How to turn on Airplane Mode on MacBook

I was settling in for a flight, comfortable in my seat, and beginning to doze off before takeoff. Suddenly, my neighbor — a slightly nervous older man — started fidgeting next to me. He seemed a little unsure and leaned over to ask: "Excuse me. Is there Airplane Mode on MacBook?" I explained that while there's no one-click button, you can get the same result by tweaking a few settings.

What does Airplane Mode do for Mac?

Before jumping into how to turn on Airplane Mode on your MacBook, let's go over what it actually means. Airplane Mode is meant to disable certain features that might interfere with an aircraft's systems, allowing electronic devices to be safely used during a flight. Typically, enabling Airplane Mode shuts off everything using a radio signal, like cellular service and Wi-Fi, but leaves Bluetooth active since it's a close-range signal that doesn't disrupt aircraft operations. If you choose to turn off Bluetooth manually — say, on an iPhone or iPad — while Airplane Mode is on, your device will remember this preference the next time you activate Airplane Mode.

How to enable Airplane Mode on Mac

Let's dive into the specifics of how you can mimic Airplane Mode on your Mac by adjusting individual settings.

Disable Wi-Fi

First things first, you’ll want to disable the Wi-Fi on your Mac. Here’s how you do it: Click the Wi-Fi icon in the top-right corner of your screen > Turn off the switcher. 

You may also like the article about the top 15 Mac apps for frequent travelers.

Disable Bluetooth

Here's how to turn off Bluetooth on your Mac:

1. Go to the Apple menu and select System Settings.
2. Click on Bluetooth.
3. Turn off the Bluetooth switcher.

Disable Location Services

Many websites and applications need to use your Mac's location to work properly. Still, because Location Services uses GPS and satellite signals to determine your device's location, this feature must be turned off when you are on an airplane. So, let's disable Location Services:

1. Go to the Apple menu and choose System Settings.
2. Go to Privacy & Security.
3. Click on Location Services and turn off the Location Services switcher.

Note that if you later want to set up Find My on your Mac, Location Services need to be turned back on.

How to turn off MacBook Airplane Mode

To turn off Airplane Mode, you need to turn Wi-Fi back on — from the menu bar or System Settings. If you've turned off Bluetooth, you'll also need to turn it back on. You can do this from the menu bar (if you can see the Bluetooth icon) or System Preferences. Do not forget to turn on Location Services from System Settings. This will be useful if you later want to set up Find My on your Mac.

How to put Mac on Airplane Mode: Final thoughts

So there you have it! By diving into the specifics of Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and Location Services, you've mimicked the functionality of Airplane Mode on a MacBook Pro or MacBook Air. Follow the steps from the article and keep your flight safe.

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