Quick tip: How to run Wi-Fi diagnostics on your Mac

There's nothing more frustrating than trying to connect to a Wi-Fi network and something isn't working right. However, macOS comes with tools you can use to diagnose and test your network connection, helping you to get back on the internet.

There's nothing more frustrating than trying to connect to a Wi-Fi network and something is playing up (OK, maybe setting up a printer is worse). In an effort to 'streamline and simplify' the operating system, Apple has buried the Wi-Fi diagnostic tools.

And if you don't know how to find the tools, you can't use them to help you.

Here's what you need to know!

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First, how to access Wi-Fi diagnostics. This is not easy unless you know the magic incantation, which is to press down the OPTION key (⌥) while clicking on the Wi-Fi status menu.

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This will reveal a whole raft of new options, including:

• Enable Wi-Fi Logging
• Create Diagnostics Report
• Open Wireless Diagnostics
• Wi-Fi Recommendations

You also get access to a whole lot of geeky information about the wireless connection, which depending on your technical aptitude, may or may not be useful.

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However, before you go digging into Wi-Fi settings and getting hip-deep into things, I suggest you try to fix your Wi-Fi connection by doing the following first:

• See if another device will connect (is it an issue with the Mac or Wi-Fi network?)
• Reboot the Mac
• Disable any VPNs

Hopefully, those simple things will help.