The ability to switch between different sets of network settings (locations) can be useful in circumstances such as these:
- The Finder is the first thing that you see when your Mac finishes starting up. It opens automatically and stays open as you use other apps. It includes the Finder menu bar at the top of the screen and the desktop below that. It uses windows and icons to show you the contents of your Mac, iCloud Drive, and other storage devices. It's called the.
- In the years since Apple changed up the fonts and shadows used throughout macOS - Path Finder hasn't kept up one bit. It's probably a good product now at version 8. I only have license for Path Finder 7 and that suits me well. I don't use PathFinder currently and probably won't ever again after seeing the mess that is PathFinder 8.
Mac OS X doesn’t have an obvious way to view the exact text based path to a folder (otherwise known as a directory) in the finder window. You can have it show a graphical path, but getting just the text based path to a directory (for use in the Terminal for example) requires a couple of extra steps.
- You use the same type of network (such as Ethernet) at work and at home, but the settings you use at work don't allow your Mac to automatically connect to the same type of network at home.
- Your Mac connects to more than one type of network service (such as both Wi-Fi and Ethernet) at work and at home, but at work you want your Mac to try connecting to the Ethernet network first, and at home you want your Mac to try connecting to the Wi-Fi network first. In other words, you want to set a different service order for each location.
- Your Mac isn't connecting to your network and you want to quickly reset your network settings for testing purposes, without losing your current network settings.
In each of these examples, the Location feature of Network preferences can help.
How to add or remove a network location
- Choose Apple menu () > System Preferences, then click Network.
- The Location pop-up menu shows the name of your currently selected set of network settings. The default location is named Automatic. Choose Edit Locations from this menu.
- Click the Add (+) button below the list of locations, then type a name for the new location, such as Work or Home or Mobile. (To remove a location, use the Remove (–) button below the list.)
- Click Done. The Location menu should now show the name of your new location. Any changes you now make to your Wi-Fi, Ethernet, or other network settings will be saved to that location when you click Apply. The network settings in your previous location remain as you left them, so you can use the Location menu to switch back at any time.
- Click Apply to save your settings and complete the switch from the previous location to the new one. Your Mac then automatically tries to determine the correct settings for each type of network. If you need to change the settings manually, remember to click Apply again after making your changes.
How to switch between network locations
If you have more than one location, you can use either of these methods to switch between them:
Mac Os Finder Shortcut
- Use the Location pop-up menu in Network preferences, as described above. Remember to click Apply after choosing a location.
- Or choose Apple menu > Location from the menu bar, then choose your location from the submenu.
How to change the network service order
If you're using network locations because you want each location to prefer a different network service (such as Wi-Fi or Ethernet) when connecting, follow these steps to change the service order (also known as port priority) in each location.
- Choose Apple menu > System Preferences, then click Network.
- Use the Location menu to choose the location you want to modify.
- Click below the list of services, then choose Set Service Order.
- Drag services within the list to change their order. Your Mac will try to connect to the service at the top of the list first, then continue in descending order until a connection is successful.
Virtual private network (VPN) connections can't be reordered, because they always take priority over other connections. - Click OK, then click Apply to make the updated service order active.
How to prevent a network service from being used
By default, the location named Automatic makes all available network services (also known as ports or network interfaces) active, whether or not they are being used to connect to a network. Your Mac automatically searches these services for a network or Internet connection. For example, you might use a Wi-Fi network at home but an Ethernet network at work. Your Mac automatically detects which of these network services to use when it connects.
If you want to make sure that your Mac doesn't use a particular network service, such as Wi-Fi, you can make that service inactive in any of your network locations:
Mac Os X Download
- Choose Apple menu > System Preferences, then click Network.
- Use the Location menu to choose the location you want to modify.
- Click below of the list of services, then choose Make Service Inactive.
- Click Apply.