How to reset network settings on macOS?

Need to reset your network settings in macOS? Here's a quick and easy guide that will help you get back online in no time.

Written By Lorenzo Vincent

Updated at August 24th, 2023

In case you are experiencing issues while connecting with PureVPN, resetting your network settings is a viable option to resolve them. In order to reset network settings on a macOS device, please follow the steps below:

  1. Launch Finder, select Go at the top bar, then Go to Folder and enter this:
    • /Library/Preferences/SystemConfiguration
  2. Locate the following files, copy them to the desktop for a backup, then delete them from the /SystemConfiguration/ folder:
    • com.apple.airport.preferences.plist
    • NetworkInterfaces.plist
    • preferences.plist
  3. Reboot the device.

After the reboot, your Mac computer will create a new System Configuration folder with default settings and preferences. When you log back in, all of your network and Bluetooth connections will be reset. If the procedure does not work, you can replace the removed files from the System Configuration folder with the original ones (that were copied for a backup) to rollback previous network settings.