After upgrading to macOS Sequoia, both Chrome and Firefox lost connection on my MacBook Air, and I can’t access the network via these two web browsers. I have visited some forums and found that many users have experienced the same issue with the macOS 15 (Sequoia) firewall. Why macOS Sequoia firewall prevent Chrome/Firefox from accessing networks, and how to fix this issue?
Hello after updating to MacOS 15, the same problems have been encountered here; this is a complete disaster! I frequently have trouble opening webpages in Chrome on my first try. I also use Zwift for my cycling sessions, but it keeps disconnecting every one to two minutes.
It seems that a group of users who had the firewall turned on before the upgrade have reported experiencing this problem. Firefox is automatically blocked by the firewall restrictions, which users cannot manually unblock using the Apple menu system settings. Other programs have also reported experiencing similar problems, indicating that Firefox is not the only program affected.
If you have enabled Mac firewall before upgrading to macOS Sequoia, you may be affected after the update. Although many Mac users have reported the issue to Apple, there is no official solution, it may be fixed in the next macOS Sequoia update.
But there are some workarounds for the issue that web browsers are blocked by Sequoia firewall. If you need to get rid of the issue in time, you can try the solutions below.
Add the browser to the firewall via Terminal
You can use the built-in Terminal to add the blocked browser to the firewall by running certain commands, after that, the web browser should access the network normally. Here’s how:
- Open the Terminal app via Spotlight.
- Type command ls -l /Applications to list available software.
- Run this command to add the blocked browser to the firewall. E.g.: To allow Firefox access, run: /usr/libexec/ApplicationFirewall/socketfilterfw --add /Applications/Firefox.app
- Press Enter to make the changes.
Turn off the firewall on your Mac
Generally speaking, you should keep the firewall enabled on your Mac. Malware and other harmful data that might evade a router or gateway’s built-in firewall are blocked by firewalls. Additionally, they stop malicious programs and applications from running on your computer. If you still decide to turn off the firewall to use the web browser, you can follow the steps below:
- Open the Apple menu and choose System Settings.
- Select Network in the sidebar, then click Firewall on the right panel.
- Toggle off the button to turn off the Firewall.
Downgrade/upgrade macOS
You can downgrade macOS Sequoia to the previous version in which the web browser works normally. Otherwise, check for any new macOS Sequoia update, and install it, then, the web browsers get blocked by Sequoia firewall could be solved.
Thanks a lot! I tired to run command in Terminal to add my Chrome, now it works to access the network again!