--- title: "VM has no internet on Mac: UTM, Parallels and VMware network modes · Kilobat Guides" url: "https://kilobat.app/guides/vm-no-internet-mac" description: "A virtual machine in UTM, Parallels Desktop or VMware Fusion has no internet while the Mac does. Check the network mode, VPN and filters." --- # UTM, Parallels or VMware virtual machine has no internet on Mac A virtual machine reaches the internet through a mode that the VM app sets up on the Mac. Shared or NAT mode goes through the Mac. Bridged mode puts the VM on your network as another computer. **Fix this with your agent**Copies a prompt for Claude Code, Codex or any agent that can use Terminal. My Mac has this problem: UTM, Parallels or VMware virtual machine has no internet on Mac. Read https://kilobat.app/guides/vm-no-internet-mac.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: UTM, Parallels Desktop and VMware Fusion on macOS 14 Sonoma and later. · Checked: 7 November 2026 ## Symptoms - The Mac has internet, but the guest system does not. - The guest has an IP address, but websites do not load. - The guest gets no IP address, or a wrong one, in bridged mode. - The VM worked before you turned on a VPN on the Mac. - The VM stopped working after a macOS update or a VM app update. ## Likely causes - **Bridged mode on Wi-Fi.** UTM says that bridging with a Wi-Fi interface may need additional configuration. Parallels says that bridged problems can come from the local network. - **A mode without internet.** UTM's Host Only mode blocks WAN traffic, so the guest cannot reach the internet. VMware's Host-only mode connects the VM to the Mac only. - **A VPN or a security app on the Mac.** Apple says that VPN and other network-monitoring software can affect internet access. VM traffic also goes through that software. - **A firewall rule for the VM app.** To a firewall app on the Mac, the VM's traffic comes from the VM app's process. A block rule for that app also blocks the guest. - **The guest system's own settings.** The guest can have a wrong DNS server, a firewall, or a network card that needs a driver in the guest. ## How to check 1. Make sure that the Mac itself has internet. 2. Open the VM's settings. Find the network mode, such as Shared Network, Bridged or Host Only. 3. In the guest, show the IP address and the gateway. Use `ip addr` on Linux or `ipconfig` on Windows. 4. In the guest, ping the gateway. Then ping a public address, such as 1.1.1.1. 5. In the guest, look up a name, such as example.com. If the ping works but the name fails, the problem is DNS. 6. On the Mac, list the VPN configurations and their state. ``` scutil --nc list ``` 7. Choose Apple menu > System Settings > General > Login Items & Extensions. Click the Info button for Network Extensions. ## How to fix it 1. Set the VM to the shared mode. In UTM, choose Shared Network. In Parallels, choose Shared Network. In VMware Fusion, choose the NAT mode, Share with my Mac. 2. Restart the guest system after you change the mode. 3. If you need bridged mode, bridge to Ethernet, not Wi-Fi. 4. In UTM, if shared mode fails, try Emulated VLAN. UTM runs this network in its own process. 5. Turn off the VPN on the Mac for a test. If the VM then works, read the VPN maker's settings for local or shared traffic. 6. Update the VM app and macOS. Install the guest tools that the VM app supplies. 7. If the guest has an IP address but no internet, check the guest's DNS and firewall settings. ## With Kilobat 1. Kilobat's checks run on the Mac. Use `--context vm` when the failing code runs in a VM. The report then ends with a command to run in the guest. ``` kilobat why example.com --context vm ``` 2. Kilobat counts the VM's traffic under the VM app's process. Look at that app's rule in the active profile. ``` kilobat rules ``` 3. If the VM app has a block rule, remove it with `kilobat reset` and the app's bundle ID. 4. Check if a VPN on the Mac changes DNS or routes. ``` kilobat vpn ``` ## Questions **Which mode should I use?** UTM recommends Shared Network for new virtual machines. Parallels suggests Shared Network when bridged mode has no internet. **Does the VM app need Local Network permission?** Apple's local network privacy rules apply to apps, but Apple does not describe how they apply to guest traffic. If the guest cannot reach local devices, check the VM app in System Settings > Privacy & Security > Local Network. **Why can some apps not offer bridged mode with Apple's Virtualization framework?** Apple says that bridged network devices need a restricted entitlement for virtualization software. NAT devices do not need it. ## Sources - [UTM Documentation: Network (QEMU)](https://docs.getutm.app/settings-qemu/devices/network/network) - [UTM Documentation: Network (Apple Virtualization)](https://docs.getutm.app/settings-apple/devices/network/) - [Parallels KB: Internet connection issues in Bridged mode](https://kb.parallels.com/124804) - [Broadcom KB: Understanding networking types in VMware Fusion](https://knowledge.broadcom.com/external/article/303393) - [Apple Developer: VZNATNetworkDeviceAttachment](https://developer.apple.com/documentation/virtualization/vznatnetworkdeviceattachment) - [Apple Developer: VZBridgedNetworkDeviceAttachment](https://developer.apple.com/documentation/virtualization/vzbridgednetworkdeviceattachment) - [Apple Developer: TN3179 Understanding local network privacy](https://developer.apple.com/documentation/technotes/tn3179-understanding-local-network-privacy) - [Apple Support: Change Login Items & Extensions settings on Mac](https://support.apple.com/guide/mac-help/mchlbcf0dfe2/mac) - [Apple Support: If your Mac isn't connecting to the internet over Wi-Fi](https://support.apple.com/en-us/101588) - scutil(8), man page installed with macOS 27.2 Checked on 7 November 2026. ## Related guides - [Cannot reach a Docker container from the Mac](https://kilobat.app/guides/docker-container-from-mac): Docker on a Mac runs containers in a Linux virtual machine. - [An app cannot find devices on the local network](https://kilobat.app/guides/local-network-permission): macOS 15 Sequoia and later ask before an app connects to devices on your local network. - [VPN connected but no internet on a Mac](https://kilobat.app/guides/vpn-connected-no-internet): A VPN sends traffic through a tunnel. - [A content filter blocks websites on a Mac](https://kilobat.app/guides/content-filter-blocking): A content filter examines web traffic and blocks some sites. - [The macOS firewall blocks incoming connections](https://kilobat.app/guides/macos-firewall-incoming): The macOS firewall controls connections that other computers start to your Mac.