MacBook will not Connect to Public WiFi

Traveling users may experience an issue where their MacBook does not connect to public (airport, hotel, etc.) Wi-Fi.

Other than not being able to connect to the internet, potential indicators might include:

1. A red "!" icon on your MacBook's Wi-Fi symbol usually indicates a problem with the Wi-Fi connection. It signifies that your Mac is connected to a Wi-Fi network but cannot access the internet through that connection. This could be due to various reasons, including network configuration issues, problems with your router, or even issues with your internet service provider.

2. MacBook is issued a 169.254.x.x IP address, indicating that the device is unable to obtain a valid IP address from a DHCP server, likely due to a network issue.

If you experience any of these symptoms, try these steps to resolve:

Click the Apple menu in the top-left corner of the screen.
Select System Settings (or System Preferences on older macOS versions).
In the sidebar, click Network.
Select your active connection:
For Wi-Fi: Click Wi-Fi, then click the Details button next to the connected network.
For Ethernet: Click Ethernet, then click the Details button.
Scroll down and click TCP/IP.
Click the Renew DHCP Lease button.
You may be prompted to confirm — if so, click Apply or OK.

You can verify that your IP address has changed or refreshed by checking the IPv4 address listed above the Renew button.

If you're still having network issues after renewing your DHCP lease, you can try resetting macOS network preferences. This removes saved network configurations, which often resolves persistent or strange network problems.

Note: This will reset Wi-Fi settings and remove saved networks, so be ready to reconnect to Wi-Fi and re-enter any passwords.

Open Finder.
From the top menu bar, click Go > Go to Folder…
In the box that appears, type: /Library/Preferences/SystemConfiguration and press Return.
In the folder that opens, locate and delete these files:

com.apple.airport.preferences.plist

com.apple.network.identification.plist

NetworkInterfaces.plist

You may be asked to enter your Mac password to confirm the deletion.
Once the files are deleted, restart your Mac.