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) - see the captive portal guide
• 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. Work through the Mac won't connect guide instead.

What Problems Forgetting Actually Fixes

Problem	Why Forgetting Helps	Likelihood It Fixes It
Captive portal never appears	Clears the "trusted network" flag so portal detection runs again	High
"Incorrect password" with the right password	Removes stale stored credentials and security type	High
Connected but no internet (one network only)	Rebuilds the profile and triggers fresh DHCP	Medium
Drops only on one specific network	Replaces a corrupted per-network profile	Medium
Slow speeds everywhere	Profile is not the cause - see the slow WiFi guide	Low

How to Forget a Network on Mac (Ventura, Sonoma, Sequoia)

1. Click the WiFi icon in the menu bar (top right of screen).
2. Click Wi-Fi Settings (or System Settings → Wi-Fi).
3. Find the network you want to forget. Click the information icon (i) or Details… button next to it. Networks you have joined before but are not in range appear under Known Networks - click the … menu beside them.
4. Click Forget This Network (or Remove From List).
5. Confirm when prompted.
6. The network disappears from your saved list. Rejoin it by clicking the name and entering the password.

On macOS Monterey and Earlier (System Preferences)

1. Apple menu → System Preferences → Network.
2. Select Wi-Fi in the left sidebar, then click Advanced….
3. In the Preferred Networks list, select the network and click the minus (-) button.
4. Click OK, then Apply.

From Terminal (Any macOS Version)

1. List your saved networks: networksetup -listpreferredwirelessnetworks en0. (If Wi-Fi is not en0 on your Mac, find the right device with networksetup -listallhardwareports.)
2. Remove the one you want to forget: sudo networksetup -removepreferredwirelessnetwork en0 "Network Name" - keep the quotes if the name contains spaces.
3. Toggle WiFi to apply cleanly: networksetup -setairportpower en0 off, wait a few seconds, then networksetup -setairportpower en0 on.

If Forgetting Alone Doesn't Fix It

1. Delete the Keychain entry too - Open Keychain Access (Spotlight: Cmd+Space, type "Keychain Access"), search for the network name, and delete the AirPort/Wi-Fi password item. iCloud Keychain can otherwise re-sync the old password back.
2. Flush DNS before rejoining - In Terminal: sudo dscacheutil -flushcache; sudo killall -HUP mDNSResponder.
3. Rejoin and verify you got an address - After connecting, run ipconfig getifaddr en0; it should print an IP like 192.168.x.x.
4. Still broken on this one network? - Continue with the full won't-connect checklist, which escalates to preference-file resets and a new network location.

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. Once you are through the portal, follow the public WiFi + VPN workflow before doing anything sensitive on the shared network.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does forgetting a WiFi network on Mac delete the password?

Yes. Forgetting removes the saved profile and the stored password, so you will need to type the password again when you rejoin. If the network also lives in your iCloud Keychain, the removal syncs to your other Apple devices. Make sure you know the password before forgetting a network you still need.

How do I forget a WiFi network on older macOS versions?

On macOS Monterey and earlier, open System Preferences, click Network, select Wi-Fi, click Advanced, highlight the network in the Preferred Networks list, and click the minus button, then Apply. On Ventura, Sonoma, and Sequoia the same action lives in System Settings under Wi-Fi - click the info or details button next to the network and choose Forget This Network.

Will forgetting a network fix 'connected but no internet' on a Mac?

Often, yes - especially on captive portal networks where a stale profile makes macOS skip the login screen, or where saved security settings no longer match the router. Forgetting wipes that state so the next join starts clean. If the problem affects every network rather than one, the fault is system-wide and forgetting a single network will not help.

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