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Macbook Pro 2015 Won't Automatically Connect to Wi-Fi

My 2015 macbook pro will not automatically connect to a wi-fi network. I am currently on Catalina 10.15.4. This issue has been occurring I believe since I updated to catalina.

When the computer wakes from sleep, it will not automatically connect to any trusted or previous wi-fi networks. This issue occurs with both my home, office, and friends' wi-fi networks. I can open the wi-fi menu, click on a network, and it connects to the internet with no issue. If I turn wi-fi off and on, the same issue occurs.


I have tried several recommended solutions online. I have tried removing and re-adding wi-fi in preferences, adding a new location in preferences, resetting my computer, the router and NVRAM, and updating OSX. None of these have helped, and it is not an issue with my network or router, as this happens in other locations as well.


Any suggestions are appreciated.

Thanks,

MacBook Pro

Posted on May 23, 2020 12:37 PM

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Posted on May 23, 2020 4:46 PM

Do you mean you upgraded to Catalina from an older version of macOS such as Mojave? Or were you already running Catalina and just installed a small update to Catalina? I do know that 10.15.4 point update has caused introduced multiple issues, but I'm not sure on exactly what those issues are.


Try creating a new user account and testing the WiFi from the new user account.


Try booting into Safe Mode.


Run EtreCheck and post the report here using the "Additional Text" icon which looks like a piece of paper.



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9 replies
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

May 23, 2020 4:46 PM in response to vicawad

Do you mean you upgraded to Catalina from an older version of macOS such as Mojave? Or were you already running Catalina and just installed a small update to Catalina? I do know that 10.15.4 point update has caused introduced multiple issues, but I'm not sure on exactly what those issues are.


Try creating a new user account and testing the WiFi from the new user account.


Try booting into Safe Mode.


Run EtreCheck and post the report here using the "Additional Text" icon which looks like a piece of paper.



May 23, 2020 8:25 PM in response to vicawad

Except for the AppCleaner app I don't see anything in the report, but hopefully another contributor will inspect it just to be sure. You should uninstall the AppCleaner by following the developer's instructions. Cleaning apps are not needed on Macs and they usually cause more problems than they solve.


If @Grant's suggestion for making sure the "Ask to join new networks" box is checked in your WiFi network settings doesn't help and the other contributors don't have any better ideas, then you should perform a clean install of macOS by first erasing the whole physical drive before reinstalling macOS. Just boot into Recovery Mode or Internet Recovery Mode and perform a clean install of macOS.

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT208496


Do not migrate or restore from a backup yet. Make sure everything works properly with just a clean macOS. If everything is working you can then try to migrate just the user account and your data making sure to deselect the "Settings" option for the user account (also deselect every option outside of the user account). Do not migrate any apps or other settings. Hopefully this minimal migration won't bring back the problem to the clean install.

May 24, 2020 7:23 AM in response to vicawad

The current version of Parallels as shon on their splash page is version 15. I am not certain, but you may be running version 10:


Kernel Extensions:

/Applications/Parallels Desktop.app

prl_hypervisor.kext (Parallels, Inc., 10.0.1 27695 - SDK 10.7)

prl_netbridge.kext (Parallels, Inc., 10.0.1 27695 - SDK 10.7)

prl_usb_connect.kext (Parallels, Inc., 10.0.1 27695 - SDK 10.7)

prl_vnic.kext (Parallels, Inc., 10.0.1 27695 - SDK 10.7)


You are running a third-party VNC program. MacOS has built in VNC, both Server and client, and this could be a source of convicts:


https://til.hashrocket.com/posts/69cbe9b2c3-how-to-use-the-hidden-vnc-client-in-mac-osx


Your Hosts file has been extensively modified. The extent of the modifications is very unusual:

System Software:

macOS Catalina 10.15.4 (19E287)

Time since boot: About 6 hours


Configuration Files:

/etc/hosts - Count: 107


Hand shaker agent, which appears to be an App for Wi-Fi connecting to your Android phone, could be a problem area if it modifies standard Wi-Fi protocols to make that connection. You should try removing it for a while to debug.


You have also added a VPN, which could be complicating connection. If you do not absolutely need that to connect to a corporate computer, you should consider setting that aside for a while to debug. Be sure if you use it, it is completely up-to-date.

May 24, 2020 12:17 PM in response to Grant Bennet-Alder

Grant,


Thanks for your response. I deleted hand shaker and app cleaner. My VPN is on in the background, but I am not connected through the VPN. I quit both the VPN and my VNC app to see if there was any difference. No changes as of yet. I have had those both installed for a while with no previous issues.


Can you elaborate on the host file modification issue? Is there something I should be doing about that?


Macbook Pro 2015 Won't Automatically Connect to Wi-Fi

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