Look, I'm going to be honest with you. I spent way too long last week trying to figure out why my iPhone wouldn't stay connected to my home Wi-Fi. I tried everything. Restarted the router twice. Turned airplane mode on and off about fifteen times. Even moved closer to the router thinking maybe the signal was weak. Nothing worked.

Then I remembered something I should have tried from the beginning: resetting my network settings. Five minutes later, everything was working perfectly. I felt a little dumb for not trying it sooner, but hey, we've all been there.

So if you're dealing with weird connection issues on your iPhone, iPad, or Mac, this guide is going to save you a lot of headaches. Trust me on this one.

What Exactly Are We Resetting Here?

Before I walk you through the steps, it helps to understand what's actually happening when you reset network settings. Your device stores a ton of information related to connectivity. Every Wi-Fi network you've ever connected to? Saved. The passwords for all those networks? Also saved. Bluetooth devices you've paired with your phone? Yep, those too.

Over time, this stuff piles up. And sometimes, for reasons nobody fully understands, it gets corrupted or starts conflicting with itself.

The Catch Nobody Warns You About

You're going to lose ALL your saved Wi-Fi passwords. Every single one. So before you do this, make sure you actually know the password to your home network. You'll also lose Bluetooth pairings (AirPods, car audio, etc.), so be ready to repair them.

When Should You Actually Do This?

Not every Wi-Fi hiccup needs the nuclear option. Sometimes your connection drops because Wi-Fi is just finicky. But if you've tried restarting and toggling Wi-Fi, here is when a reset makes sense:

  • Your device connects to Wi-Fi but says "No Internet Connection" while other devices work fine.
  • Bluetooth devices refuse to pair or keep disconnecting randomly.
  • Cellular data stops working after a software update or SIM card change.
  • You're experiencing slow speeds that don't match what you're paying for.

Resetting Network Settings on iPhone

I'm going to assume you're running a relatively recent version of iOS. Here is the fix:

Quick Instructions
  1. Open Settings and tap on General.
  2. Scroll down and tap "Transfer or Reset iPhone".
  3. Tap "Reset" at the bottom.
  4. Choose "Reset Network Settings".
  5. Enter your passcode and confirm the action.

Your iPhone will restart on its own. It takes a minute or two. When it comes back, Wi-Fi will be off—turn it on and reconnect to your network.

Resetting Network Settings on iPad

Good news: the process is basically identical to iPhone. Apple kept things consistent here.

Quick Instructions
  1. Go to Settings > General.
  2. Tap "Transfer or Reset iPad".
  3. Select Reset > Reset Network Settings.
  4. Enter passcode and confirm.

Note for Cellular iPads: This reset will clear your cellular settings too. Usually, it reconnects automatically, but rarely you might need to contact your carrier if data doesn't come back.

Resetting Network Settings on Mac

Okay, here's where things get a little more complicated. Macs don't have a nice simple "Reset Network Settings" button. You've got a few options.

The Easy Way (macOS Ventura & Later)

This works for most common issues:

  1. Open System Settings > Network.
  2. Right-click (or Control-click) on Wi-Fi.
  3. Select "Delete Service".
  4. Restart your Mac.
  5. Go back to Network settings, click "Add Service" (or the + icon), and add Wi-Fi back.

The Terminal Way (For Tech-Savvy Users)

If you're comfortable with Terminal, this commands can refresh your network interface without moving files around. It essentially turns the interface off and on again at a system level.

To reset your main network interface:

sudo ifconfig en0 down

Press Return and enter your password. Then type:

sudo ifconfig en0 up

There's also DNS caching, which can cause connection issues. To flush it:

sudo dscacheutil -flushcache; sudo killall -HUP mDNSResponder

After the Reset: Getting Everything Working Again

So you've reset your network settings. Your device restarted. Now what?

  • Wi-Fi: Find your network and enter the password (hope you found that card!).
  • Bluetooth: Put your AirPods or speakers in pairing mode and reconnect them in Bluetooth settings.
  • VPN: If you use a work VPN, you might need to reinstall the configuration profile.
  • Hotspot: Your Personal Hotspot password will have reset to a default one. Change it back in Settings if needed.

Wrapping Up

Resetting network settings isn't glamorous, and reconnection is tedious. But it's one of those fixes that works way more often than you'd expect. I've lost track of how many times a simple network reset fixed everything in two minutes after hours of troubleshooting.

So next time your iPhone is being stubborn about Wi-Fi, give this a try. Worst case, you spend ten minutes reconnecting things. Best case, your problem is solved instantly.