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How to Forget a Wifi Network on Mac? Forget Network Mac

Introduction If you have ever connected your Mac to a coffee shop hotspot, a hotel network, or an old office router, you know how quickly the list of remembered wireless networks can grow. Over time, your Mac may try to join networks you no longer use, or wors

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Introduction

If you have ever connected your Mac to a coffee shop hotspot, a hotel network, or an old office router, you know how quickly the list of remembered wireless networks can grow. Over time, your Mac may try to join networks you no longer use, or worse, attempt to connect to a network whose password has changed. Learning How to Forget a Wifi Network on Mac? is a simple but essential skill for keeping your wireless connections clean, secure, and under your control.

When you tell macOS to forget a wireless network, the system removes that network from your list of saved networks. Your Mac will no longer attempt to join it automatically, and you will generally be prompted to enter the password again if you ever want to reconnect. This is especially useful when you are troubleshooting connectivity problems, preparing to sell or give away your Mac, or simply tidying up your network preferences.

This guide covers every method available on modern macOS versions, from the graphical settings in macOS Ventura and later to the classic System Preferences panel used in macOS Monterey and earlier. You will also learn how to use Terminal for advanced removal, how to troubleshoot networks that refuse to disappear, and best practices for managing your saved wireless networks going forward.

Table of Contents

Why You Might Want to Forget a WiFi Network on Mac

There are many practical reasons to remove a saved wireless network from your Mac. Understanding these reasons can help you decide when to use the steps outlined in this guide.

  • Changed passwords: If a network’s password has been updated, your Mac may keep trying to connect with the old credentials and fail repeatedly. Forgetting the network clears the outdated information.
  • Networks you no longer visit: Coffee shops, airports, hotels, and temporary workspaces often appear in your saved list long after you have stopped using them.
  • Security concerns: Public or unsecured networks can pose risks. Removing them prevents your Mac from automatically joining a similarly named but malicious network in the future.
  • Clutter reduction: A long list of saved networks makes it harder to find the ones you actually use. Pruning the list keeps your WiFi menu tidy.
  • Troubleshooting: If your Mac cannot connect to a network it previously joined, forgetting and rejoining can resolve authentication or configuration errors.
  • Selling or giving away your Mac: You may want to remove personal or work networks before transferring ownership of the device.

Knowing How to Forget a Wifi Network on Mac? gives you direct control over which networks your computer trusts and remembers.

What Happens When You Forget a Network

Before you begin, it is helpful to understand exactly what forgetting a network does and does not do on a Mac.

When you remove a network from your saved list:

  • Your Mac will no longer automatically connect to that network when it is in range.
  • The network will disappear from your preferred networks list in WiFi settings.
  • You will need to enter the password again the next time you choose to join that network manually.

It is also worth noting what forgetting does not do:

  • It does not turn off WiFi entirely.
  • It does not affect other networks you have saved.
  • It does not necessarily erase the password from iCloud Keychain if it is stored there, though macOS will not use it to auto-join the forgotten network.

If you are using a Mac managed by an organization, some configuration profiles may prevent you from forgetting certain enterprise networks. We cover that scenario in the troubleshooting section later in this article.

Method 1: Forget a WiFi Network Using System Settings (macOS Ventura and Later)

Apple redesigned the system settings app starting with macOS Ventura. If you are running macOS Ventura, Sonoma, Sequoia, or a later release, use these steps to forget a wireless network.

  1. Click the Apple menu in the top-left corner of your screen and choose System Settings.
  2. In the sidebar, click WiFi.
  3. Make sure WiFi is turned on. You will see a list of available networks under sections such as My Networks or Other Networks.
  4. Find the network you want to forget. Click the Details button (a small circled i) or the three-dot menu next to the network name.
  5. Look for the option labeled Forget This Network and click it.
  6. Confirm your choice when prompted. The network will be removed from your saved list immediately.

If you prefer, you can also access advanced WiFi options:

  1. In System Settings, go to WiFi.
  2. Click Advanced… at the bottom right of the WiFi pane.
  3. Select the network you want to remove from the list of preferred networks.
  4. Click the Remove button, then click Done.

This method is the most straightforward for most users and is the recommended approach if you are using a modern Mac.

Method 2: Forget a WiFi Network Using System Preferences (macOS Monterey and Earlier)

If your Mac is running macOS Monterey, Big Sur, Catalina, or an earlier version, you will use the classic System Preferences window instead of System Settings. The steps are slightly different but just as simple.

  1. Click the Apple menu and select System Preferences.
  2. Click the Network icon.
  3. In the left-hand list, select WiFi, then click the Advanced… button in the bottom right.
  4. Make sure you are on the WiFi tab. You will see a list of Preferred Networks.
  5. Select the network you want to forget from the list.
  6. Click the minus (–) button below the list.
  7. Click Remove to confirm.
  8. Click OK, then click Apply to save your changes.

After completing these steps, the selected network will no longer appear in your preferred networks, and your Mac will stop attempting to join it automatically.

Method 3: Accessing WiFi Settings Quickly from the Menu Bar

The WiFi icon in your Mac’s menu bar does not provide a direct “Forget” button for individual networks. However, it offers the fastest way to open the settings where you can forget a network.

  1. Click the WiFi icon in the top-right corner of your screen.
  2. If you are on macOS Ventura or later, click WiFi Settings at the bottom of the menu. This opens System Settings directly to the WiFi pane.
  3. If you are on macOS Monterey or earlier, click Open Network Preferences… to jump to the Network settings.
  4. From there, follow the steps in Method 1 or Method 2 to forget the network.

This shortcut is especially useful when you are already looking at the WiFi menu and realize you want to remove a network without digging through the Apple menu first.

Method 4: Forget a WiFi Network Using Terminal

Advanced users and IT administrators sometimes prefer the command line for managing wireless networks. Terminal allows you to list and remove preferred networks quickly, which is helpful when scripting or when the graphical interface is not responding.

Open Terminal (found in Applications > Utilities) and follow these steps.

  1. First, identify the correct hardware port for your WiFi interface. Most Macs use en0, but some models use en1. Run:
networksetup -listallhardwareports
  1. Look for the entry labeled WiFi or AirPort and note the Device name (for example, en0).
  2. List the currently saved wireless networks for that interface:
networksetup -listpreferredwirelessnetworks en0
  1. To remove a specific network, use the removepreferredwirelessnetwork command. Replace NETWORK_NAME with the exact SSID of the network. If the name contains spaces, wrap it in quotation marks:
networksetup -removepreferredwirelessnetwork en0 "NETWORK_NAME"
  1. Enter your administrator password if prompted. Terminal does not show characters as you type the password.
  2. Verify the network is gone by running the list command again:
networksetup -listpreferredwirelessnetworks en0

If en0 returns an error, try en1 instead. Terminal is powerful but requires exact syntax, so double-check the network name before pressing Return.

Comparison of Methods: Which One Should You Use?

Not every method is ideal for every situation. The table below compares the four approaches covered in this guide.

Method macOS Version Difficulty Speed Best For
System Settings macOS Ventura and later Easy Fast Most modern Mac users
System Preferences macOS Monterey and earlier Easy Fast Older Macs and legacy operating systems
Menu Bar Shortcut All versions Easy Fastest access Quickly opening WiFi settings from the menu bar
Terminal All versions Moderate Fast once learned Advanced users, scripting, and troubleshooting

If you are unsure which method to choose, start with System Settings or System Preferences depending on your macOS version. Reserve Terminal for situations where the graphical options are unavailable or when you need to manage multiple networks efficiently.

Troubleshooting: Network Still Appears or Won’t Forget

Occasionally, a network may refuse to disappear from your Mac even after you follow the steps above. Here are common issues and how to resolve them.

The Forget Option Is Grayed Out

If the Forget This Network option or the remove button is unavailable, your Mac may be managed by a configuration profile. This is common on workplace or school computers.

  • Go to System Settings > General > Profiles (or System Preferences > Profiles on older macOS) to see if any installed profiles are restricting WiFi changes.
  • Contact your IT administrator if you need to remove a network enforced by your organization.

Network Still Appears After Forgetting

A forgotten network might still show up in the list of available networks because your Mac is simply detecting it in the air. That is normal. Forgetting a network does not hide it from the WiFi scan; it only stops your Mac from remembering and auto-joining it.

If the network continues to connect automatically:

  • Make sure you removed it from the Preferred Networks list, not just from the available networks view.
  • Check System Settings > WiFi > Advanced… and confirm the network is no longer listed.
  • Restart your Mac and check again.

Terminal Returns an Error

If Terminal says the device is not found, you may be using the wrong interface identifier. Run networksetup -listallhardwareports to confirm whether your WiFi card is en0, en1, or another identifier. Also ensure you are quoting network names that contain spaces.

Password Still Works After Forgetting

If you rejoin a forgotten network and your Mac remembers the password without asking, it may be stored in Keychain Access. You can open Keychain Access from Applications > Utilities, search for the network name, and delete the entry if you want to remove the saved credentials entirely.

How to Rejoin a Forgotten WiFi Network

Forgetting a network is not permanent. You can always reconnect later.

  1. Click the WiFi icon in the menu bar.
  2. Select the network from the list of available networks.
  3. If the network is secured, enter the password when prompted.
  4. Optionally, check Remember this network or Auto-join if you want your Mac to save it again.
  5. Click Join.

For hidden networks that do not broadcast their name, choose Join Other Network (or Other…), enter the exact SSID, select the security type, and provide the password.

Tips and Best Practices for Managing WiFi Networks on Mac

Keeping your saved networks organized can improve both convenience and security. Consider these best practices:

  • Audit your list regularly: Every few months, review your saved networks and remove ones you no longer use.
  • Remove public networks after use: Hotel, airport, and café networks should not stay on your Mac indefinitely.
  • Disable auto-join for untrusted networks: In the WiFi advanced settings, you can prevent specific networks from joining automatically.
  • Prioritize your home or office network: Arrange your preferred networks so your Mac connects to the most trusted and fastest network first.
  • Use a VPN on public WiFi: Even if you forget a network later, encrypting your traffic while connected adds an important layer of protection.
  • Keep macOS updated: Apple periodically improves WiFi management and security in system updates.

Managing Saved WiFi Networks and Preferred Order

Your Mac attempts to join saved networks in the order they appear in your preferred networks list. If you have multiple networks in range, macOS will generally try the one at the top of the list first.

To change the order:

  1. Open System Settings > WiFi (or System Preferences > Network > WiFi > Advanced… on older macOS).
  2. Locate the list of preferred networks.
  3. Drag networks up or down to rearrange them.
  4. Save your changes.

You can also toggle auto-join for individual networks. Disabling auto-join for a network means your Mac will detect it but will not connect without your explicit permission.

Security and Privacy Considerations

Saved WiFi networks can reveal more about you than you might think. A long list of remembered SSIDs can be used to infer locations you have visited, especially if network names are unique to specific businesses or neighborhoods.

Forgetting networks you no longer trust reduces your attack surface. It prevents your Mac from automatically joining an “evil twin” network—a malicious hotspot that impersonates a legitimate network name. If you leave a job or school, make sure to forget any enterprise or 802.1X networks associated with that organization so your Mac does not attempt to authenticate with outdated credentials.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does it mean to forget a WiFi network on Mac?

Forgetting a WiFi network removes it from your Mac’s list of saved networks. Your computer will no longer remember the password or attempt to connect automatically.

Will forgetting a network delete the password from my Mac?

It removes the network from your preferred list. The password may still exist in iCloud Keychain, but macOS will not use it to auto-join that network again unless you re-add it.

Can I forget a network without being connected to it?

Yes. You can forget any network that appears in your saved or preferred networks list, even if you are currently connected to a different network.

How to Forget a Wifi Network on Mac? if the option is grayed out?

A grayed-out forget option usually means a configuration profile or MDM restriction is managing your WiFi settings. Check System Settings > General > Profiles or contact your administrator.

Does forgetting a network remove it from all my Apple devices?

No. Forgetting a network on one Mac only affects that device. If you use iCloud Keychain, some credentials may sync, but each device manages its own preferred network list independently.

How do I find the exact name of a network to forget via Terminal?

Run networksetup -listpreferredwirelessnetworks en0 in Terminal to see the exact SSIDs saved on your Mac. Use those exact names when removing a network.

Can I forget multiple networks at once?

The graphical interface generally requires you to remove networks one at a time. Terminal can be scripted to remove multiple networks, but there is no built-in multi-select delete in System Settings or System Preferences.

What is the difference between turning off WiFi and forgetting a network?

Turning off WiFi disables all wireless connections temporarily. Forgetting a network removes a specific saved network from your list while leaving WiFi active for other networks.

Will forgetting a network improve my Mac’s performance?

Not directly, but it can reduce connection attempts to unwanted networks and make your WiFi menu easier to navigate.

How often should I review my saved WiFi networks?

A good rule of thumb is to review your saved networks every few months, or after you travel and connect to many temporary networks.

Conclusion

Knowing How to Forget a Wifi Network on Mac? is a small task with meaningful benefits. Whether you are cleaning up old coffee shop hotspots, fixing a stubborn connection issue, or preparing your Mac for a new owner, removing unwanted networks keeps your wireless settings organized and secure.

You now have four reliable ways to accomplish this: System Settings for modern macOS, System Preferences for older versions, the menu bar shortcut for quick access, and Terminal for advanced control. You also know how to troubleshoot common obstacles, rejoin networks later, and maintain a healthy list of preferred networks going forward.

Take a few minutes today to review your saved WiFi networks. Your Mac will thank you with cleaner connections and one less thing to worry about the next time you open your laptop.