Thunderbolt Ethernet Not Working: 3 Ways To Fix

thunderbolt ethernet not working
thunderbolt ethernet not working

When trying to connect your devices to the internet through a cabled connection. You are required to have an ethernet cable. These come in different variants but the functions for them are the same. The only difference between them is the speed that these cables can transfer between them. A thunderbolt ethernet cable is considered to be one of the fastest ones on the market.

Though, if you want to maximize its potential then you are also required to have an excellent internet connection. The process to set these cables up is simple but there are still some issues that people can get. One of them being that the thunderbolt ethernet is not working. If you are getting this problem, then going through this article will help in troubleshooting.

Thunderbolt Ethernet Not Working

  1. Check Cable

The first thing that you should do is check the condition of your cable. Usually, if there are any problems with it then you can start experiencing similar issues. Firstly, check the condition of your wire. If it is going through any bents then the connections inside it might have broken. Aside from this, you can even check for any cuts on the cable.

Going through all of these will confirm if your thunderbolt cable needs a replacement or not. If it does then purchase a new one, though if you are unsure. Then one recommendation is to try connecting your device with a spare cable.

If it works fine then the problem is most likely with your current thunderbolt cable. You can also see if the connection from both ends is not loose. Press in the cable and hold it to see if there is any wiggle.

If there is then tighten up the connection to solve your problem. Some wires use a clipping mechanism that needs to be activated by applying a little force. You can then hear a small click to confirm if your cable has been inserted or not.

When taking out these wires you will have to press the small button on them beforehand. If you do not do this and take out the wire with force then it will break out. This can also damage the ports on your device so keep that in mind.

  1. Remove Network Preferences

If your cable is in perfect condition then there might be a problem with the network preferences. These are stored in the settings of your device and can sometimes cause issues for the users. This is why you should clear these up to see if this fixes your issue. One thing to keep in mind is that removing your network will completely wipe the settings for it.

This will remove the password you have entered so make sure that you remember it before removing the network. The process for it is really simple and you start by opening up the control panel on your device. Now proceed to browse through it to find the networks tab. Once opened, you will see all the networks your device has previously established a connection with.

Choose the one you are getting issues with and click on remove. If you cannot find the option then try right-clicking on the network. If you have connections that are not in use anymore then remove them from here as well. All of these can slow down the performance of your connection. Finally, reboot your device and connect to your network again. Enter your password to log in and start using the services.

  1. Update OS

Sometimes users can have trouble on their MACs if their OS is new or old. This is because some versions of the operating system that have come out can be a little unstable. In this case, it is better if you download and install one that does not have any issues.

You can check online or at the specifications of your OS to see if the current version is stable or not. You can then either upgrade it or downgrade depending on what is more stable. Sometimes patch files can come out from Apple that fixes problems like these.

So, keeps a check over them and see if there are any available for you. If there are then you can easily proceed by installing them on your system and fixing the issue.

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