How-To

How to Forget a Wireless Network in Windows 10 and MacOS

By Andre Da Costa

Updated October 2, 2023

Occasionally, you may want to forget a known network for security or troubleshooting purposes. Here’s how to do it in Windows 10 and macOS.

Both Windows 10 and MacOS include the option to save wireless networks you connect to, so when you are in proximity, you can easily or automatically connect to them. But there are a number of reasons why you might want Windows or macOS or OS X to forget a wireless network.  Forgetting a network and reconnecting is the best first step when troubleshooting wireless network or mobile hotspot issues—it’s the wifi equivalent of a reboot.chan

Known networks can also be exploited by hackers, so it’s a good idea to purge your known networks when you know you won’t be using them again anytime soon.

Or you might want to forget a network simply to prevent guests or kids from accessing your network.

In this article, we’ll show you how to find and remove wireless networks and saved credentials.

Remove Known Wireless Networks in Windows 10

In Windows 10, the process is very easy to do. Click Start > Settings > Network & Internet > Wi-Fi tab, then click Manage known networks.

Select the wireless network connection then click Forget.

Forget a Network in MacOS

On Apple’s macOS, open System Preferences in the Dock, then open Networks. Select the Wi-Fi tab then click Advanced.

Select the Wi-Fi tab, choose your wireless network, click the minus sign, then click OK to confirm changes. That’s it.

There are some other tips and tricks you can learn about managing your wireless networks.

Our previous article dived into some essential tips for securing your wireless network such as, changing the default password and SSID name and choosing a secure encryption standard.

Another article you should check out is how to find your wireless network password.

The Windows 10 Anniversary Update finally makes it easy to set up and share a wireless hotspot. No more need for third party solutions; but if you are stuck on an older version of Windows, check out our article for how you can easily setup one.

For users on mobile connections, you should check out our handy article for managing mobile data.

So that’s a quick look at managing your known wireless networks. If you have any questions or thoughts, leave a comment below.