Share the internet connection from your iPhone or iPad with your Mac
You can share the internet connection from your iPhone or iPad (Wi-Fi + Cellular) with other devices using a feature called Instant Hotspot. Instant Hotspot is useful when your Mac doesn’t have internet access from a Wi-Fi network.
There are several ways to connect to the Personal Hotspot on your iPhone or iPad:
Connect your Mac to your iPhone or iPad through Wi-Fi settings.
Pair your two devices with Bluetooth.
Connect your Mac to your iPhone or iPad with a cable.
Before you begin
Make sure of the following:
The devices are within 10 metres of each other.
Both devices meet minimum system requirements for Instant Hotspot.
If you’re sharing your Personal Hotspot with your Apple devices, it’s faster to connect if you signed in to the same Apple Account on both devices.
Note: You can only use Personal Hotspot by sharing your iPhone or iPad device’s mobile data connection. You can’t connect your iPhone or iPad to a Wi-Fi network and then share that network with another device.
Set up Personal Hotspot on iPhone or iPad
On your iPhone or iPad, go to Settings > Mobile, tap Set Up Personal Hotspot, then follow the on-screen instructions.
If you’re using an iPhone and it’s set up to use two SIMs, Personal Hotspot uses the line you select for mobile data. See Set up Dual Sim.
Note: If Mobile Data is turned on in Settings > Mobile, but you don’t see Set Up Personal Hotspot as an option, contact your service provider about adding Personal Hotspot to your plan.
Turn Personal Hotspot on and off on iPhone or iPad
On your iPhone or iPad, go to Settings > Personal Hotspot.
You can choose who is allowed to use your Personal Hotspot, set a password, and — if you’re in a Family Sharing group — decide if you want to automatically share your Personal Hotspot with specific family members.
Connect your Mac to a Personal Hotspot with Wi-Fi
On your Mac, click on the menu bar, then choose your iPhone or iPad.
Note: It may take a few seconds for your device to appear in the Wi-Fi list. Try clicking Other Networks if you don’t see it.
If you signed in to the same Apple Account on both your Mac and your iPhone or iPad, you’re connected. Otherwise, you need to enter the password for your Personal Hotspot.
A blue band appears at the top of your iPhone or iPad screen, and the Personal Hotspot icon appears in the status bar of the connected Mac.
After you connect to the Personal Hotspot on your iPhone or iPad, you can use the Wi-Fi status menu to check your device’s battery status and the strength of its mobile data signal.
When you’re not using using the hotspot, your devices automatically disconnect to save battery life.
Connect your Mac to a Personal Hotspot with Bluetooth
You can connect your Mac to the Personal Hotspot on your iPhone or iPad using Bluetooth instead of Wi-Fi. Both devices must have Bluetooth turned on.
On your Mac, choose Apple menu > System Settings, then click Bluetooth in the sidebar. (You may need to scroll down.)
On your iPhone or iPad, go to Settings > Bluetooth to make it is discoverable.
On your Mac, select your iPhone or iPad when it appears. (It may take a moment.)
As soon as it’s connected by Bluetooth, your Mac is able to use your iPhone or iPad device’s mobile data connection.
Connect your Mac to a Personal Hotspot with a USB cable
You can connect a Mac to the Personal Hotspot on your iPhone or iPad using the USB cable that came with your iPhone or iPad or another cable that matches the ports on your devices.
Note: If you see an alert on your iPhone or iPad that says “Trust This Computer?”, tap Trust. You may be asked to enter your device passcode to proceed. If you see an alert on your Mac that says “Allow accessory to connect?”, click Allow.
As soon as it’s connected by a cable, your Mac is able to use your iPhone or iPad device’s mobile data connection.
If your Personal Hotspot isn’t working
Make sure that your devices have Wi-Fi and Bluetooth turned on.
Your devices must be within 10 metres of one another.
See the Apple Support article If Personal Hotspot is not working on your iPhone or iPad (Wi-Fi + Cellular) for additional troubleshooting steps.