How to Get a Wi-Fi Login Page to Load

You joined the hotel, airport, or cafe Wi-Fi, the login page never appeared, and nothing loads. The portal works by intercepting an unencrypted web request, so give it one and clear away whatever blocks it.

Open a plain http address

Open a browser and type one of these in the address bar, including the http://:

http://neverssl.com
http://captive.apple.com

Encrypted https pages cannot be redirected, which is why your usual sites show an error. A plain http page gets redirected straight to the login form.

Turn off any VPN

A VPN blocks the redirect. Turn it off in the VPN app, or under Settings, VPN on iPhone and Settings, Network & internet, VPN on Android. Turn it back on after you log in. Private DNS and ad-blocking DNS apps can do the same, so pause them too.

Trigger the login prompt again

On iPhone, open Settings, Wi-Fi, and tap the network name; the login sheet often reappears. On Android, pull down the notification shade and tap Sign in to network, or open Settings, Network & internet, Internet, tap the network, and tap Sign in. On a laptop, disconnect from Wi-Fi and reconnect.

Forget the network and join it again

iPhone: Settings, Wi-Fi, tap the i next to the network, Forget This Network, then rejoin. Android: long-press the network in Wi-Fi settings and tap Forget, then rejoin. Windows and Mac: remove the network from the known networks list and rejoin. A fresh join restarts the portal session.

Turn off the private address for this network

Portals remember your device by its hardware address, and phones now randomize it. iPhone: Settings, Wi-Fi, tap the i, set Private Wi-Fi Address to Off (or Fixed on newer versions). Android: tap the network's gear icon, Privacy, Use device MAC. Rejoin the network afterward.

Set DNS back to Automatic

If you ever set custom DNS such as 1.1.1.1 or 8.8.8.8, the portal cannot answer the lookup. iPhone: tap the i next to the network, Configure DNS, Automatic. Android: Settings, Network & internet, Private DNS, Off. On a laptop, set the Wi-Fi adapter's DNS to obtain automatically.

If the page still never loads. The portal may have expired your session, so disconnect and reconnect, or the venue's connection is down and no device can get through. Ask the front desk whether the Wi-Fi is working.

If the page loads but the button does nothing. Some portals only work in the phone's built-in login window, not in Chrome or Safari, and many fail in private or incognito tabs. Close the browser, rejoin, and use the sheet that pops up.