How to Forget and Rejoin a WiFi Network on Mac
Forgetting a WiFi network removes the saved password and all connection profile data. This forces Mac to treat the network as completely new on the next join, which resolves a range of issues including captive portal failures, wrong password errors, and corrupted network settings.
When to Forget a Network
- Captive portal is not appearing (cafe or hotel WiFi)
- Mac connects but has no internet access
- Password was changed and Mac keeps failing to authenticate
- Network shows a security warning or wrong security type
- Connection keeps dropping on a specific network
When NOT to Forget a Network
- You do not know the password - forgetting removes it and you will need to re-enter it
- The problem is affecting all networks, not just one - this is a system-level issue
How to Forget a Network on Mac
- Click the WiFi icon in the menu bar (top right of screen).
- Click Wi-Fi Settings (or System Settings → Wi-Fi on macOS Ventura and later).
- Find the network you want to forget. Click the information icon (i) next to it.
- Click Forget This Network.
- Confirm when prompted.
- The network disappears from your saved list. Rejoin it by clicking the name and entering the password.
After Rejoining - Captive Portal Networks
When rejoining a captive portal network (hotel, cafe, airport), make sure your VPN is disconnected before you rejoin. After the network is selected and a connection established, wait 5-10 seconds for the captive portal popup to appear. If it does not, open Safari and visit http://neverssl.com to trigger it manually.