“The network connection was lost.” on Mac

Symptoms

• An app or Safari shows “The network connection was lost.”
• A download stops in the middle.
• It happens after the Mac wakes, or when you move between rooms.

Likely causes

• Wi-Fi dropped or roamed. A short drop or a move to another access point closes open connections.
• Sleep. Connections that were open before sleep can close.
• A VPN reconnected. When a VPN reconnects, the connections through it close.
• The network changed. The Mac joined another network, or its address changed.
• The server or a proxy closed it. Apple's documentation says that a client or server connection was cut during a load.

How to check

1. Note when the error appears. Compare it with sleep, a VPN or a move to another room.

2. Show the recent sleep and wake events.

   pmset -g log | grep -E ' (Sleep|Wake|DarkWake) ' | tail -20

3. Ping the router for one minute. Lost replies show Wi-Fi drops.

   ping -c 60 192.168.1.1

4. Try the same task on Ethernet or on another network.

How to fix it

1. Try again. Most apps can resume after one lost connection.

2. If Wi-Fi drops, move closer to the router or use Ethernet. See Weak Wi-Fi signal on a Mac.

3. If it happens after sleep, read Mac Wi-Fi disconnects after sleep.

4. For a long download, keep the Mac awake. See Mac sleep stops downloads.

5. If a VPN reconnects often, update it or ask its provider.

With Kilobat

Questions

Sources

• Error text in CFNetwork.framework, macOS 27.2 (Localizable.loctable)
• Apple Developer: URLError.Code networkConnectionLost (-1005)
• pmset(1) and ping(8), man page installed with macOS 27.2
• Apple Support: If your Mac isn't connecting to the internet over Wi-Fi

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

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