You're connected to Wi-Fi, but websites won't load and apps can't reach the internet. This is one of the most diagnosable Wi-Fi issues if you check things in order.

1. Can you ping anything?

Open Command Prompt (Windows) or Terminal (macOS):

ping 8.8.8.8

If you get responses, the network is reachable but DNS is broken.

If you don't get responses, the network itself is the issue.

2. If DNS is broken — switch DNS

In Windows Wi-Fi properties → IPv4 → set DNS servers manually to:

  • 1.1.1.1 (Cloudflare) primary
  • 8.8.8.8 (Google) secondary

In macOS: System Settings → Network → Wi-Fi → Details → DNS → click + and add the same.

Visit a site after. If it works, your default DNS was the issue.

3. If you can't ping 8.8.8.8 — captive portal check

Many guest networks, hotel Wi-Fi, and airport Wi-Fi require you to accept terms in a browser before they route traffic. Try visiting http://neverssl.com — it forces HTTP and triggers the captive portal page.

If a sign-in page appears, you've found your problem.

4. Renew your DHCP lease

Your laptop may have been assigned a bad IP. To force a refresh:

Windows:<br>[unrendered]

macOS: System Settings → Network → Wi-Fi → Details → TCP/IP → Renew DHCP Lease.

5. Disable VPN

If you have a VPN client installed (Cisco AnyConnect, GlobalProtect, NordVPN), disconnect it. VPN clients sometimes leave broken routes when they fail.

If turning the VPN off fixes it, the VPN itself is the issue — see the [VPN troubleshooting article](/kb/vpn-wont-connect).

6. Flush DNS cache

Cached lookups can go stale:

Windows: ipconfig /flushdns

macOS: sudo dscacheutil -flushcache; sudo killall -HUP mDNSResponder

7. Different Wi-Fi network

If you can connect to your phone hotspot and the internet works there, the office Wi-Fi is the issue. If your phone hotspot is also broken, your laptop has a routing problem — a restart usually fixes it.

8. Hosts file

If only specific sites won't load (rest of the internet works), check your hosts file:

  • Windows: C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\hosts
  • macOS: /etc/hosts

Open in Notepad / TextEdit as admin. If there are entries mapping the failing site to 127.0.0.1 or 0.0.0.0, that's blocking it — either malware or a parental control.

When to ticket

Open a ticket if:

  • All these steps fail
  • Multiple people on the same network can't reach the internet
  • The captive portal page doesn't appear and the Wi-Fi shows "limited connectivity"

Include the AP name, your IP address (run ipconfig or System Settings → Wi-Fi → Details), and what ping 8.8.8.8 returns.