Students, teachers, and those who work for an educational institution can save money on a new Mac, MacBook, or iPad by shopping at the Apple Education Store, which offers discounts all year round.

In this article, we will explain how much the Apple education discount is and who qualifies for an Apple student discount, before explaining how to get an Apple student discount at the Apple Education Store. Click the link below to go to Apple’s education storefront in your country:

• Apple’s U.S. Education Store
• Apple’s U.K. Education Store (in the UK you will need to verify your student status via UNiDAYS).
• Apple’s Canada Education Store
• Apple’s Australian Education Store

What products does Apple discount for students?

The discounts are only available for iPads, MacBooks and Macs.

Education discounts are not available on the iPhone, Apple TV, Apple Watch, HomePods, accessories, or software.

AirPods don’t get a student discount either, but Apple has been known to give away AirPods as part of a student-focused deal during the back-to-school buying season. Apple’s Back To School offer runs between June and October each year in the northern hemisphere, and between January and March in the southern hemisphere. Apple’s promotion is currently running in the U.S. where it is giving away vouchers, but in previous years, and in January 2023 in Australia, the company gave away AirPods to registered students purchasing a Mac or iPad.

Students can also get Apple Music for half price with free Apple TV+ included.

How much is the Apple student discount?

Apple doesn’t offer a single, universal discount to students. It sets different prices for each product range.

Students can save up to $200/£220 on Macs and up to $50/£60 on iPads.

Here’s how the iPad MSRP compares to the student price:

Here’s how the Mac MSRP compares to the student price:

MacBook student discounts

Below are the discounts on the base model Macs, there are bigger discounts on the more expensive models.

How much can students save on the 13-inch MacBook Air, M2?

MSRP: $1,099 / £1,149 / AU$1,799 / CA$1,449
Student: $999 / £1,049 / AU$1,649 / CA$1,299

Students save: $100 / £100 / AU$150 / CA$150

How much can students save on the 15-inch MacBook Air, M2?

MSRP: $1,299 / £1,399 / AU$2,199 / CA$1,749
Student: $1,199 / £1,289 / AU$1,999 / CA$1,599

Students save: $100 / £110 / AU$200 / CA$150

How much can students save on the 13-inch MacBook Pro, M2?

MSRP: $1,299 / £1,349 / AU$1,999 / CA$1,699
Student: $1,199 / £1,249 / AU$1,849 / CA$1,574

Students save: $100 / £150 / AU$150 / CA$125

How much can students save on the 14-inch MacBook Pro, M2 Pro?

MSRP: $1,999 / £2,149 / AU$3,199 / CA$2,599
Student: $1,849 / £1,989 / AU$2,959 / CA$2,399

Students save: $150 / £160 / AU$240 / CA$200

How much can students save on the 13-inch MacBook Air, M1?

MSRP: $999 / £999 / AU$1,499 / CA$1,299
Student: $899 / £899 /AU$1,349 / CA$1,169

Students save: $100 / £100 / AU$150 / CA$130

How much can students save on the Mac mini, M2?

MSRP: $599 / £649 / AU$999 / CA$799
Student: $499 / £539 / AU$829 / CA$669

Students save: $100 / £110 / AU$170 / CA$130

How much can students save on the iMac?

MSRP: $1,299 / £1,399 / AU$1,999 / CA$1,699
Student discount: $1,249 / £1,349 / AU$1,919 / CA$1,629

Students save: $50 / £210 / AU$330 / CA$270

Get the student discount at:

Apple’s U.S. Education Store
Apple’s U.K. Education Store (in the UK you will need to verify your student status via UNiDAYS).
Apple’s Canada Education Store
Apple’s Australian Education Store

You may be able to get better discounts if you shop elsewhere. We round up the best MacBook Pro deals, the best MacBook Air deals, the best iMac deals, and the best Mac mini deals.

We also have a guide to the best Mac for students that you might find useful.

iPad student discounts

Apple

Below are the discounts on the base model iPads, there are bigger discounts on the more expensive models.

How much can students save on the 9th gen iPad?

MSRP: $329 / £369 / AU$549 / CA$449
Students: $309 / £349 / AU$519 / CA$419

Students save: $20 / £20 / AU$30 / CA$30

How much can students save on the iPad mini?

MSRP: $499 / £569 / AU$829 / CA$679
Students: $449 / £509 / AU$749 / CA $609

Students save: $50 / £60 / AU$80 / CA$70

How much can students save on the 10th gen iPad?

MSRP: $449 / £499 / AU$749 / CA$599
Students; $419 / £469 / AU$699 / CA$559

Students save: $30 / £30 / AU$50 / CA$40

Get the student discount at:

Apple’s U.S. Education Store
Apple’s U.K. Education Store (in the UK you will need to verify your student status via UNiDAYS).
Apple’s Canada Education Store
Apple’s Australian Education Store

You may find a better deal or discount if you check out our deals round-ups: best iPad Air deals, best iPad mini deals, best iPad 10.2in deals, and the best iPad Pro deals.

If you’re thinking of buying an iPad for college or university you also might like to read our guide to the Best iPad for students.

Who can get an Apple student discount?

Now we have told you how much you can save, the big question is whether you can save anything at all. Do you qualify for Apple’s student discounts?

In order to shop at Apple’s Education Stores and take advantage of the lower prices you need to qualify as a student or work in an education institution.

If you were hoping that you could get a discount for the Mac you want to buy your 13-year-old the bad news is that you can’t, unless you are employed by the school and buying for the institution, or you are a home educator. Students in high school don’t qualify for this discount.

There are three types of people who can qualify for a student discount:

• Students in higher education (post-secondary education, e.g. university, college).
• People who are buying for education institutions.
• Parents of higher education students buying on their behalf.
• Home-based educators.

Apple spells this out in more detail in its terms and conditions.

For the U.S. these state that the following groups are “eligible to purchase from the Apple Store for Education:”

• K-12 staff: Any employee of a public or private K-12 institution in the United States is eligible, including homeschool teachers (this doesn’t include people educating their children during lockdowns). In addition, school board members who are currently serving as elected or appointed members are eligible. PTA or PTO executives currently serving as elected or appointed officers are eligible.
• Higher education staff and students: Faculty and staff of higher educational institutions in the U.S.; and students attending, or accepted into a higher educational institution in the U.S. are eligible to purchase. Purchases from the Apple Store for Education Individuals are not for institutional purchase or resale.
• Higher education parents: Parents purchasing on behalf of their child, who is a student currently attending or accepted into a public or private higher educational institution in the U.S. are eligible to purchase.

Apple has a similar set of terms and conditions for eligibility in the U.K.:

• Employees of any education institution: Any employee of a public or private education institution in the U.K.
• Post-secondary education students: Students attending or accepted into a post-secondary education institution in the U.K.
• Parents of post-secondary students: Parents purchasing on behalf of their child, who is a student currently attending or accepted into a public or private post-secondary education institution in the U.K.

If you’re attending higher education, or have been accepted into a higher education/post-secondary institution, you qualify for an Apple discount. (In the U.K. post-secondary means university, or any other formal education that takes place after secondary education is complete. Therefore, this excludes sixth-form colleges, although it may be worth inquiring at an Apple Store to see if the company is prepared to relax the rules.)

Parents of post-secondary/higher education students do not qualify when buying for themselves, but they can pick up a discounted Mac for their child from the education store.

Anybody who works in an educational environment qualifies for a discount on certain Apple products. It’s not just limited to teachers and lecturers but also covers administrative workers and other staff members. Essentially, it’s anybody who works at or for a school, college, or university. (This is not limited to post-secondary institutions. Apple refers to “any education institution.”)

This does mean that you can’t get a discount for a Mac or iPad for your child who is currently at school, although the school could make the purchase and provide the equipment for students.

If you don’t qualify for an Apple Education Store discount, we’d recommend instead checking out the Apple Refurbished Store, which offers discounts for everyone. You can’t apply a student discount in Apple’s Refurbished Store. We also recommend that you check our round-ups of the latest and best Apple deals we find at various Apple resellers.

How many products can I buy?

According to this Sales Policy document on the U.S. Apple site and the same on the U.K. Apple Education site, students can purchase the following with education pricing:

• Desktop Mac: One may be purchased per year
• Laptop Mac: One may be purchased per year
• iPad: Two may be purchased per year
• Accessories: Two accessories with Education Pricing may be purchased per year

How to get a student discount at Apple

Having established that you qualify for an education discount, how can you get money off at Apple?

You may think that all you need to do is visit the Apple Store for Education and you will find the products you want at a lower price. However, before you can access Apple’s Education Store you will need to verify that you are a student or that you qualify in another way (e.g. you work in a school or college). Different countries have different sequences of steps to go through, which we will run through below. 

How to get an Apple student discount in the U.S.

If you are a student in the U.S. it is quite easy to get an Education discount at the U.S. Apple Store–in fact, a loophole may mean it is possible to get a student discount without any proof that you are a student. If you are a student you should follow these steps:

1. Visit Apple’s U.S. Education Store.
2. Choose the Mac or iPad you want and click on your selection.
3. Once you have customized your Apple product, click Continue.
4. Enter your delivery details and check out.
5. Beware that Apple can request to see evidence that you are a student at any point during or after the purchase and will charge an additional fee if you fail to provide it.

If you have any problems, we recommend you get your student status verified with UNiDAYS or log on from your university network. Make sure you have quick access to some form of official identification that proves you qualify for the education discount. Your student ID is a good choice.

In January 2022, Apple changed the U.S. Education Discount Store to require validation from UNiDAYS before students can get a discount, but it then removed the requirement. Apple could re-implement this validation step that students in other countries have to go through. If it does it may still be possible for non-students in the U.S. to avoid the validation step, as per this Reddit post.

Canadian students can follow the same steps as the U.S. Start shopping at Apple’s Canada Education Store.

How to get an Apple student discount in the U.K.

U.K. students will need to register with UNiDAYS before they can get a discount from the Apple Education Store.

1. Visit Apple’s U.K. Education Store to access the Apple Education site.
2. Once there you’ll be encouraged to sign up on the student discount website UNiDAYS. You can also use the alternative service Student Beans to register for Apple’s educational discounts.
3. On whichever site you use, you’ll need to provide your email address and a password, your name, institution, subject of study, years of study, and course length.
4. Once you have completed the registration process and signed in you will be able to access Apple’s student discounts.

If you don’t want to register via a verification site, you can also call Apple, use Apple’s Chat online feature, or visit an Apple Store. The staff there will guide you through the process.

How to get an Apple student discount in Australia

1. Visit Apple’s Australian Education Store.
2. It’s usually best to log on from your university network if you can.
3. You will also want to make sure you have quick access to some form of official identification that proves you qualify for the education discount. Your student ID is a good choice.
4. However, you may find you don’t actually require any sort of login or ID to order from the Apple Education Store–but beware that Apple can request to see evidence that you are a student at any point during or after the purchase and will charge an additional fee if you fail to provide it.

How to buy Apple products for an education institution

If you have been tasked with buying new Macs or iPads for a school, college, or university then Apple has a different store for you. This store is designed for those who are buying a Mac for an educational institution (for students to work on rather than for individual students to own).

1. You should visit the U.S. Apple Store for Education Institutions, the U.K. Apple Store for Education Institutions, or the Australian equivalent.
2. You’ll need to search for your Educational Institution: enter your institution’s details and click on search. 
3. If your institution is found you will be able to sign in to access your institution’s store.
4. You may still need to register before you can use the store.
5. If your school, college, or other institution isn’t found then you may need to call Apple to discuss registering your school.

How to get a student discount for Apple Music and Apple TV+

Apple’s student membership scheme for Apple Music offers those in full-time education a 50 percent subscription discount and this deal is better than ever right now because the Student Apple Music deal also includes Apple TV+ for a limited time (normally $6.99/£6.99 per month). If you are a student, here’s how to get Apple Music for half price.

Apple regularly offers three months free for new subscribers to Apple Music, so you might want to take that up first. Get three months free here or read How to get Apple Music for free.

The student discount brings the monthly cost of Apple Music membership down from $10.99/£10.99 to $5.99/£5.99, with identical schemes in Ireland, the U.S., Australia, New Zealand, Germany, and Denmark, each offering half off the usual price. And with Apple TV+ bundled in for free, it’s a great deal!

To qualify for the student discount, you’ll need to prove that you’re enrolled at an eligible university or college.

The Student Membership tier is the third membership tier Apple has offered to consumers, alongside Individual Membership ($10.99/£10.99 per month) and Family Membership ($16.99/£16.99). Visit Apple’s site for more details and to sign up.

If you’re a student and signing up for Apple Music on your iPhone or iPad, tap where it says “Are you a University Student?” and you’ll be directed to a verification system. If your college or university is eligible you’ll get a reduced subscription rate. Read our guide to Apple Music.

Apple Inc, Internet

When Apple introduced the Mac Studio in March 2022 we were impressed by its processing power and excellent value combined. Now the Mac Studio has been updated with Apple’s M2 Max and M2 Ultra chips it is still a superb deal for content creators of any level, but Apple’s offering has changed over the months since the original Mac Studio launched. Now the Mac Studio has competition from an M2 Pro Mac mini on one side and the M2 Ultra Mac Pro on the other.

As long as you don’t need the expansion options of the Mac Pro, the M2 Ultra Mac Studio, which shares the same specs as the Mac Pro, will meet the needs of all but the most demanding creative. But not everyone needs all the power of a Mac Studio with M2 Ultra, and some don’t even need the power of the M2 Max, for those the M2 Pro Mac mini could be more than sufficient.

In this article, we are concerned with how the M2 Pro Mac mini compares with the M2 Max Mac mini. We will discuss the Mac Pro vs the M2 Ultra Mac Studio elsewhere.

Mac Studio vs Mac mini M2 Pro: Price

In January 2023, Apple introduced the M2 Pro Mac mini. This Mac filled a gap in Apple’s lineup: while the MacBook Pro offered an M1 Pro and now the M2 Pro chip, there was no desktop Mac with such a chip, until the arrival of this Mac mini. Starting at $1,299/£1,399 the Mac mini with M2 Pro is also a lot cheaper than the equivalent MacBook Pro at $1,999/£2,149 (that leaves plenty to buy a nice monitor to use with your Mac).

How does the price of the Mac mini M2 Pro compare with the Mac Studio though? Starting at $1,999/£2,099 the Mac Studio costs $700/£700 more than the Mac mini with M2 Pro, which is quite a leap, but you do get a 30-core GPU in the Mac Studio, while the M2 Pro Mac mini only offers a 16-core GPU as standard.

For another $300 you can get a 19-core GPU option for the Mac mini. In that case, the 10-core CPU in the Mac mini is updated to a 12-core CPU, which is identical to the 12-core CPU in the M2 Max Mac Studio. So you can match the CPU in the Mac Studio in a $1,599 Mac mini, which might be an option to consider if you don’t need the extra GPU cores. If you add 32GB unified memory to that Mac mini to match that of the Mac Studio then you almost have the same Mac, bar the GPU cores, for the same price of $1,999/£2,099.

Incidentally, the M2 Max MacBook Pro starts at $2,899 (that’s a build-to-order option) making the Mac Studio, at almost $1,000 less, look even more attractive.

The Mac mini M2 Pro also represents a bargain when compared to a similarly specced MacBook Pro. The M2 Pro Mac mini with a 10-core CPU and 16-Core GPU costs $1,299/£1,399 compared to the $1,999/£2,149 14-inch MacBook Pro with the same chip. We understand that these are very different machines, but it illustrates just how much you can save by buying one of Apple’s desktop Macs. The Mac mini and Mac Studio are the most cost-effective way to get Apple’s most powerful processors.

Comparing desktops, let’s take a closer look at what you get for your money:

• Mac Studio: M2 Max (12-core CPU, 30-core GPU), 32GB unified memory, 512GB SSD, $1,999/£2,099
• Mac mini: M2 Pro (10-core CPU, 16-core GPU), 16GB unified memory, 512GB SSD, $1,299/£1,399
• Build-to-order Mac mini: M2 Pro (12-core CPU, 19-core GPU), 32GB unified memory, 512GB SSD, $1,999/£2,099

If you are going to buy either Mac take a look at our round-up of the best Mac mini deals and the best Mac Studio deals.

Apple Mac mini (M2 Pro, 2023)

Read our review

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Apple Mac Studio (M2 Max, 2023)

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Mac Studio vs Mac mini M2 Pro: Design

The Mac Studio takes its design inspiration from the Mac mini. Both Macs are silver (there is no Space Gray version) and feature a big Apple logo on top. The Mac Studio measures 7.7 inches square, the same as the Mac mini, but it’s 3.7 inches tall, nearly three times the height of the Mac mini.

That extra space inside the Mac Studio means it benefits from a more efficient cooling system. The Mac Studio also offers a handy collection of ports on the front, including two USB-C ports and an SDXC card slot.

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Mac Studio vs Mac mini M2 Pro: Specs

When considering the CPU cores there isn’t a huge leap between the M2 Pro and M2 Max: the exact same CPU is available for both. However the standard Mac mini M2 Pro ships with a 10-core CPU, compared to the 12-core CPU in the Mac Studio with M2 Max. As we said above when discussing the price, you can opt for the 12-core CPU M2 Pro at the point of sale if you want that in your Mac mini.

There are two key differences between the two models. One is the amount of RAM supported: the M2 Pro can support up to 32GB unified memory, while the M2 Max can support up to 96GB memory (if you opt for the 28-core GPU option).

The other major difference is the number of GPU cores, with the Mac mini shipping with 16-cores, but maxing out at 19-cores, and the Mac Studio with M2 Max offering 30-cores as standard, and a 38-core GPU as a build-to-order option. And that’s not even considering the M2 Ultra, which offers a 60-core GPU as standard and 74-cores as a build-to-order option.

Here’s how the specs compare:

Mac mini M2 Pro

• Base model: 10-core CPU, 16-core GPU, 16GB unified memory, 512GB SSD, $1,299/£1,399
• Additional options: 12-Core CPU, 19-Core GPU ($300/£300), 32GB memory ($400/£400), 1TB/2TB/4TB8TB SSD (up to $2,400)

Mac Studio M2 Max

• Base model: 12-core CPU, 30-Core GPU, 32GB unified memory, 512GB SSD, $1,999/£2,099
• Additional options: 38-Core GPU ($200/£200), 64GB memory ($400/£400), 96GB memory (+$800/£800), 1TB/2TB/4TB8TB SSD (up to $2,400/£2,400)

CPU

You can get an idea of how the CPUs compare from our benchmarks below. We’ve tested the M2 Pro 12-core and the M2 Mac 12-core CPU and can confirm there is not a huge difference.

We ran the new Geekbench 6.1 benchmarks on the processor. Because our earlier benchmarks were made using Geekbench 5 we don’t have the benchmarks for the Mac mini in question, but we have run Geekbench 6.1 on the equivalent chip in the MacBook Pro and as you can see the results are similar, as you would expect from such closely matched CPUs.

We also ran the Cinebench R23 benchmarks on the Mac Studio, in that case, we do have the Mac mini M2 Pro to compare to. Here you can also see how similar the two CPUs are.

GPU

When it comes to GPU cores things are a bit different. The standard Mac mini M2 Pro offers 16 graphics cores (up to 19), but the standard Mac Studio with M2 Max has a 30-core GPU (up to 38-core GPU).

To get an idea of how this plays out in testing, in Geekbench 6.1 Compute benchmarks the 38-core GPU Mac Studio scored a lot more than the M2 Pro in the MacBook Pro (we don’t have the Geekbench 6.1 scores for the Mac mini, but it is the same chip in question here).

If you are a gamer you can also expect much better performance from the Mac Studio, as per our video game benchmarks.

See how the M2 Pro and M2 Max compare here: M2 Pro vs M2 Max.

RAM

There are other ways in which the Max beats the Pro, whichever generation. The M2 Max has more memory bandwidth (400 GB/sec vs 200 GB/sec) and can offer more RAM than the M2 Pro can (96GB vs 32GB). Note that there is a catch with the 96GB RAM option for the M2 Max–it is limited to the version of the M2 Max with 38 GPU cores, while the less expensive option with 30 GPU cores still tops out at 64GB.

Mac Studio vs Mac mini M2 Pro: Ports

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The Mac Studio has the most ports, with two USB-C ports and one SDXC card slot on the front and four Thunderbolt 4 ports, two USB-A ports, one HDMI 2.0 port, a 10Gb Ethernet jack, and one 3.5mm headphone jack on the back. The M2 Pro Mac mini has four Thunderbolt 4 ports, two USB-A ports, an HDMI 2.1 port, Gigabit Ethernet (10Gb ethernet costs an extra $100), and a headphone jack. Of course, there are plenty of USB-C hubs available if you want even more options.

The M1 Max Mac Studio was held back by its HDMI port, which was HDMI 2.0 rather than the Mac mini’s newer HDMI 2.1 standard. HDMI 2.1 brings support for 4K at 240Hz and 8K at 60Hz. The 2023 Mac Studio offers HDMI 2.1, so there is no longer a limitation (HDMI 2.0 can only connect one display with up to 4K resolution at 60Hz.) This means that the M2 Max Mac Studio can now support up to eight 4K displays, six 6K displays, or three 8K displays, where previously it was limited to four Pro Display XDRs and one 4K display. The Mac mini with M2 Pro supports three displays.

The 2023 Mac Studio also gains the new WiFi 6E standard and Bluetooth 5.3 as the Mac mini M2 Pro did earlier in 2023. The older Mac Studio only offered Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.0.

Apple

Mac Studio vs Mac mini M2 Pro: Buying Advice

Now that the M2 Max has arrived in the Mac Studio it is certainly a more attractive option than it was, but even with the M1-series chips the Mac Studio was still a great option for those looking for a powerful Mac that didn’t break the bank.

The Mac mini with M2 Pro is certainly a contender though. The main differences between the two machines as the support for more RAM and the additional graphics cores in the Mac Studio. It costs more, but you certainly get your money’s worth compared to the M2 Max expipped MacBook Pro. When you consider that to spec a Mac mini up to a similar allocation of RAM and CPU cores, would cost the same as the Mac Studio, and still lack the extra GPU cores, it’s clear which is the best value for money machine.

But if you don’t need as much power, and you don’t use the most graphics-intensive apps, then the Mac mini with M2 Pro will be more than sufficient and represents a good saving on the cost of the Mac Studio. You can now save $700/£700 by buying a Mac mini with M2 Pro, rather than the Mac Studio, and still get a machine that is plenty powerful enough for your needs.

The Mac Studio offers much more though, aside from the extra RAM and GPUs, you’ll find more ports (including some that are front-facing) and support for more displays.

For more Mac mini accessory options, read our feature on How to upgrade the M2 and M2 Pro Mac mini.

For more help deciding which Mac to buy read our Best Mac buying guide.

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Welcome to our Mac Wi-Fi troubleshooting guide, which offers fixes for situations where Wi-Fi isn’t working, your Mac refuses to connect to the internet, you MacBook won’t connect to Wi-Fi but other devices will, or your wireless signal strength is poor.

There are three main reasons why Wi-Fi stops working: there’s a problem with your router, your internet provider’s network is down, or there’s an issue with your own Wi-Fi network. Less commonly, there may be an issue with the macOS software you’re running. We cover all these scenarios in this article.

We have various steps to work through below, we’ve started with the ones that will hopefully fix your Wi-Fi problem quickly, but you might like to try a few of the latter tips if you have no luck.

In this article we cover the tips for fixing Mac Wi-Fi issues. We also address problems with a weak Wi-Fi signal in a separate article here: How to improve your Wi-Fi signal.

What to do when your Wi-Fi is not working

Work through the troubleshooting steps below to fix your Mac Wi-Fi problems.

1.

Turn it off and on again

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• Restart the app: If Safari, or any browser, stops working the first thing to do is quit and restart the browser.
• Restart the router: To establish whether the problem lies with your router turn it off and on again. To properly powercycle your router you need to disconnect it from power for about 30 seconds, then plug it in and turn it back on.
• Restart the Mac: It’s also a good idea to turn your Mac off and on again.
• Restart Wi-Fi: If there’s still an issue after you’ve rebooted your Mac, try turning the Wi-Fi off and then waiting a few seconds before turning it back on again to force it to scan for available networks again. To turn Wi-Fi off and on again click on the Wi-Fi logo in the menu at the top right of your Mac and switch the slide from blue to gray (or in older versions of the macOS select Turn Wi-Fi Off.)

You should also check that it’s not a problem with the website you are trying to access. Can you access Google? You could run a Ping test to see if there is a problem with the connection to a website you are accessing. Read about running Ping on a Mac here.

2.

Check Apple’s software

Apple

Unfortunately, sometimes the reason why you can’t connect to Wi-Fi is Apple’s operating system. In the past Mac users have encountered Wi-Fi problems after updating their Macs to a new version of macOS. Have you recently updated your Mac? Are other Mac users also experiencing issues with their Wi-Fi connection?

This was a big issue in 2015 with the original version of El Capitan (macOS 10.11). Following the update, many users found their Macs could no longer connect to their wireless network. Apple issued an update to the software, but this wasn’t an easy fix for MacBook Air owners who could only connect to the web via Wi-Fi due to the lack of an Ethernet port (unless they had an adapter). When we encountered this problem we had to update our Mac to a new version of macOS while sharing the internet connection from our iPhone.

If it’s a software update you need you could hotspot from your iPhone and connect to the internet that way. Just be careful about going over your data allowance! (Read our tips for sticking to your data allocation on your iPhone here.)

You may also experience problems with Wi-Fi if you are running a beta version of macOS. We had a lot of trouble with Wi-Fi dropping when we were running the High Sierra beta, for example.

3.

Check with your provider

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It is possible that the problem is more widespread, are other people in your area also experiencing issues? Is your landline phone down too? Try Downdetector to see if other people are having the same problem.

If the problem is at the provider’s end, there’s not much you can do about it beyond complaining–and you should absolutely do that. Hopefully they will be able to rectify the issue quickly.

Even if other parts of their network aren’t down, it might still be the provider’s problem or it could be a problem with your phone line. For example, if your broadband relies on cables then there could be a problem with the cabling to your house; if your web connection often cuts out during bad weather it may be because water is interfering with the cables.

4.

Disconnect Bluetooth

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Still no luck? Try disconnecting Bluetooth. This is a fix that has worked for some people.

If you are running a recent version of macOS the Bluetooth options are in Control Centre, which is accessed by clicking on the switch icon in the menu at the top of the screen.

Click on the Bluetooth icon and you’ll see an option to turn it off.

If you have an older version of macOS, click the Bluetooth icon at the top right (the runic B next to the Wi-Fi icon) and select Turn Bluetooth Off.

5.

Forget the network

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You may find that forcing your device to forget the network can help.

In macOS Ventura or later

1. Go to System Settings.
2. Click on Wi-Fi.
3. Either click Details beside the network you are connected to, and then choose Forget This Network, or beside a network you want to forget click on the … and choose Forget This Network.

In macOS Monterey of earlier

1. Go to System Preferences > Network.
2. Select Wi-Fi and then click Advanced.
3. Select the network you wish to forget, press the (-) and agree to Remove.

Once you’ve done this your Mac and other devices using your iCloud Keychain will not join that network.

Now try connecting to that network again, adding the password when requested.

6.

Keep your router cool and check it’s location

Thomas Newton / Foundry

If things still don’t work, check your router isn’t overheating. Don’t cover it up or hide it away where there isn’t adequate ventilation, because if it gets too hot it won’t work as well.

Another thing to check is your router’s location. You will get a better signal if it’s not on or near any large metal surfaces – so don’t sit it on a filing cabinet, for example, and don’t put it right next to a radiator.

Move your laptop closer to your router and see if you get a signal from there. If it turns out the signal is fine when you’re right next to the router, it’s likely that something in your house or office is causing interference.

If it is time to upgrade your router check out our favorite routers in our round up of the Best routers for Mac.

7.

Find out if something is blocking the signal from your router

There are lots of reasons why the signal strength can be weaker in certain locations and not others. For example, thick walls in old houses can make getting a signal in one corner of the house impossible.

If there is a lot of metal in the building that can also cause issues with your Wi-Fi, so it might be worth checking what materials were used in the construction of your property.

You can use an app called NetSpot (free edition, or there’s a $49 Home version) to analyze the Wi-Fi signal in your building. Move your Mac around and chart the signal strength in various locations to get an idea of where the signal is stronger and where’s it’s weak.

Alternatively the problem may be other electrical devices, such as fans, motors, microwaves and wireless phones. Does your Wi-Fi drop at the same time as you use the microwave? Because they’re both using radio waves you can get interference when you turn your microwave on.

Try to position your router far away from these devices and don’t use the microwave at the same time as an important conference call.

8.

Use Apple’s Wireless Diagnostics

Apple has a free tool in macOS that can help you identify the issue. The Wireless Diagnostics app can analyse your network and indicate what is wrong and how you might be able to fix it.

There are two simple ways to access Wireless Diagnostics on a Mac. Either press and hold Alt/Option and click on the Wi-Fi icon in the menu and click on Open Wireless Diagnostics, or search for it by name using Spotlight (Cmd + spacebar).

1. Open Wireless Diagnostics.
2. Click Continue and wait while your Mac runs diagnostics.
3. Even if the Mac doesn’t find anything wrong click on Monitor my Wi-Fi connection to get it to assess your wireless connection for connectivity failures.
4. Run this for a while and then click Continue when you want to stop monitoring. You can add more information about the router in the next screens.
5. Click on Continue again and the tool will start to create a diagnostics report (this can take a few minutes).
6. This diagnostics report might include useful information to share with your service provider.
7. Once the report is generated locate it in the /var/tmp folder. To reach this open Finder and click on Go and paste in /var/tmp.
8. You can forward the report to anyone who might need it.

Unfortunately the information offered here probably won’t mean much to the average Mac user. However there are more useful tools to be found in Wireless Diagnostics, such as the one discussed below.

9.

Use Wireless Diagnostics to look for drop offs

You can also get an idea of whether other devices are causing your signal to drop by using the Wireless Diagnostics utility.

To generate a graph like the one shown above, follow these steps:

1. Open Wireless Diagnostics. Either search for it by name using Spotlight (Cmd + spacebar), or hold Option/Alt and click on the Wi-Fi icon at the top right of the screen, then select Open Wireless Diagnostics.
2. Before you click Continue to run a report, go to the menu and click on Window > Performance (or hit Alt + Cmd + 5).

This will generate three graphs that will tell you about the transmission rate, signal quality, and signal and noise levels. If you monitor this for a few hours you may be able to identify whether there is a problem.

The top graph displays the data rate of your wireless network in Mbps. The level of the graph will be dictated by your router and other equipment you have connected to it. The important thing, in troubleshooting terms, is that the rate is reasonably consistent. If you are seeing dips in the data rate, or a complete drop-off, it indicates that there is a problem.

The middle graph, labelled Quality, displays the ratio of signal to noise over time. Ideally, it should be a straightish line with small spikes. If you notice frequent dips in the line, it’s likely that something is interfering with your Wi-Fi signal.

The bottom graph, labelled Signal, displays both the signal strength and measured noise. Both are shown as dBM, or Decibel-milliwatts, a commonly used unit of the absolute power of radio signals. A reliable signal should have a signal strength of somewhere between -60 and -10dBm and a noise level below -75dBm. The narrower the gap between the two lines on the graph, the more unreliable the signal is likely to be.

If you notice sudden increases in noise, try to identify when and why they occur. Does it happen, for example, when a wireless phone handset is in use, or when a microwave is switched on? If you identify that a particular appliance is interfering with the signal, move the router away from the appliance that’s causing the problem.

You could also try varying the height of the router as well as its horizontal position to see if that has any effect on the reception when the interfering gadget is in use.

10.

Extend your Wi-Fi reach

Linksys

If you have identified the problem as being an issue with the signal strength in certain parts of your building we recommend getting a Wi-Fi extender or investing in a mesh network. We have a round up of Mesh routers where we recommend the Linksys Velop AX4200 which you can buy from Apple U.S. for $249.95 or Apple U.K. for £259.95. A cheaper option is the D-Link E15 Eagle Pro range extender, which is available for $64.99 (currently $54.99) at Amazon U.S. and at at Amazon U.K for £70 (currently £32.99).

When you set up the Wi-Fi extender make sure you change the SSID (Wi-Fi name) and password of the new device so it’s the same as your current wireless router and modem, to enable your Mac to pick whichever device is offering the better connection without you having to switch and enter a new password.

11.

Check the competition

Your Wi-Fi connection may also be suffering because of other networks nearby, sharing the radio waves with you–particularly if you’re in a built-up area.

You can see what the other Wi-Fi networks near you are by clicking on the Wi-Fi icon in the menu and choosing Other Networks. This will tell you if there are a lot of WiFi networks near you.

To find out what channels all those competing routers are using open Apple’s Wireless Diagnostics app again and click on Window in the menu. Next click on Scan.

This shows you information about the kind of router people near you are using and it also shows the RSSI – which is the Received Signal Strength Indicator. The RSSI for your own router should be better than the competition.

To find out more about the other traffic is in your area your could try the WiFi Explorer app ($19.99/£19.99).

WiFi Explorer will help you see what other networks are in your area. It provides a lot more information than you normally see in the list of available networks on your Mac, such as the network name (SSID), BSSID, vendor, country code, channel, band, security configuration, supported data rates, number of streams, and more.

12.

Choose a unique network name

Now you have seen these different Wi-Fi networks, make sure you configure your Wi-Fi network with a unique name so that it doesn’t conflict with the names of other nearby networks.

You also shouldn’t hide your network, this may sound like it would protect your network from someone who might try to hack in to it, or a neighbor who might be able to guess your password, but your devices may take longer to find a hidden network and hackers will have other ways to find it anyway.

13.

Switch bands and change your Wi-Fi channel

Routers do a good job of selecting channels automatically, based on what else is operating nearby. If, however, you notice that your router is operating on the same channel as another router nearby, or you think you might benefit from switching to something better suited to your surroundings you might want to consider changing it manually.

You could go some way to counter competition from other Wi-Fi networks by changing the band you are using and channel you’re on.

There are three bands of Wi-Fi available and your router will either use the 2.4GHz band, the 5GHz band, the 6GHz band, or all of them. The 5GHz and 6GHz bands offer more bandwidth than the 2.4GHz band and is less susceptible to interference because other domestic appliances don’t use that frequency, however, because the 2.4GHz band uses a lower frequency it can get through thick walls and other objects.

If you have a new 6GHz router it uses the 1200MHz wide Wi-Fi spectrum, which is much larger than the 2.4GHz and 5GHz spectrums. It also adds seven 160 MHz channels to the mix. You can only take advantage of these with a Wi-Fi 6E router. See: What Wi-Fi 6E means for Apple’s new Macs and the iPhone 15.

If your problem could be solved by using the 5GHz or 6GHz bands – and they are available to you – follow these steps:

How to switch to the 5GHz or 6GHz band

To use the 5GHz or 6GHz band on your dual-band router you’ll need to separate the 2.4GHz and 5GHz/6GHz networks on your router (check its manual to find out how) and give them different names.

Click the Wireless Options button at the bottom of the window and click the box next to ‘5GHz network name’. Now give it a different name.

Once you’ve separated the 2.4GHz and 5GHz/6GHz networks, you need to tell your Mac and iOS devices to join 5GHz/6GHz in preference to 2.4GHz.

• In macOS Ventura or later open System Settings and click on Wi-Fi. Select the 5GHz/6GHz network and connect to it. Right click on the 5GHz/6GHz network and make sure Auto-Join is on. Deselect Auto-Join on the 2.4GHz network.
• In macOS Monterey or earlier go to the Network pane in System Preferences and click on Wi-Fi. Choose the Advanced button and drag the 5GHz/6GHz network to the top of the list.
• On an iOS device, tap on Settings, then Wi-Fi. Tap on the ‘i’ next to the 2.4GHz network, and slide ‘Auto-Join’ to off.

We have a tutorial about How to switch to 5GHz on a Mac here. 

How to change the channel in the 2.4GHz band

If your router is too old to offer 5GHz or 6GHz, or the 2.4GHz band is better suited to the thick walled building you live in, you could try changing the channel.

There are 13 channels on the 2.4GHz bands of which all but 1, 6 and 11 overlap. You’d be wise to pick a channel as far away from the one your neighbours use if possible.

The steps you need to follow to change the channel on your router will depend on your router software. To access your router software you need to know the IP address of your router. Most routers have an IP address of http://192.168.0.1 or http://192.168.1.1.

Open your web browser and type the IP address into the address bar and press enter. This will bring up your router software. Look for the channel information and log into your router to change it.

Don’t just move it to the next available channel, however. Channel frequencies overlap, meaning that narrowband routers use five channels concurrently and wideband routers use seven. So, if you manually change channels, make sure you move at least five or seven channels away from the one your router is currently operating on.

As you make changes, keep monitoring the graphs in Wireless Diagnostics so you can see which ones make a significant difference to signal quality.

Alternately you could configure your Wi-Fi network channel to Automatic so that it selects the best channel to use.

14.

Run Apple Diagnostics

If you still haven’t solved your Wi-Fi worries you could use Apple Diagnostics to check for Wi-Fi or network issues.

To do so follow these steps:

1. Disconnect all external devices (except the keyboard and screen).
2. Shut down the Mac, then turn it on while pressing and holding D.
3. When you see the screen asking you to choose your language do so, then watch as the progress bar indicates that your Mac is being assessed. This takes 2-3 minutes.
4. If problems are identified, Apple Diagnostics will suggest solutions.

15.

Reset your SMC, PRAM or NVRAM

IDG

Reset the PRAM and the SMC (System Management Controller) is worth a try. This process is covered here: How to reset your Mac’s NVRAM, PRAM, and SMC.

16.

Change the DNS setting for your network

Changing your DNS settings is also recommended, but like resetting SMC, PRAM and NVRAM it’s not for beginners.

You need to start by deleting your Wi-Fi preference files, but we advise you to back them up first!

1. Find the Wi-Fi preferences by opening the Finder and choosing Go > Go To Folder and typing: /Library/Preferences/SystemConfiguration/
2. In this window locate the following files and drag them to clearly labelled backup folder on your Desktop:
   com.apple.airport.preferences.plist
   com.apple.network.identification.plist
   com.apple.wifi.message-tracer.plist
   NetworkInterfaces.plist
   preferences.plist
3. Reboot the Mac.
4. Turn on Wi-Fi and see if it works.
5. If Wi-Fi doesn’t work you need to create a new Wi-Fi network location, adding custom MTU and DNS details.
6. Before you do this, quit any apps that might be using Wi-Fi or the network.
7. Go to System Preferences > Network and choose Wi-Fi. Click on the menu beside Location and choose Edit Locations, click the + to create a new location and name it something memorable. Click Done.
8. Join the Wi-Fi network, using your usual router password.
9. Click on Advanced and under the TCP/IP tab choose Renew DHCP Lease. Go to the DNS tab and add 8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4 to the DNS Servers list. (Those are the Google DNS, which are generally the fastest options, but you can add something else if you prefer.)
10. Choose Hardware and Configure Manually.
11. Change MTU to Custom and set it to 1453, click OK and Apply.

We have more information here: Can’t load some websites? Check your DNS server settings.

If you decide that the problem is with your router and cannot fix it, perhaps it’s time to buy a new router. You could have a look at our round up of the Best routers for Mac.

We also have a couple of dedicated articles how to test your internet connection and a guide to what to do if your iPhone keeps dropping your Wi-Fi connection. 

We also have advice about how to configure a router for Mac and iPhone here.

Mac, Personal Software