How to connect to McDonald’s Wi-Fi: short instruction and 7 popular reasons why you can’t sign in

This restaurant chain is famous for its fast food and free Internet for anyone. It’s one of the favorite spots for school and college students. They can come together, eat and work at the same time.

However, connecting to the free McDonald's Wi-Fi could be tricky. That’s why we at Howly created this guide for you. Stick to our instructions: they work in every restaurant in the food chain. Even in other countries!

Question from the curious: “Does McDonald's have Wi-Fi”?

Yes, every McDonald's has public Internet access. In 90% + cases, it is a free network available for every visitor. You can visit their restaurant, chat with friends online, or work remotely from here. All you need to do is connect to McDonald's Wi-Fi and stick to their network rules.

The guidelines are easy: use their network only to do legitimate things. It can be watching subscription services, chatting with friends, studying, and working. But if the system or staff catch you in some prohibited activities, they can ask you to leave the restaurant immediately. Be aware of that, and don’t violate internal recommendations.

Easy instruction on how to connect to McDonald's free Wi-Fi

The main algorithm remains the same on any device: connect to their network, visit Splash Page and confirm that you are human by tapping on the “Connect” virtual button. That’s it! So it’s easier than a lot of bloggers tell their audience.

In this article, we gathered detailed information on how to do it on the most popular operating systems. Instructions for ChromeOS and Linux will be almost the same – just with slight changes in the names of items.

Guide for iOS

This easy instruction on how to connect to McDonald's Wi-Fi is suitable for both iPhone and iPad. It works even on iPadOS. All mentioned devices have the same interface, so you can use this guide. Just make sure that you are following these steps:

1. Follow this path: Settings → Wi-Fi and find MCD Free Wi-Fi or McDonald's Free Wi-Fi.
2. Then, you will be redirected to the Splash Page on the default browser. Usually, it’s a Safari. If it didn't happen, open any other browser. It should load this page, too.
3. Tap on Get connected virtual button.

As you see, it's easy to get Internet access by logging in to McDonald's Wi-Fi from your iOS device. And the greatest accomplishment of this restaurant chain is that instruction stays the same all around the world: from New York to Barcelona.

Guide for Android

This guide on how to connect to McDonald's Wi-Fi is similar to iOS. Note that some Android devices from different manufacturers have unique interfaces, so the guide may vary. But the overall instruction stays the same:

1. Follow this path: Settings → Data→ Wi-Fi → McDonald’s Free WiFi.
2. Open your browser and wait until the Splash Page loads.
3. Then confirm your identity by tapping on the Connect virtual button.

Samsung, Xiaomi, and Huawei are mostly known for their unique interfaces. So names of items and instructions on those devices may vary. But other phones run primarily on a clear Android with minor design modifications, so the instruction will look similar to those which is above.

The main thing here is don’t forget about authentification on Splash Page. Otherwise, you can’t open and browse social apps like Instagram or TikTok. Or you will be wasting mobile traffic because your phone won’t connect to the MCD public network until you visit Splash.

Guide for macOS

If you want to browse the web with an Apple laptop, it’s possible. Stick to this guide on how to connect to McDonald’s Wi-Fi on a Mac, and you will be able to surf the web within 2-3 minutes:

1. Go to the Status Menu. Click on the Wi-Fi option to expand possible options.
2. Select McDonald’s Free WiFi. Connect to it.
3. Open a browser and wait for a few seconds until it loads Splash Page.
4. Click on the Connect virtual button and agree to the general terms.

The connection process is not so different from the mobile authorization. It will be the same on any macOS device: MacBooks and even iMac. So if you are in a situation where you need to connect an Apple PC monoblock to the MCD network, you can use this instruction. It will look exactly the same on all macOS devices.

Guide for Windows

As we told you, the algorithm stays almost the same on any operating system. All you need is less than a minute of your time. Here is a short guide on reaching McDonald's Wi-Fi connection:

1. Go to the taskbar and click on the Wi-Fi.
2. Find the MCD network and select Connect.
3. You will see the Splash page loading in your browser. Click on the Connect button and check that you agree with the terms of conditions.

That’s it! You can use McDonald's Wi-Fi connection and surf the web. But don’t visit sites with prohibited and adult content. Otherwise, you’ll lose the connection. That’s one of the main rules of this food chain. If you don’t stick to it, management has the right to ask you to leave the restaurant immediately.

7 main causes why you can't connect to McDonald's Wi-Fi

Beware that connecting to McDonald's Wi-Fi is a multi-step procedure. That’s why you may face some glitches that prevent you from using this free network. Here is a list of what could prevent you from Internet access.

1. There is incorrect DNS in the network settings

Look for the correct DNS settings if you can’t log into McDonald’s Wi-Fi. Inputting wrong values leads to an IP conflict. And this prevents you from using a public network MCD Wi-Fi. This issue mostly happens with Windows-based devices because they offer more ways to customize basic settings. Stick to this instruction to fix the MCD Wi-Fi login issue:

1. Open Control Center and follow the next path: Network & Internet  → Sharing → Change adapter settings.
2. You will see the list of connections. Right-click on the one that looks like “McDonald’s Free WiFi”.
3. Choose Properties → IPv4 line. Click on it.
4. Select the “Following DNS” option and type these values in it. Preferred: 8.8.8.8. Alternate: 8.8.4.4
5. Confirm your changes.

This instruction will help you to bring back the DNS settings values to the basic ones. Sometimes VPN or Proxy apps can change these settings and don’t bring them back to the default values after you shut them down. It leads to various system glitches. And one of them is that you can’t use public networks.

2. You're using VPN

A VPN is mainly used to protect connections from external access. But because McDonald's administrators can’t see your IP, they just block all traffic from VPN users. The best solution is the easiest one. Turn off the VPN in the app that you are using and sign into McDonald's Wi-Fi.

This simple action will help you to get Internet access for free.

3. You skipped the Splash Page

When you’re connecting to McDonald's free Wi-Fi, you should confirm your identity on the Splash Page. This action permits you to access this wireless network. You only need to tap or click the “Get Connected” virtual button. If you don’t do this, the system won’t let you browse the web. Here is how you can fix this issue:

1. Switch off your device from any public network.
2. Connect to McDonald's Free WiFi.
3. Go to any browser. It will show a Splash Page in a new tab.
4. Agree to MCD terms of use.

4. The restaurant has traffic filters

McDonald’s is known as a family-friendly restaurant. Their network filter prevents adult content, including sites with 18+ graphics, torrents, and download sites. The firewall marks them as potentially dangerous.

If you can’t connect to McDonald's Wi-Fi now, check the currently open tabs and apps. Closing potentially dangerous ones will fix the problem. If you don’t know which tab or app prevents you from browsing, close all apps except the Internet browser. Also, close all tabs in the browser. It should help to fix the “traffic filter” issue.

5. You’re at a restaurant with limited data access

Some places from this chain restrict the amount of data per visit. It often happens in popular places. This measure helps a restaurant team to prevent overuse of the network.

Some restaurants offer time-based restrictions, while other limits the amount of data. Ask the service staff about it. If they tell you that the place network has data limits, it’s around 0,5 Gb. If they warned you about time limits, prepare for an hour of web surfing.

6. The place has no free Internet

It happens rarely, but McDonald’s still has spots that don’t provide its visitors with free Internet. Those are mostly unpopular restaurants that run on old hardware. Ask the manager about free Wi-Fi access. If they tell you they don’t have it, ask them for the nearest MCD spot with free Internet. They should tell you the address.

7. You’re syncing to incorrect Wi-Fi

You can’t use a free Wi-Fi McDonald's connection if you are trying to sync with other public networks. It’s common in malls, where many shops have networks, and you confuse them.