Every Mac sold since the mid-2000s with few exclusion included a Wi - Fi carte du jour , faculty , or potato chip that ’s part of the motherboard . Thus , it ’s surprising to any Mac substance abuser who can up their Mac or is in the eye of using when they see a subject matter that reads “ Wi - Fi : No hardware installed ” in the system Wi - Fi menu ; equally annoying is “ Wi - Fi : Not configure ” when you ’ve made no change and were just using it . In both case , a computer hardware job could be the root . But you should run through other troubleshooting first .
Fix Wi-Fi: not configured
Wi - Fi disabled in System Preferences appear as Inactive .
It ’s possible that web configurations were disrupted or corrupted , disabling Wi - Fi access in a way that can be well fixed through the web preferences pane . To find out if that ’s the case , watch these step :
An exclamation mark inside the Wi - Fi lover will vanish , and your data processor will scan for networks or connect to a known one .
For more advice on fixing Wi - Fi job on a Mac read : How to fix Wi - Fi on a MacandHow to improve WiFi signal .
Check for hardware faults
If hardware is the issue , the Wi - Fi drop - down menu may inaccurately read “ Wi - Fi : No computer hardware installed , ” though readers have seen “ not configured ” and other errors as well . There could be a low - grade shape proceeds or a ironware trouble , and you should eliminate constellation issues first .
Try these troubleshooting steps in social club :
If none of the above solves the problems , it ’s clock time to hit the repair shop . If your Mac remains under warranty , keep particular of your testing handy and call for a repair . If it ’s out of warranty , the repair may be expensive as with most Macs released in the last 10 to 15 years , a accomplished motherboard renewal may be want . You might get by with a hardware solution , described next .
Opt for a hardware Wi-Fi replacement
If your Mac runs macOS 10.15 Catalina or earlier , you may purchase an cheap third - party Wi - Fi USB dongle , such as theEdimax AC1200 , which comes with drivers from the maker for OS X and macOS through Sierra , or the faster 802.11ac ( Wi - Fi 5 ) TP - Link Archer T3U ( through 10.14 ) or T3U Plus ( through 10.15 ) .
For those using a more late adaptation of macOS or who need number one wood - free access to 802.11ac or 802.11ax ( Wi - Fi 5 or 6 ) , a USB - C adapter , mini - dock , or full - sized bobtail with Gbit ethernet can pair with a wireless bridgework . This is less commodious for a laptop , but a sensible option for a desktop Mac that ca n’t stop up in via ethernet directly . Many low - toll , gamey - carrying into action wireless bridges can connect to a connection as if the bridge circuit were a regular Wi - Fi transcriber .
Ask Mac 911
We ’ve compiled a lean of the questions we get ask most frequently , along with response and connectedness to columns : understand our super FAQto see if your question is cover . If not , we ’re always looking for new trouble to solve ! Email yours tomac911@macworld.com , including screen captures as appropriate and whether you need your full name used . Not every question will be answered , we do n’t answer to email , and we can not offer direct troubleshooting advice .
