---
title: "Mac Wi-Fi keeps disconnecting or dropping: find the cause · Kilobat Guides"
url: "https://kilobat.app/guides/mac-wifi-keeps-disconnecting"
description: "Your Mac drops Wi-Fi again and again, not only after sleep. Record when the drops happen, then check the router, roaming, interference and network software."
---

# Mac Wi-Fi keeps disconnecting

A Wi-Fi drop has many possible causes. The router, a mesh node, interference or software on the Mac can each cause it. First record when the drops happen. Then test one cause at a time.

**Fix this with your agent**Copies a prompt for Claude Code, Codex or any agent that can use Terminal.

My Mac has this problem: Mac Wi-Fi keeps disconnecting. Read https://kilobat.app/guides/mac-wifi-keeps-disconnecting.md and work through it with me. Install the Kilobat CLI if it’s missing: brew install seifip/kilobat/kilobat. Run the guide’s Terminal and kilobat checks yourself and tell me what you find. List the steps only I can do. Ask before you change any setting.

Applies to: macOS 14 Sonoma and later for the System Settings steps. The Terminal commands work on all current versions. · Checked: 7 November 2026

## Symptoms

- The Wi-Fi icon goes empty for a few seconds, then the Mac joins again.
- Calls freeze and downloads stop several times an hour.
- Wi-Fi stays connected, but pages stop loading for a short time.
- Other devices on the same network seem fine.
- The drops started after you changed the router, added a mesh node or plugged in a hub.

## Likely causes

- **Router settings.** Apple says that different network names for each band can make devices connect unreliably. Apple also recommends WPA3 Personal or WPA2/WPA3 Transitional security, and automatic firmware updates.
- **Roaming between access points.** On a mesh or with several access points, the Mac moves from one radio to another. A roam can interrupt the connection for a short time. See [Mac drops Wi-Fi or sticks to a far node on mesh Wi-Fi](https://kilobat.app/guides/mac-mesh-wifi-roaming).
- **Interference.** Apple lists USB 3 devices, Thunderbolt 3 devices, microwave ovens, cordless phones and other sources. See [Wi-Fi drops when a USB-C hub, USB 3 drive or monitor is plugged in](https://kilobat.app/guides/usb-c-hub-wifi-interference) and [Bluetooth headphones and Wi-Fi interference on a Mac](https://kilobat.app/guides/bluetooth-wifi-interference).
- **Weak signal.** A Mac starts to look for a better access point when the signal drops to −75 dBm. Below that, drops are more likely. See [Weak Wi-Fi signal on a Mac](https://kilobat.app/guides/weak-wifi-signal-mac).
- **VPN, firewall or security software.** Apple says that software that monitors or interacts with network connections can block internet access. See [Little Snitch, LuLu and other network extensions conflict on a Mac](https://kilobat.app/guides/network-extension-conflicts).
- **Two known networks in range.** The Mac can switch to another saved network, such as a phone hotspot. See [Mac joins the wrong Wi-Fi network](https://kilobat.app/guides/mac-joins-wrong-wifi).

## How to check

1. Write down the time of each drop for one day.
2. Open Terminal. Show the current network, signal, noise and channel.

   ```
   wdutil info
   ```
3. Look at the RSSI and Noise values. A signal close to −75 dBm is weak.
4. Turn on Wi-Fi logging. Enter your administrator password when Terminal asks.

   ```
   sudo wdutil log +wifi
   ```

   Needs an administrator password.
5. After the next drop, save the temporary Wi-Fi log to a file in /tmp.

   ```
   sudo wdutil dump
   ```

   Needs an administrator password.
6. Turn the extra logging off again.

   ```
   sudo wdutil log -wifi
   ```

   Needs an administrator password.
7. To see the times of disassociation events from the system log, run this command.

   ```
   log show --last 1h --style compact --predicate 'process == "airportd" AND eventMessage CONTAINS[c] "disassoc"'
   ```

   Output Use the times only. The messages are written for Apple engineers.
8. Hold the Option key and click the Wi-Fi icon. Choose Open Wireless Diagnostics.
9. Follow the onscreen steps. The report is saved in `/var/tmp`.
10. Compare the drop times with the times when you used a hub, a microwave oven or a call.

## How to fix it

1. Install all macOS updates. Choose Apple menu > System Settings > General > Software Update.
2. If you manage the router, install its latest firmware. Apple recommends automatic updates.
3. Give the router one network name for all bands. Use WPA3 Personal or WPA2/WPA3 Transitional security.
4. Set the 2.4 GHz channel width to 20 MHz. Set 5 GHz and 6 GHz to Auto.
5. If you have several routers or nodes, give each one the same settings. Use different channels for nodes that are near each other.
6. Join a 5 GHz or 6 GHz network if the drops come with interference. See [2.4 GHz, 5 GHz and 6 GHz Wi-Fi on a Mac](https://kilobat.app/guides/wifi-bands-2-4-5-6-ghz).
7. Update VPN, firewall and security apps. Turn them off for a test, if your administrator lets you.
8. Forget the network and join it again. In System Settings > Wi-Fi, click Details, then click Forget This Network.
9. If you use a private Wi-Fi address, try Fixed instead of Rotating. Apple says Rotating changes the address every two weeks.
10. If the drops happen only after sleep, see [Mac Wi-Fi disconnects after sleep](https://kilobat.app/guides/wifi-disconnects-after-sleep).

The exact menus for your router, from FRITZ!Box and Xfinity to eero and Livebox: [router guides](https://kilobat.app/routers).

## With Kilobat

1. The Kilobat app records each drop while it runs. Show the events from Terminal.

   ```
   kilobat outages
   ```

   Output Each event has a start, an end and a kind, such as `Unreachable` or `Wi-Fi roam`.
2. A `Wi-Fi roam` event names the old and new access point. Many roams point to a mesh or roaming problem.
3. Show the router, internet and DNS checks over the last day.

   ```
   kilobat health-history --hours 24
   ```
4. If the router check fails at the same time as the internet check, the problem is on the Wi-Fi side.
5. Show the band, channel, signal, noise and link rate now.

   ```
   kilobat wifi
   ```
6. A gap in the history means that the app did not run. It does not prove that the connection worked.
7. The CLI is free. Outage history in the app is part of Kilobat Pro.

## Questions

**Does the Mac drop Wi-Fi because of a macOS bug?**

Sometimes an update fixes a Wi-Fi problem. Apple does not publish a list of these problems, so install updates and test again. See [Wi-Fi stopped working after a macOS update](https://kilobat.app/guides/wifi-broken-after-macos-update).

**Do other devices staying online prove that the Mac is at fault?**

No. Devices roam, scan and save power in different ways. A router setting can affect one kind of device more than another.

## Sources

- [Apple Support: Recommended settings for Wi-Fi routers and access points](https://support.apple.com/en-us/102766)
- [Apple Support: If your Mac isn't connecting to the internet over Wi-Fi](https://support.apple.com/en-us/101588)
- [Apple Support: Use Wireless Diagnostics on your Mac](https://support.apple.com/guide/mac-help/mchlf4de377f/mac)
- [Apple Support: Resolve Wi-Fi and Bluetooth issues caused by wireless interference](https://support.apple.com/en-us/102319)
- [Apple Platform Deployment: Wi-Fi roaming support in Apple devices](https://support.apple.com/guide/deployment/wi-fi-roaming-support-dep98f116c0f/web)
- [Apple Support: Use private Wi-Fi addresses on Apple devices](https://support.apple.com/en-us/102509)
- wdutil(8) and log(1), man page installed with macOS 27.2

Checked on 7 November 2026.

## Related guides

- [Mac Wi-Fi disconnects after sleep](https://kilobat.app/guides/wifi-disconnects-after-sleep): After sleep, the Mac must join the Wi-Fi network again.
- [Mac drops Wi-Fi or sticks to a far node on mesh Wi-Fi](https://kilobat.app/guides/mac-mesh-wifi-roaming): A Mac decides itself when to move to another mesh node.
- [Wi-Fi drops when a USB-C hub, USB 3 drive or monitor is plugged in](https://kilobat.app/guides/usb-c-hub-wifi-interference): USB 3 data makes radio noise in the 2.4 GHz band.
- [Use Wireless Diagnostics and wdutil on a Mac](https://kilobat.app/guides/wireless-diagnostics-mac): Wireless Diagnostics is a Wi-Fi tool that comes with macOS.
- [Weak Wi-Fi signal on a Mac](https://kilobat.app/guides/weak-wifi-signal-mac): Signal strength and noise decide how fast and how stable the Wi-Fi link is.
- [Wi-Fi stopped working after a macOS update](https://kilobat.app/guides/wifi-broken-after-macos-update): After a macOS update, Wi-Fi can fail to join, drop often, or join but carry no traffic.