By default, a Mac will automatically connect to Wi-Fi when it recognizes a network that it has joined before. If you'd like to stop this from happening for a network you don't want ot auto-join (such as an unsecured network at your local coffee shop) you need to know how to remove a Wi-Fi network from Mac network settings. We'll show you how.

Why You’ll Love This Tip

Stop your Mac from trying to connect to a Wi-Fi hotspot when you don’t want it to.
Avoid accidentally joining a neighbor or friend’s Wi-Fi, but still have your Mac remember its login credentials for later.

How to Stop Auto-Joining a Wi-Fi Network on Mac

It can be annoying if your Mac keeps trying to join a Wi-Fi network that you don’t want it to join. Fortunately, there's an easy fix for this in Mac Wi-Fi settings. For more tips on customizing your Apple device preferences, sign up for our Tip of the Day newsletter. Here's how to stop auto-joining networks on Mac.

Click on the Apple menu in the top-left corner, then click on System Preferences.
Click on Network.
Click on the Network Name drop-down menu to see the list of currently detected networks, then click on the network that you want to stop auto-joining.
Click to uncheck the checkbox next to Automatically join this network.

If this checkbox is unchecked then your Mac will no longer automatically join this Wi-Fi network when it’s detected. If you wish to re-check it you can do so later, and your Mac will still remember the login details for the network in question.