Safari and Chrome can’t connect to the server after Catalina update

Hello, please see my post here:

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/250713004

Please try to reboot your MacBook into Safe Mode (holding the shift key on boot). If the Captive Portal appears it is likely a 3rd party application that is interfering with the Network Stack.

When you reload you PC back into Normal Mode you should be connected, however that doesn't necessarily mean it is fixed. This is because you have just gone through the captive portal process i.e. Accept T&Cs in Safe Mode for that day. Then after a certain period the Captive Portal may expire your session. you will need to complete the Captive Portal process again and hence it will no longer work.

So the real fix is check for applications installed that could interfere with the Network Stack such as a VPN client i.e. Cisco VPN Client or even possibly an Anti-Virus Scanner.

I had the exact same issue! The solution is so simple... read below instructions I've found elsewhere:

System Preferences > Network > and create a new Network Location (normally its says Automatic) and to re-join a known working wi-fi network.

And that's it!!

Hello and welcome to Apple Support Communities, Savas44.

If I understand your post correctly, your MacBook Pro is connected to Wi-Fi but Safari and Chrome can't connect to the server when you try to visit websites. I’d like to help.

Follow the steps in this article:

If Safari doesn't load a page or webpage items are missing

Let us know if that resolves this issue for you. 

Thanks for using the Apple Support Communities. Take care.

There seem to be a variety of challenges for people. My specific issue has to to with the "captive portal login" that pops up when I connect to public wifi in hotels and cafes.

A possible answer has to do with removing everything in the \Library\LaunchAgents and \Library\LaunchDaemons. On my machine, there were a bunch of out-of-date entries there (for apps I no longer use). Maybe those were causing problems? I'll find out after a couple days. I discovered this on https://discussions.apple.com/thread/250713004

this Only happens on networks with no initial security like a hotel network, anywhere else it is Ok ie when you have to enter a User ID or password . Even before I try to get on to the Internet Settings recognizes that there is no path to the Internet . As soon as I Boot the MacBook I see this

isnt there some way to FORCE the WiFi pop up to appear?

Unfortunately, this suggestion above doesn’t seem to help. I renewed lease, created a new location, created a new WiFi service...

if I restart my computer, the WiFi pop up will appear again (sometimes). But I really don’t want to have to restart my computer each time I wake up for the day.

This worked (to an extent for me), I now have a connection, but it's very slow. It took me nearly 10 mins to sign in to tell you this lol. Also tried streaming music via Amazon HD and it's managed 10 seconds of play so far.

Hi all,

If you have tried all these things and things still don't work then you may find my experience helpful.

Upon upgrading my Macbook Pro (2012) to Catalina, I found I couldn't gain any access to the internet on Safari or use anything that required the internet, such as Mail, Skype etc... I too had a Wifi connection but no internet access. When Safari was opened, it showed an error message saying the page couldn't be displayed and that it couldn't authorise the content. I tried all methods previously mentioned and spent hours talking to Apple support and our IT department, who couldn't figure it out.

After a bit of my own digging, I found that a common problem that occurs with Macs after a Software updates is that 3rd party anti-virus software can interfere with things like internet connection. I found that my old Intego - ContentBarrier software (which I don't even use anymore, but haven't uninstalled yet) was blocking access to the internet after the upgrade to Catalina. Once I opened on the app, it asked me authorise Internet access, which restored full function of Safari and other apps. This needs to be done every time I connect to a new Wifi/turn my Mac on, I presume until I uninstall the ContentBarrier app.

I hope this helps!

Wonderful! Some antivirus software is the problem. And more to the point SOMETHING is interfering with the internet connection / network stack. But how in the world do we find out what that is? In my case, as far as I know, I am not running an AntiVirus program. Being only semi-technical, I am not sure where else to look -- I've gone through my Applications to see if there is anything obvious and deleted some more that I don't use. But I don't think any of them were specifically sitting on my network.

Hi jackvinson,

I am not tech-savvy myself, so my ability to help is pretty limited. I can only share my experience, so hopefully it helps or others can build on it. Your case might be similar to mine, or completely different. Have you tried the other methods mentioned in this thread?

In my case it was the ContentBarrier app. Each time I start my Mac, I need to click on the app and it asks to 'unblock the internet'. It's an app I have had for years but never used it or pay any attention to it! So it could be a security app you downloaded a while ago without knowing. The only suggestion I have is open your apps until you find something that gives you more clues. I wouldn't delete anything for now, in case you delete something that needs to be used. Some apps that I have that were suspects were ContentBarrier, VirusBarrier, FileGuard, etc. I think that this can occur for Intego and Norton products from what I have read.

Does it work for macbook air 2019? I have the same problem. But mine disconnects if I don't navigate. I work on other things like word for example and then when opening the browser it does the same thing again, I have to connect again

I’m having this issue as well on any public WiFi that has a capture page for authentication.

the “create new network” method didn’t work.

rebooting into safe mode gave me the capture screen to log into the WiFi, then restarting normally worked as well.

there appears to be something preventing captive screens from displaying, AND I can’t even connect by navigating to the connection screen manually (often going to the routers IP address triggers the log in screen). This is inhibited entirely somehow and I don’t know what it is.

I have 0 antivirus of firewalls installed other than what is built into the system settings. I have a Vpn but is does not open or block traffic on system launch. So I don’t know what is triggering this behavior on Catalina.

Initially couldn't connect to WiFi after installing Catalina. I discovered that moving my MacBook Pro closer to the modem/router in my apartment allowed me to successfully connect to WiFi. I installed a WiFi repeater in the room where I usually use my laptop and that allowed me to connect the laptop to WiFi. I suspect Catalina impacts WiFi card because I didn't experience the same problem with a desktop computer located in the same room running El Capitan.

After I updated to Catalina, I could connect wifi even tho it did not work, shows connected but Safari won’t work, says “can’t connect to the Server”. But more i got a window NEIKEv2 Provider asking to sign using a key “privateKey” that I don’t have nor have any idea how this got in here. Please can someone help, thanks

The only way it worked for me was to boot in safe mode the establish the connection and reboot. Seems like you may have to do this for every new network you attempt to join . A secure network that requires password access works fine! Anyway there was a patch released couple of days ago, I installed it hopefully would not have to do the safe mode anymore