If you move a MacBook between home, an office, a coffee shop, and a VPN, you have probably wished it could remember a different setup for each place. It can. macOS has a built-in feature called Network Locations that saves a complete network configuration — Wi-Fi, Ethernet, DNS servers, proxies, and more — under a name you choose, so you can switch between them from one menu.
Most people never touch it because Apple hides it. Here is what Network Locations actually do, when they help, and exactly how to create and switch them.
What a Network Location is
A Location is a saved snapshot of every network setting on your Mac at once: which Wi-Fi networks are preferred, any manual IP or DNS entries, proxy settings, and the order your Mac tries connections in. By default every Mac has a single Location called Automatic, and that is fine for most people.
The point of a second Location is that it holds a different configuration. Switch to it and every one of those settings changes together, instantly, without you editing anything by hand.
When Network Locations are worth setting up
- An office with a fixed IP or custom DNS. Save a "Work" Location with the manual settings; keep "Automatic" for everywhere else.
- You use a VPN or custom DNS only in certain places. Bundle those into one Location instead of toggling them each time. (Set the DNS and VPN once — see the guides linked below — then save the Location.)
- Public Wi-Fi you want to keep locked down. A "Travel" Location can force a privacy DNS like 1.1.1.1 and a proxy, then you flip back to "Automatic" at home.
- Troubleshooting. Creating a fresh Location gives you a clean network config to test against without wiping your normal one.
If your Mac only ever connects to one home network, you do not need this — Automatic is all you will ever use.
How to create a new Network Location
- Open System Settings (Apple menu → System Settings).
- Click Network in the sidebar.
- Click the … (three dots) button near the bottom of the Network pane, then choose Locations → Edit Locations…
- Click the + button, type a name (for example Office or Travel), and click Done.
- With the new Location selected, set up Wi-Fi, DNS, proxies, and anything else the way you want them for that place. Those settings are saved to this Location only.
On older macOS versions (Monterey and earlier) the same feature lives in System Preferences → Network → Location dropdown at the top of the window.
How to switch between Locations
Once you have more than one Location, switching is fast:
- Fastest: Apple menu () → Location → pick the one you want. This menu only appears after you have created a second Location.
- From Settings: System Settings → Network → … → Locations → choose one.
The change applies immediately. Your Mac drops the old configuration and loads the new one — no restart needed.
How to delete a Location
System Settings → Network → … → Locations → Edit Locations…, select the Location, click the – button, then Done. You cannot delete Automatic if it is the only one left, and you should keep at least one working Location at all times.
How Locations relate to DNS and VPN
Locations do not create DNS or VPN settings — they remember them. You still set those up the normal way, and the Location captures whatever is active when you configure it:
- To point a Location at a faster or more private DNS (like Cloudflare 1.1.1.1 or Google 8.8.8.8), follow How to change DNS settings on a Mac while that Location is selected.
- To add a VPN to a Location, set it up first with How to set up a VPN on a Mac, then save it into the Location.
If a website throws a security error after you switch Locations, a wrong DNS or an active proxy in that Location is a common cause — our fixes for Safari "Cannot Establish a Secure Connection" walk through it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I lose my Wi-Fi passwords when I switch Locations?
No. Saved Wi-Fi passwords live in your keychain, not in the Location, so they follow you between Locations. A Location only changes which networks are preferred and the manual settings (IP, DNS, proxy).
Why don't I see a "Location" menu under the Apple menu?
It only shows up once you have created a second Location. With just the default Automatic, macOS hides it. Create one and the menu appears.
Will a Location fix a Wi-Fi that keeps dropping?
Not by itself. A clean new Location can help you rule out a bad manual setting, but if Wi-Fi drops on every Location the problem is elsewhere — see MacBook Wi-Fi keeps dropping.
Is this the same as a VPN?
No. A Location is just a saved bundle of your Mac's own network settings. A VPN is a separate service that encrypts your traffic; a Location can include a VPN configuration, but it is not one.
Buying a Mac to set this up on?
Every current Apple-silicon Mac handles Network Locations, VPNs, and custom DNS identically — this is a macOS feature, not a hardware one. If you are shopping, a certified MacBook Air M1 from $450 does everything in this guide, and our Apple clearance section is where the best-priced models land first. Trading in an old one? Start with a trade-in quote.