How to Connect Your Mac to a Hidden Wi-Fi Network

In most residential and commercial environments, connecting to Wi-Fi is as simple as clicking the Wi-Fi icon, selecting the network’s name from a dropdown list, and entering a password. These networks are actively broadcasting their SSID (Service Set Identifier) so that devices can easily find them.

However, for security or privacy reasons, some network administrators choose to configure their routers as “hidden.” A hidden network does not broadcast its SSID to the public. Consequently, it will never appear in your Mac’s list of available Wi-Fi connections, regardless of how physically close you are to the router.

To connect to a hidden network, you cannot rely on automatic detection. You must manually input the exact network credentials to force your Mac to seek out the invisible connection.

Prerequisites for Connecting

Because your Mac cannot detect the network’s settings automatically, you must obtain the following three pieces of information from the network owner or IT administrator before you begin:

• The Exact Network Name (SSID): This is highly case-sensitive. You must type it perfectly, including exact capitalization, spaces, and special characters.
• The Security Type: You must know the specific encryption protocol the router uses (e.g., WPA2 Personal, WPA3, or WPA2 Enterprise).
• The Password: The security key required to authenticate the connection.

How to Connect to a Hidden Network on macOS (Ventura and Sonoma)

If you are running a modern version of macOS with the redesigned System Settings interface (macOS 13 Ventura or newer), follow these steps:

1. Click the Wi-Fi icon located in the menu bar at the top right of your screen (or open the Control Centre and click Wi-Fi).
2. At the very bottom of the dropdown list of available networks, click Other Networks.
3. A small sub-menu will appear displaying more networks. Scroll to the bottom of this sub-menu and click Other…
4. A dialogue box titled “Enter the name and security type of the network” will appear.
5. In the Network Name field, type the exact SSID of the hidden network.
6. Click the Security dropdown menu and select the correct security protocol provided by your administrator (most commonly WPA2/WPA3 Personal). If the network is entirely open (not recommended), select None.
7. Once you select a security type, a new Password field will appear. Type the network password here.
8. Check the box next to Remember this network. If you do not check this, your Mac will forget the network as soon as you disconnect, and you will have to manually type all this information again next time.
9. Click Join.

How to Connect on Older macOS Versions (Monterey and Below)

If you are using an older Mac with the classic System Preferences interface, the process is slightly different but achieves the same result.

1. Click the Wi-Fi icon in the menu bar at the top right of your screen.
2. Scroll to the bottom of the visible network list and click Join Other Network…
3. A window will pop up prompting you for the network details.
4. Type the exact Network Name into the first field.
5. Select the appropriate Security protocol from the dropdown menu.
6. Enter the Password in the final field.
7. Check the Remember this network box so your Mac automatically reconnects in the future.
8. Click Join.

Troubleshooting Hidden Network Connections

Connecting to hidden networks is notoriously finicky because it relies on zero-error manual input. If your Mac fails to connect and throws an error, consider the following common issues:

• Typographical Errors: The vast majority of connection failures are due to typos in the Network Name (SSID). An extra space at the end of the name, or a lowercase letter where there should be a capital, will cause the connection to fail instantly.
• Incorrect Security Type: If you select WPA2 Personal but the network is actually using WPA2 Enterprise or older WEP encryption, the router will reject your Mac’s connection attempt even if the password is correct. Double-check the required security protocol with the network administrator.
• Network Range: Because the network is hidden, you cannot see signal strength bars before connecting. Ensure you are actually within physical range of the router before attempting to connect.

A Note on Hidden Network Security

It is worth noting that hiding an SSID does not provide robust security. While it stops casual users from attempting to connect to your Wi-Fi, malicious actors using basic network scanning tools (packet sniffers) can still detect a hidden network and intercept its traffic with ease. Strong WPA3 encryption and a complex password are far more critical for securing a Wi-Fi network than simply hiding its name.