I cannot connect to wifi after Mac OS 13.2.1 (22D68) update

I had frequent drop outs when using my 2.4 Ghz wifi network, so I moved it to a 5Ghz network and it solved my problem. There seems to be too much congestion in the 2.4Ghz range if you have multiple devices. If your wifi router is capable of 5Ghz and you are using 2.4Ghz, then I suggest you shut off auto-join for the 2.4Ghz network and create a new 5Ghz network to connect to.

You can check whether you are using 5Ghz or 2.4Ghz by holding the Option key and clicking the wifi logo in the menu bar. Under the network you are connected to you will see "channel:" with the number and whether it is 5Ghz or not.

Using the Option-Wifi Icon trick, you will also see a "Open Wireless Diagnostics..." menu option. You can try that, it also has an option to monitor the connection. The reports it generates has not been very helpful for me in the past.

Another thing to try is to remove the wifi preferences. When you reboot, the system will make new ones and you will have to join your network again and enter the wifi password.

1. Quit all apps including System Settings.
2. Toggle wifi off by selecting it in the menu bar.
3. In the Finder menu, click Go > Go to Folder...
4. Type: "/Library/Preferences/SystemConfiguration/" then return
5. The files we are going to work with are:

com.apple.wifi.message-tracer.plist

NetworkInterfaces.plist

com.apple.airport.preferences.plist

com.apple.network.eapolclient.configuration.plist

preferences.plist

First move each of these files to the Desktop. Since they are System files, it will make a copy of them on your Desktop in case you want to move them back after we delete them. Now Delete each of these files from the SystemConfigurator window either by dragging to the trash or CTRL-Click and choose Move to Trash. You will have to authenticate this action since they are system files. Reboot, turn wifi back on, and choose your network again.

You may need to check with your employer the wifi settings and, probably, the DNS settings.

Your mac clearly can use Wifi, it just cannot properly connect to that specific network.

To begin with, go to System Settings->Network;

Does Wifi show with a green dot?

Click on ">" next to Wifi, and check that the network is the correct one.

Click on "Details..." and then check what is set for DNS, and for Proxies.

Jennananaaa wrote:

To clarify, it said Connected and then Disconnected a few seconds later and this is what keeps happening.

The fact that this happens in one specific network and not others sugggests it is something with that network.

You might try to "forget" this network, and then add it again.

If the problem persist, then you may need the assistance of your IT department to figure out why your mac can't connect to their network.

jpab1 wrote:

This is annoying. Why intro an update that stops you working? I have tried everything.

While it is certainly annoying, it is not something that most users are seeing.

I don't know why wifi has disappeared for some users.

FWIW, I have 13.2.1 on an intel mac and an M1 mac, and they both work just fine with wifi.

For the intel macs, it may help if you reset the NVRAM, and SMC.

Hey I got the same problem, WIFI keeps dropping after the update. My 2020 27 inch intel 5k iMac has this problem, while my 16 inch M1 Pro Macbook is working perfectly fine. Could it be the intel chips not compatible with the update?

I am having this same issue ever since I updated my MacBook Air on 2/26/23 to Ventura 13.2.1. I can hook up to my wifi at home, but cannot hook up at work, which is a huge issue considering this is what my laptop is for. I go around to different sites and need the mobility of a laptop that can connect to wifi. I tried ALL of the troubleshoots that I could find online and none of them have worked. I've had to create a hotspot in order to get anything done and am incredibly frustrated. I am praying that Apple releases a patch ASAP...

Yeah this is pretty strange. Checked all of the other apple devices (phones, tablets, other laptops...which haven't gotten the update yet) and they all still connect to the wifi just fine. Connecting to a hotspot on my phone strangely works without an issue.

Sounds like a patch needs to be created and pushed quickly.

I'm having the same issues and I tried everything. I'm connected to the internet in my 2017 MacBook Pro but I can't get internet from the same network in my new 2023 MacBook Pro M2. Any other solutions??

Yes, this is the first thing that I did to try to fix the issue at the onset. It did not make a difference. I don't understand how if so many people are experiencing this issue all of a sudden with the update, how this has to do with our configuration when it worked before?

Obviously, we're all frustrated. I got a Mac because it is not known for these kinds of issues. I don't understand how something that worked seamlessly before, no longer works, and a patch would not fix it? I wish I had never updated my computer.

I understand the frustration. We expect our macs to just work.

But: there are many millions of mac users. If all of a sudden even a significant minority of them had lost wifi access, you would not just hava a few threads and a number of people complaining, we'd hear a violent outcry.

Plus, when the same mac can connect to a number of wifi networks, but fails specifically with one, it begs the question of what is different in that network. That is something that none of us can solve from a distance.

I do hope you get this solved sooner rather than later. My point is that waiting is more likely to end in frustration than not. I could be wrong, of course.

I have the same problem. Restarted router and system, none of these works. All of my other devices including iMac can connect to the WiFi. The OS was updated last night. I can’t connect to WiFi today. Now I can’t use the Mac Pro to work. I got this new Mac pro by the end of last year and my 6 years old Mac pro is able to connect to WiFi. Is there an way to rollback the update?

I don’t have a backup in time machine. Is that mean I need to wait for a next Ventura update to fix and upgrade from startup options. It seems the only option is to reinstall macOS Ventura with the latest version. Anyone has idea

how to fix?

Same here. Seems like the wi-fi interface is missing, does not show up in settings/network and I'm unable to add it back in. tried reinstalling Ventura from mac os recovery but that didn't fix it.

This is annoying. Why intro an update that stops you working? I have tried everything.