet.

How to check

  1. Open a different website. If no site opens, the problem is the connection, not this site.

  2. Show the network state that apps see.

    scutil --nwi

  3. Ping an address on the internet. This test does not use DNS.

    ping -c 5 1.1.1.1

  4. If only one app fails, look at the rules of your firewall apps for that app.

How to fix it

  1. Fix the connection first. Follow Mac connected to Wi-Fi but no internet.

  2. Disconnect and connect the VPN again. Then try the app again.

  3. If a firewall app blocks the app, allow it in that firewall app.

  4. Quit and open the app again after the connection works.

With Kilobat

  1. Check Wi-Fi, the router, the internet, DNS and a login page in one command.

    kilobat diagnose

  2. If one app fails, test the path of that app. The doctor also checks Kilobat's rules for it.

    kilobat why example.com --app com.example.App

  3. List Kilobat's rules, if its filter is on.

    kilobat rules

  4. These Kilobat checks are free. AI agents run them through MCP with diagnose_connection and diagnose_network. See Find why one site or API won't connect.

Questions

What is NSURLErrorDomain -1009?

It is the notConnectedToInternet error of Apple's URL Loading System. macOS shows this text for it.

Is this the same as Safari's “You Are Not Connected to the Internet”?

It is the same condition. Safari shows its own page. See Safari: “You Are Not Connected to the Internet” on Mac.

Sources

Sources checked on 29 October 2026. Man pages are the ones installed with macOS; open one with man <name> in Terminal.