Mac Wi-Fi No Hardware Installed

Overview

Mac "Wi-Fi: No hardware installed" means macOS cannot detect the wireless network adapter, even though it is physically present.

Key Details

• Wi-Fi icon shows X mark in menu bar
• System Information shows no Wi-Fi hardware
• Can occur after macOS updates or hardware issues
• May be temporary glitch or hardware failure

Common Causes

• Wi-Fi module connection loose (especially after drops)
• macOS update reset hardware recognition
• NVRAM/PRAM corruption
• Actual Wi-Fi hardware failure

Steps

1. 1Reset NVRAM: restart and hold Option+Command+P+R for 20 seconds
2. 2Reset SMC (Intel Mac) or shut down for 30 seconds (Apple Silicon)
3. 3Boot into Recovery and check if Wi-Fi works there
4. 4If hardware failure, Apple repair or external USB Wi-Fi adapter

Tags

More in Network

Frequently Asked Questions