MacBook Pro WiFi repeatedly drops

Having been a Mac user for nearly 40 years, it is sad how unreliable Apple products have become. The latest problem (which others have been discussing but apparently nobody has resolved) is WiFi repeatedly dropping on the MacBook Pro 2021 (mine is running OS 12.7.6).

On other forums, there are lots of non-solutions being offered, such as "renew DHCP lease" or "check your WiFi." I have been dealing with this problem for months. It happens on every WiFi that I have tried -- at home, at the homes of friends, at hotels, etc. It is not the WiFi. It is the computer. WiFi will remain connected for a few minutes or so. Then it drops, but it shows on the bar above that it is still connected. If you reconnect the WiFi, it will again work for a short period of time.

Oddly, the WiFi does not drop if something is streaming; this allows me to work around the problem by constantly streaming a long file that has low bandwidth. Another work around is to use my iPhone as a hotspot (in which case the connection doesn't drop). This is the type of problem that never used to exist with Apple computers. I have a MacBook Pro 2015 and Mac Pros from 2013 and earlier that do not have this problem.

What is going on with Apple? I have also been having a problem with my iPhone, which repeatedly drops the cell connection. Many others have reported this problem. Verizon is aware of it. They installed a new SIM card that seemed to resolve the problem, but it came back a few weeks later.

[Edited by Moderator]

MacBook Pro 16″

Posted on Oct 21, 2025 6:50 PM

Top-ranking reply

John Galt

Level 10

155,450 points

Posted on Oct 21, 2025 9:47 PM

Michael Collins3 wrote:

Thanks for the reply, but none of this works. I have tried all of it.

Understandable.

"renew DHCP lease" is as worthless as "check your WiFi" is obvious. Makes you wonder why people bother to post such nonsense.

I believe what Grant Bennet-Alder was suggesting was for you to provide some of the information he alluded to.

For example Wireless Diagnostics finishes with a Summary page. Ideally, it will resemble the following:

Anything else requires investigation.

Your Wi-Fi menu parameters may also be useful. As he wrote, "Screenshot, transcribe, or photograph the results and post back in a reply on the forums."

The Wireless Diagnostics log folder in /var/tmp will also contain copious amounts of information. The most useful file it generates may be diagnostics-environment.txt but others such as ping.txt and (your SSID)-diagnostics.txt are short enough to review and / or post for others who aren't experiencing trouble can compare and make suggestions. Right now you're working in a vacuum, depriving yourself of potentially useful knowledge.

For pedantic reference: Recommended settings for Wi-Fi routers and access points - Apple Support. Avoid the temptation to arbitrarily dismiss its recommendations; after all you're the one having trouble you shouldn't be having. The question is why.

More pedantic reference: If your Mac isn't connecting to the internet over Wi-Fi - Apple Support. Same comments.

If all else fails, EtreCheck.

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34 replies

Oct 26, 2025 5:08 PM in response to John Galt

John Galt wrote:

By the way are you the same Michael Collins who was active on this site many years ago? If so you helped me with a problem I had with my SE/30 way back then, and I'm glad to finally return the favor.

I've been using Apple computers for nearly 40 years, but I'm not that Michael Collins. So I'm now in debt to you for a favor! Thanks for the help! In general, I always like to help people, but I don't have much to offer when it comes to computers. I'm like someone who drives a car but has never looked under the hood. Well, with one exception. I made an effort to learn a little about the older Macs (aluminum towers), including how to disassemble and assemble them.

Oct 21, 2025 7:03 PM in response to Grant Bennet-Alder

Thanks for the reply, but none of this works. I have tried all of it.

Oct 23, 2025 6:53 AM in response to Michael Collins3

As MrHoffman points out, there are trade-off when connecting access points over-the air versus wired access points.

Oct 24, 2025 1:35 AM in response to John Galt

John Galt wrote:

The three files I referenced may be the most useful.

Those files are attached here.

ping.txt

Halfway-diagnostics.txt

diagnostics-environment.txt

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MacBook Pro WiFi repeatedly drops