networksetup - macOS

Overview

networksetup is a macOS command-line tool for managing network settings and configurations. It offers comprehensive control over various network interfaces and provides advanced options for configuring network-related parameters.

Syntax

networksetup [command] [interface]

Commands

  • listallhardwareports: List all available network hardware ports.
  • listnetworkservices: List all active network services.
  • createlocation: Create a new network location.
  • deletelocation: Delete a network location.
  • switchtolocation: Switch to a specific network location.
  • listpreferredwirelessnetworks: List preferred wireless networks.
  • setairportpower: Enable or disable the AirPort hardware.
  • setdnsservers: Set the DNS servers for a specific interface.
  • setgateways: Set the default gateways for a specific interface.
  • setmacaddress: Set the MAC address for a specific interface.
  • setproxy: Set proxy settings for a specific interface.
  • setsecurewebproxy: Set secure web proxy settings for a specific interface.
  • setwebproxy: Set web proxy settings for a specific interface.
  • showpppoe: Display PPPoE settings for a specific interface.
  • setuppppoe: Set up PPPoE for a specific interface.

Options/Flags

| Option/Flag | Description | Default |
|—|—|—|
| -h | Display help | |
| -v | Verbose mode | |
| -SetDNS | Custom DNS servers | |
| -SetGateway | Custom gateway | |
| -SetMACAddress | Custom MAC address | |
| -SetProxy | Proxy settings | |
| -SetSecureWebProxy | Secure web proxy settings | |
| -SetWebProxy | Web proxy settings | |
| -installdhcpclient | Install customized DHCP client script | |
| -remove | Remove network interface | |

Examples

  • List all network services:

    networksetup listnetworkservices

  • Set DNS servers for Wi-Fi interface:

    networksetup -setdnsservers Wi-Fi 8.8.8.8 8.8.4.4

  • Disable Airport (Wi-Fi):

    networksetup -setairportpower off

  • Set a static IP address for Ethernet interface:

    networksetup -setmacaddress Ethernet 00:11:22:33:44:55
networksetup -setdnsservers Ethernet 8.8.8.8 8.8.4.4
networksetup -setgateways Ethernet 192.168.0.1
networksetup -setwebproxy Ethernet myproxy.example.com 8080

Common Issues

  • “Command not found” error: Ensure that the command is run from the Terminal application and not from a shell script or other context.
  • Permission denied: Run the command with administrator privileges (e.g., sudo networksetup).
  • Invalid interface name: Verify that the specified interface name matches an existing physical or virtual interface.

Integration

  • Combine with ifconfig to configure network interfaces in scripts.
  • Use with scutil to manage system network settings.
  • Create custom network scripts using networksetup -installdhcpclient.
  • ifconfig: Manage network interfaces.
  • scutil: Configure system network settings.
  • airport: Control Wi-Fi settings.