The Auto-Join Wi-Fi Problem
macOS is designed to automatically remember every Wi-Fi network you successfully connect to. By default, it saves the password in your Keychain and enables a setting to “Auto-Join” that specific network whenever your Mac detects it is in range. This is great for your home network, but it becomes a massive problem when you travel.
If you connect to an open, unencrypted Wi-Fi network at a coffee shop, an airport, or a hotel, your Mac will remember it. The next time you walk past that coffee shop, your Mac might silently disconnect from your secure phone hotspot and automatically connect to the public Wi-Fi network. This can disrupt your downloads, drop your video calls, and expose your traffic to unsecured networks without your knowledge. You must tell your Mac to forget this behavior.
How to Disable Auto-Join for Specific Networks
You can manage which networks are allowed to reconnect automatically in the Wi-Fi settings.
- Click the Apple Logo in the top-left corner of your Mac’s screen.
- Select System Settings… (or System Preferences on older macOS versions).
- In the left-hand sidebar, click on Wi-Fi.
- Scroll down to the bottom of the right-hand pane and click the Advanced… button.
- You will see a list labelled Known Networks, displaying every Wi-Fi network your Mac has ever connected to.
- Locate the public or unwanted network in the list (e.g., “Starbucks WiFi”).
- Click the More (three dots) icon next to the network name.
- If you still need the password saved but don’t want it to connect on its own, uncheck the Auto-Join option in the menu (if available on your macOS version).
- If you want to ensure it never connects at all, select Remove From List.
By removing these public networks from your Known Networks list, your Mac will no longer forcefully hijack your connection when you walk past a coffee shop. It will only connect to the secure networks you explicitly click on.