---
title: "The request timed out (-1001) on Mac: find the slow layer · Kilobat Guides"
url: "https://kilobat.app/guides/request-timed-out.html"
description: "An app on your Mac says The request timed out. Find whether the network, DNS, a proxy, IPv6 or the server is slow, and fix that layer."
---

Error messages

# “The request timed out.” on Mac

This is the macOS text for error -1001. The app waited for an answer, and the time ran out. Something in the path is slow or drops traffic.

Applies to: All current macOS versions. `networkQuality` needs macOS 12 or later. The text was checked on macOS 27.2. · Checked: 29 October 2026

## Symptoms

- An app shows “The request timed out.”
- The app may show `NSURLErrorDomain` and `-1001`.
- It happens on one network, or with a VPN on.

## Likely causes

- **A slow or lossy connection.** Weak Wi-Fi, a busy hotspot or packet loss delay the answer.
- **A broken IPv6 path.** The app tries IPv6 first, and IPv6 does not work.
- **A firewall that drops traffic.** A firewall that drops traffic, instead of refusing it, causes a timeout.
- **A proxy or VPN.** A slow or unreachable proxy holds the request.
- **A slow server.** If every network fails, the server answers too slowly.

## How to check

1. Measure the connection and its responsiveness.

   ```
   networkQuality
   ```
2. Ping an address on the internet. This test does not use DNS.

   ```
   ping -c 5 1.1.1.1
   ```
3. Time each step of one request. Use the address that the app uses.

   ```
   curl -o /dev/null -s -w 'dns %{time_namelookup}  connect %{time_connect}  tls %{time_appconnect}  total %{time_total}\n' https://example.com
   ```
4. Try IPv4 only. If this is fast, the IPv6 path is the problem.

   ```
   curl -4 -I https://example.com
   ```
5. Show the system proxy settings.

   ```
   scutil --proxy
   ```

## How to fix it

1. Move closer to the router, or use Ethernet.
2. Pause large uploads and downloads on the Mac. See [Find which app uses your bandwidth on a Mac](https://kilobat.app/guides/which-app-uses-bandwidth.html).
3. If IPv4 works and IPv6 does not, read [IPv6 problems on a Mac](https://kilobat.app/guides/ipv6-problems-mac.html).
4. If a proxy is set that you do not use, remove it. See [Proxy settings stop apps from connecting on a Mac](https://kilobat.app/guides/proxy-settings-breaking-apps.html).
5. If a VPN, proxy or security app is on, turn it off for a short test. Turn it on again after the test.

## With Kilobat

1. Kilobat's connection doctor tests the site layer by layer: network, proxy, DNS, rules, IPv4, IPv6, TLS and the server. It names the layer that failed.

   ```
   kilobat why https://example.com
   ```
2. Show DNS, connect, TLS and first-byte times for one URL.

   ```
   kilobat http-check https://example.com
   ```
3. 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](https://kilobat.app/guides/recipes/why-cant-it-connect.html).

## Questions

**What is NSURLErrorDomain -1001?**

It is the timedOut error of Apple's URL Loading System. Apple describes it as an asynchronous operation that timed out.

## Sources

- Error text in CFNetwork.framework, macOS 27.2 (Localizable.loctable)
- [Apple Developer: URLError.Code timedOut (-1001)](https://developer.apple.com/documentation/foundation/urlerror/code/timedout)
- [Apple Support: Test Wi-Fi networks with Apple Network Responsiveness](https://support.apple.com/en-us/101942)
- curl(1), ping(8) and networkQuality(8), man page installed with macOS 27.2

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

## Related guides

- [Slow internet on a Mac: find which part is slow](https://kilobat.app/guides/slow-internet-mac-cause.html): A slow connection has many possible causes.
- [IPv6 problems on a Mac](https://kilobat.app/guides/ipv6-problems-mac.html): Most networks give a Mac both IPv4 and IPv6 addresses.
- [Proxy settings stop apps from connecting on a Mac](https://kilobat.app/guides/proxy-settings-breaking-apps.html): A proxy setting sends traffic through another server.
- [Test for packet loss on a Mac with ping](https://kilobat.app/guides/packet-loss-mac.html): Packet loss makes calls break up and pages stall.
- [ERR_CONNECTION_TIMED_OUT in Chrome on Mac](https://kilobat.app/guides/err-connection-timed-out.html): Chromium describes this error as: “A connection attempt timed out.” Chrome found the address, but the server did not answer in time.