Phone hotspot signal blocked by a small network barrier
When your Mac says it’s connected to your phone’s hotspot but nothing loads (or it’s painfully slow), it’s usually a “connected but not routed” problem: the Mac joined the Wi‑Fi, but traffic is being blocked, misrouted, or assigned a bad DNS.

Start with the fastest fixes first. If those don’t stick, the later steps go deeper without requiring any sketchy cleanup tools.

1. The 30‑second reset: toggle hotspot + Wi‑Fi (and wait)

This sounds basic, but it fixes a lot of failed hotspot handshakes.

  • On your iPhone/Android: turn Personal Hotspot/Hotspot OFF, wait 10 seconds, then ON again.
  • On your Mac: click the Wi‑Fi icon, turn Wi‑Fi OFF, wait 10 seconds, then ON.
  • Reconnect to the hotspot and wait 20–30 seconds before testing (some carriers take a moment to assign routing).

If it works only briefly and then dies again, keep going.

2. Forget the hotspot network and re-join (fresh credentials)

Saved hotspot settings can go stale after OS updates or password changes.

  • macOS: System Settings > Wi‑Fi > find your hotspot under Known Networks > Forget This Network.
  • Reconnect and re-enter the hotspot password.
  • If your phone offers it, change the hotspot password once (this forces a clean re-auth on the Mac).

3. Disable VPNs, security filters, and “private relay” style routing (fast test)

Security shield blocking connection between laptop and hotspot
A VPN or network filter can look “fine” on normal Wi‑Fi but fail on mobile tethering because of MTU, DNS, or carrier restrictions.

  • Turn OFF any VPN app on the Mac (and in System Settings > VPN if present).
  • Temporarily pause network filtering features (ad blockers with “system-wide” filtering, antivirus web shields, DNS filters).
  • If you use iCloud Private Relay, try toggling it off briefly to test (it can interact badly with some carrier paths).

Goal: one clean test with the simplest route possible.

4. Make the hotspot the top priority network (stop macOS from “escaping”)

Your Mac can stay “connected” to the hotspot while still trying to route over something else (old Ethernet service, a USB adapter, a remembered network, or a VPN service).

  • System Settings > Network.
  • Check if you have multiple services (Wi‑Fi, USB Ethernet, Thunderbolt Bridge, VPN).
  • If a VPN or unused adapter is active, disable it for testing.

Then reconnect to the hotspot and retest.

5. Fix DNS quickly (use a known-good resolver)

DNS server and laptop with a broken connection link
Bad DNS is a classic hotspot symptom: the Mac connects, but domain names won’t resolve (or take forever). You can test by trying to load a site by IP, but it’s usually faster to just set reliable DNS temporarily.

  • System Settings > Wi‑Fi > click Details next to the hotspot network.
  • Go to DNS and add one of these (then remove any suspicious/unknown entries):
  • 1.1.1.1 and 1.0.0.1 (Cloudflare) or 8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4 (Google DNS)

After saving, disconnect/reconnect to the hotspot once.

6. If some sites work and others don’t: switch hotspot band (2.4 GHz vs 5 GHz)

Interference and compatibility can make a hotspot “half work,” especially in apartments or offices.

  • On iPhone: Settings > Personal Hotspot > toggle Maximize Compatibility (forces 2.4 GHz on many models).
  • On Android: Hotspot settings often include Band (2.4 GHz/5 GHz). Try the other band.

Reconnect the Mac after changing the band.

7. Advanced: renew DHCP lease and check for a “self-assigned” IP

If your Mac got an odd IP address, it may be connected without a usable local route.

  • System Settings > Wi‑Fi > hotspot network Details > TCP/IP > Renew DHCP Lease.
  • If you see wording like Self-assigned IP (or an IP that doesn’t match the hotspot’s typical range), disconnect and reconnect after restarting the phone hotspot.

This step often fixes the “connected, no internet” lie.

8. Advanced: reset macOS network settings (safe, but it will forget things)

If hotspot problems started after a macOS update or after installing network tools, a deeper reset can clear broken configs.

  • Remove VPN profiles you don’t use (System Settings > VPN).
  • Remove old network services/adapters you no longer use (System Settings > Network).
  • If you’re comfortable: reboot both the Mac and the phone after cleaning up network services.

Note: this may require re-entering Wi‑Fi passwords and re-approving VPN settings later.

9. When it’s probably your carrier/plan (what to check quickly)

If every device fails on the hotspot (not just your Mac), it’s likely not macOS.

  • Confirm your plan allows hotspot/tethering and you haven’t hit a hotspot data cap.
  • Try a different APN/hotspot setting only if your carrier explicitly documents it (avoid random internet “APN lists”).
  • Test hotspot in a different location (some towers throttle or block tethering more aggressively).

If you need the hotspot for work, it’s worth a quick carrier chat once you’ve confirmed the Mac side is clean (no VPN/filter, DNS set, renewed DHCP).

Final thoughts

The fastest wins are usually: toggle hotspot/Wi‑Fi, forget and rejoin, and disable VPN/filtering for one clean test.

If those don’t help, DNS + DHCP renewal typically reveals what’s actually broken—name resolution vs routing—so you can fix it without guesswork.