How to Reset Network Settings on PC or Mac

macOS

1. Back up your Mac. Resetting your network settings in macOS requires deleting certain system configuration files.^[2] For tips on backing up your Mac, see Back Up a Mac.

2. Close any apps that use the network. For example, you'll want to close your web browser, messaging, and social media apps.

3. Turn off Wi-Fi. To do this, click the Wi-Fi icon in the menu bar and select Turn Wi-Fi Off.

4. Click the Finder icon. It's the two-toned smiling Mac logo in the Dock, which is usually at the bottom of the screen.

5. Press ⌘ Command+⇧ Shift+G. This opens the Go To Folder window.

6. Type or paste /Library/Preferences/SystemConfiguration/ into the blank.

7. Click Go. This opens a list of System Configuration files.

8. Select all of the network-related files in the folder. Here's how:

   1. Press and hold the ⌘ Command key.
   2. Click all of the following files (while continuing to hold ⌘ Command):
      1. com.apple.airport.preferences.plist
      2. com.apple.network.eapolclient.configuration.plist
      3. com.apple.wifi.message-tracer.plist
      4. NetworkInterfaces.plist
      5. preferences.plist
   3. All selected files should now be highlighted in blue.

9. Drag the selected files to another location. You can drag them to your desktop or any other folder on your computer. It's just important that they are no longer in the SystemConfiguration folder.

10. Reboot your Mac. To do this, click the

    menu and click Restart. Your computer will shut down and restart. Since your network settings will have been cleared, you'll have to re-enable Wi-Fi and connect to your network again as though you're doing so for the first time.