Why can't i share Wi-Fi from macbook?

I am currently trying to setup a small file server network.

I have macbook running one computer. And then I set up another macbook as a router. Then I have a third macbook to be used to share wifi hotspot via the router.

Everything works perfectly fine on my computer. However, when I connect to the shared wifi hotspot, I cannot seem to connect to my macbook. When I try to check the connection, I keep getting "unable to share this network connection". Can anyone help?

If you go to System preferences > Network and Sharing Center > Ethernet (the little computer icon) and click on the wired network (not the Wi-Fi hotspot), what is the last line under the summary that says? I guess you could call this a Wi-Fi issue. In any event you need to check the port forwardings to make sure you are forwarding correctly. The router may be forwarding the correct ports but your mac laptop may not be forwarding them to the correct mac address.

Can you send us your current port forwarding setup? Please use screenshots for us to understand what exactly you have done. Thank you. Port Forwarding Setup on Macbook Pro Retina 15" Late 2025. Click image to enlarge. The problem seems to be caused by improper forwarding setup on macbook. I have tried turning off the firewall in the macbook and also used nmap to check the port range for the macbook. All these steps seemed to work fine.

Here is what I have right now: What you see when you click on the icon in the router is: But in the System preferences > Network and sharing center under the Ethernet section, I see the following: What I would like to do is setup the port forwarding in the router as you see in the image above. Is this a proper way of doing it? If yes, then what do I need to change in the router configuration on the router so that I can turn on the wifi hotspot? I have two ports listed in the above picture, which I assume means I am not able to switch from one port to another. What do you think is causing that? Do you think that's the problem with my port forwarding?

How to enable Internet Sharing in Mac?

With the release of OS X 10.

8 Mountain Lion, Apple added a new functionality to the Mac called Internet Sharing.

Most probably you've already heard about this new feature but you still want to know how to configure your Mac for the Internet sharing? You will discover several techniques for that in the post below. But before continuing with reading, we have a lot of topics to cover so be patient! Internet Sharing on Windows. First and foremost, Internet Sharing requires a connection to a router on a LAN (Local Area Network) to work. Internet Sharing works by making a virtual wireless adapter within the OS, and shares your internet connection through the connection to that router. If you're setting this up for the first time, it's an easy task; after that, it might take a little more trouble. Let's get started! First of all, you should install a driver which is compatible with your computer architecture. This is the reason because some drivers are just for 32bit or 64bit architecture. If you are using Windows XP, you will need to download the compatible driver. For other OSs, you will have to know what architecture your computer is running.

For example: if you are using a Macbook Pro with Mac OS X 10.7 or Mac OS X 10.1, it has a 64bit architecture and the driver file is MacOSX1075.pkg

The drivers are free to use and available for download on the manufacturer's website or Google. I recommend the driver made by MacMall. Now, we are going to setup the Internet Sharing in Windows. Internet Sharing Windows XP/7. Open up the Network and Sharing Center. Click on Change advanced sharing settings. Now, click on Change advanced sharing settings. Now, select Connect via other network settings. Now, click on Open network and sharing center. Click on Connection Information to verify that your Mac is sharing on your Local Area Network. Choose Internet protocol for sharing from the drop down list.

How do I disable Internet Sharing on my Mac?

If you're running macOS 10.

14, it's time to give up on the Internet Sharing option in System Preferences and instead use your Mac's firewall software to keep you safe from online threats.

You won't see the Internet Sharing option when you open System Preferences, but you can still manage your network connections and firewall settings from your Mac's Network preferences pane.14, you don't have access to Internet Sharing in System Preferences, but you can still use your Mac's firewall software to keep you safe from online threats.

Internet Sharing lets you share your wired or wireless network connection with other computers. You can share the Internet connection of a computer (or a wired Ethernet network connection) with another Mac or Windows PC over Wi-Fi or Bluetooth. Internet Sharing also lets you create a VPN tunnel between two or more computers.

To share your Internet connection over Wi-Fi or Bluetooth, you must use the Internet Sharing option in your Mac's System Preferences to configure your network settings and then turn on Internet Sharing. If you want to use the Internet Sharing option, you first have to create a shared network connection. For example, you could connect your Mac or Windows PC to your modem or cable modem, or connect them to the same network using Ethernet cables.

Then you'd need to configure your Mac's or PC's network settings to use this shared connection. Finally, you'd have to turn on Internet Sharing and start sharing your Internet connection to your Mac or PC.

Internet Sharing is useful for testing new software or for connecting to the Internet on a Mac or PC that doesn't have an Ethernet port. However, there are other ways to connect to the Internet on a Mac or PC that don't involve sharing your Internet connection.

If you'd rather use your Mac or PC's Wi-Fi or Bluetooth network connection to connect to the Internet, you'll need to create a VPN tunnel between your Mac or PC and your Internet service provider.