Personal Hotspot

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Hotspot Easily Connects All Your Devices to Wi-Fi. Connectify Hotspot makes all your devices happy. This easy-to-use virtual router application lets you share Internet from your laptop with your smartphone, tablet, media player, e-reader, other laptops, and even your nearby friends. Use it anywhere in the world without restrictions. Personal Hotspot provides data-tethering functionality from a cellular-enabled iOS device, allowing you to share its data connection to another device via Wi-Fi, Bluetooth or USB. It's a great way to work mobile with a laptop and not have to worry about finding a Wi-Fi hotspot to work from.

Use these steps first

Try again after each step.

  1. Check that Personal Hotspot is turned on in Settings > Personal Hotspot. If you can't find or turn on Personal Hotspot, check that your wireless carrier enabled it and that your wireless plan supports it.
  2. Restart the iPhone or iPad that provides Personal Hotspot and the other device that needs to connect to Personal Hotspot.
  3. Make sure that you have the latest version of iOS.
  4. On the iPhone or iPad that provides Personal Hotspot, go to Settings > General > Reset, then tap Reset Network Settings.

If you still need help, use the steps below for help with Personal Hotspot over Wi-Fi, USB, or Bluetooth.

If you can't connect to Personal Hotspot with Wi-Fi

On the device that provides Personal Hotspot, go to Settings > Personal Hotspot, then follow these steps:

  1. Make sure that Allow Others to Join is on.
  2. Remember the device's Wi-Fi network name and password that appear on this screen. If you want to change the Wi-Fi network name, learn how to change your device name.
  3. If you're using an iPhone 12, iPhone 12 mini, iPhone 12 Pro, or iPhone 12 Pro Max, turn on Maximize Compatibility. Then try connecting your devices again to your Personal Hotspot.
  4. Stay on this screen until you connect your other device to the Wi-Fi network.
Personal hotspot for work

On the device that needs to connect to Personal Hotspot, follow these steps:

  1. Turn Wi-Fi off and back on.
  2. Make sure that you connect to the correct Wi-Fi network. The network name is the same as the iOS device that provides Personal Hotspot and might appear next to it.
  3. If you see a password error when you try to join Personal Hotspot, check the Wi-Fi password: On the device that provides Personal Hotspot, go to Settings > Personal Hotspot to see the Wi-Fi password.

If you can't connect to Personal Hotspot with USB

To avoid unnecessary data charges, turn off Personal Hotspot when you don't need it. If you don't, every time you plug your iOS device with Personal Hotspot into your computer to charge, your computer will connect to Personal Hotspot.

Follow the steps below for your Mac or Windows PC.

Connect your Mac to Personal Hotspot with USB

  1. Update to the latest version of iTunes.
  2. With a USB cable, connect your Mac to the iPhone or iPad that provides Personal Hotspot. If prompted, trust the device.
  3. Make sure that you can locate and view your iPhone or iPad in iTunes or the Finder. If your Mac doesn't recognize your device, try a different USB cable.
  4. Go to System Preferences > Network, then select iPhone USB. If you don’t see it, click and add it.
  5. Click , choose Make Service Inactive, then click Apply.
  6. Click , choose Make Service Active, then click Apply. If you already have a different network connection, your Personal Hotspot connection might not activate until you uncheck “Disable unless needed” and click Apply.

Connect your Windows PC to Personal Hotspot with USB

  1. Update to the latest version of iTunes.
  2. With a USB cable, connect your computer to the iPhone or iPad that provides Personal Hotspot. If prompted, trust the device.
  3. Make sure that you can locate and view your iPhone or iPad in iTunes. If your Windows PC doesn't recognize your device, try a different USB cable.
  4. Follow the steps provided by Microsoft to check your Internet connection in Windows 10 or Windows 7.

If you can't connect to Personal Hotspot with Bluetooth

Use the steps below to pair your devices and connect to Personal Hotspot with Bluetooth.

Pair your devices

  1. On the device that provides Personal Hotspot, go to Settings > Personal Hotspot and make sure Allow Others to Join is on.
  2. Go to Settings > Bluetooth and make sure that Bluetooth is on.
  3. Keep this screen open, then follow the steps for the device that needs to connect:
    • On your iPad or iPod touch, tap Settings > Bluetooth and make sure Bluetooth is on. Tap the device that provides Personal Hotspot, confirm the code that appears, then tap Pair on both devices.
    • On your Mac, choose Apple () menu > System Preferences, then click Bluetooth and make sure Bluetooth is on. Select the device providing Personal Hotspot, click Connect, then follow the onscreen instructions.
    • On your Windows PC, click the Bluetooth icon in the Notification area and make sure Bluetooth is on. Choose Add a Bluetooth Device, then follow the onscreen instructions.

Connect to Personal Hotspot with Bluetooth

Personal Hotspot Iphone

Personal hotspot not working

Here's how to connect your Mac or PC:

  • On your Mac, click in the menu bar. Choose your iOS device that provides Personal Hotspot, then choose Connect to Network. If you can't connect, skip to the next section.
  • On your Windows PC, click in the Notification area and choose Join A Personal Area Network. Right-click your device and hover your pointer over 'Connect using,' then select 'Access point.' If you still can't connect, skip to the next section.

If you still can’t connect to Personal Hotspot with Bluetooth

On your devices, turn Bluetooth off and back on:

  • On your iOS devices, go to Settings > Bluetooth and turn Bluetooth off and back on.
  • On your Mac, click in the menu bar, then turn Bluetooth off and back on.
  • On your PC, choose Settings, click , then turn Bluetooth off and back on.

If you still can't connect, follow these steps:

  1. Unpair your device:
    • On the iPad or iPod touch that needs to connect to Personal Hotspot, tap Settings > Bluetooth. Tap next to the device that provides Personal Hotspot, then tap Forget this Device.
    • On your Mac, choose Apple () menu > System Preferences, then click Bluetooth. Select the device that provides Personal Hotspot, then click .
    • On your Windows PC, click in the Notification area. Select 'Show Bluetooth devices' and select the device that provides Personal Hotspot. Click Remove, then click OK.
  2. Restart all your devices.
  3. Pair your devices and try again to connect to Personal Hotspot.

Get more help

If you still can’t connect, contact Apple Support to get help with your iPhone or iPad (Wi-Fi + Cellular).

Set up Personal Hotspot

  1. Go to Settings > Cellular > Personal Hotspot or Settings > Personal Hotspot.
  2. Tap the slider next to Allow Others to Join.

If you don't see the option for Personal Hotspot, contact your carrier to make sure that you can use Personal Hotspot with your plan.

Connect to Personal Hotspot with Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, or USB

You can connect to a Personal Hotspot using Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, or USB. And with iOS 13 or later, devices that are connected to a Personal Hotspot will stay connected, even if the screen is locked, so those devices will still get notifications and messages.

Here are some tips for using each method.

When you connect a device to your Personal Hotspot, the status bar turns blue and shows how many devices have joined. The number of devices that can join your Personal Hotspot at one time depends on your carrier and iPhone model. If other devices have joined your Personal Hotspot using Wi-Fi, you can use only cellular data to connect to the Internet from the host device.

Use these steps to connect:

Wi-Fi

On the device that you want to connect to, go to Settings > Cellular > Personal Hotspot or Settings > Personal Hotspot and make sure that it's on. Then verify the Wi-Fi password and name of the phone. Stay on this screen until you’ve connected your other device to the Wi-Fi network.

On the device that you want to connect, go to Settings > Wi-Fi and look for your iPhone or iPad in the list. Then tap the Wi-Fi network to join. If asked, enter the password for your Personal Hotspot.

Bluetooth

To make sure that your iPhone or iPad is discoverable, go to Settings > Bluetooth and stay on that screen. Then on your Mac or PC, follow the manufacturer directions to set up a Bluetooth network connection. Learn more about using Personal Hotspot with Bluetooth.

Personal Hotspot supports Bluetooth connections with Mac, PC, and other third-party devices. To connect another iOS device, use Wi-Fi.

Personal hotspot verizon

USB

Make sure that you have the latest version of iTunes on your Mac or PC. Then connect your iPhone or iPad to your computer with the USB cable that came with your device. If you see an alert that says tap 'Trust This Computer?' tap Trust.

Learn more about connecting a device to your iPhone or iPad's Personal Hotspot.

Let your family join automatically

You can set up Family Sharing so that your family can join your Personal Hotspot automatically—without needing to enter the password. Here's what to do:

  1. On your device with Personal Hotspot, go to Settings > Personal Hotspot > Family Sharing.
  2. Turn on Family Sharing. If you don't see the option, learn how to set up Family Sharing.
  3. Tap the name of each of your family members and set whether they need to ask for approval or join your Personal Hotspot automatically.

Disconnect devices

To disconnect a device, turn off Personal Hotspot, turn off Bluetooth, or unplug the USB cable from your device.

Set or change your Wi-Fi password

You need to set a Wi-Fi password in order to set up a Personal Hotspot. To change the Wi-Fi password, go to Settings > Cellular > Personal Hotspot or Settings > Personal Hotspot, then tap the Wi-Fi password.*

Choose a Wi-Fi password that's at least eight characters long and use ASCII characters. If you use non-ASCII characters, other devices will be unable to join your Personal Hotspot. Non-ASCII characters include characters in Japanese, Russian, Chinese, and other languages. ASCII characters include:

  • All the letters in English, both lowercase and uppercase
  • The digits 0 through 9
  • Some punctuation marks

* When you change your password, any connected devices will be disconnected.

How To Use Iphone Hotspot On Computer

Learn more

Personal Hotspot Won't Connect

  • Certain apps and features that require a Wi-Fi connection might not work while using a Personal Hotspot. For example, you might not be able to make an iCloud backup or upload photos to iCloud Photo Library or Photo Stream.
  • Learn how to use Instant Hotspot on your Mac, iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch.
  • Get help with Personal Hotspot on your iOS device.