Macs perform so many tasks for us automatically that we often take for granted how much they simplify our lives. But there’s one pesky problem that bother even the most Mac-loyal…

You’re at work or home and rather than connecting to your preferred network, you get auto-connected to some other network that you don’t want to connect to. Never mind that all it takes is a simple click on the WiFi icon to connect to the network you want, you want to get on your preferred network without the thought or the hassle.

Why does this happen?

Your Mac device remembers every single WiFi connection you’ve ever made. This is great when you go visit your favorite coffee shop, restaurant, brewery, library, etc. and you’re auto-connected without having to lift a finger. But this same great feature will make your Mac device auto-connect to networks you don’t want as well, if you connected to them in the past.

Luckily, there’s a very easy solution.

How to stop connecting to the wrong WiFi:

1. Click on your WiFi icon (top menu bar, towards the right-hand side).

2. Click on Open Network Preferences.

3. Click on Advanced…  You also want to make sure that Wi-Fi is selected in the left-hand menu.

4. Find the WiFi that you DO NOT want to connect to and delete it, using the ‘—’ button.

5. If you want, but it’s not necessary, you can click and drag on the networks to create an order of connection that you prefer.

6. When you’re done just click ‘OK’ in the bottom right-hand corner, followed by ‘Apply’ in the next window.

And it really is that simple!

Now you won’t be bothered with that annoying internet connection and your computer should auto-connect to the WiFi that you prefer. If any problem persists, just repeat the process until you’ve deleted all the unwanted network connections.

That was too easy! What other questions do you have for us?


Luke Kumanchik

Entrepreneur, programmer, backyard farmer & Dungeon Master Extraordinaire.