How to Toggle WiFi On and Off with a Keyboard Shortcut on Mac

Once you set one up, you can use a keyboard shortcut to turn on or off your WiFi on a Mac, easily.

Part 1
Part 1 of 2:

Creating the Action

  1. Image titled Toggle WiFi On and Off with a Keyboard Shortcut on Mac Step 1
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    Open Terminal. Copy paste this in: networksetup -listnetworkserviceorder.
  2. Image titled Toggle WiFi On and Off with a Keyboard Shortcut on Mac Step 2
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    Remember the number that shows the WiFi. Then, you can close Terminal and open Automator.
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  3. Image titled Toggle WiFi On and Off with a Keyboard Shortcut on Mac Step 3
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    Choose a type for your document. Click on Quick Action and Choose.
  4. Image titled Toggle WiFi On and Off with a Keyboard Shortcut on Mac Step 4
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    Search for run shell script in the search bar on the left. Double click on it.
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    Make sure the top section is correct on the right: Workflow receives no input in any application.
  6. Image titled Toggle WiFi On and Off with a Keyboard Shortcut on Mac Step 6
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    Copy and paste the following script into the section of “Run Shell Script,” substituting “X” with any number that you found the WiFi port to be earlier. The script is: networksetup -getairportpower enX | grep "On" && networksetup -setairportpower enX off || networksetup -setairportpower enX on.
  7. Image titled Toggle WiFi On and Off with a Keyboard Shortcut on Mac Step 7
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    Click on Run in the top right corner. See if your WiFi turns off. You might need to wait a few seconds. If it works, click on the X and save the action, and name it something obvious like “WiFi Toggle.” Then, proceed to the next section.
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Part 2
Part 2 of 2:

Creating the Keyboard Shortcut.

  1. Image titled Toggle WiFi On and Off with a Keyboard Shortcut on Mac Step 8
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    Open System Preferences > Keyboard. At the top, click on Shortcuts.
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    Click on Services. Scroll to the very bottom until you find the action that you just created.
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    Click on the None to the right of the name. Then, click on Add Shortcut.
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    Type in your shortcut. You might use Ctrl+⌥ Opt+⌘ Cmd+W. Control Option Command W). Make sure the shortcut is not a common shortcut.
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    Test your shortcut. It should work!
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Community Q&A

  • Question
    What OS system does this work on? It doesn't seem to be working on Mojave.
    Evan Huang
    Evan Huang
    Community Answer
    This should be working on Mojave. I tested it and it worked. Copy paste the code you entered into the section Run Shell Script.
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About This Article

wikiHow is a “wiki,” similar to Wikipedia, which means that many of our articles are co-written by multiple authors. To create this article, volunteer authors worked to edit and improve it over time. This article has been viewed 40,924 times.
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Co-authors: 6
Updated: September 10, 2022
Views: 40,924
Categories: Computer Keyboards | Mac
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