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Enable macOS firewall stealth mode to ignore ping requests

Turn on the macOS firewall and enable stealth mode if you do not need your Mac to answer network discovery probes. According to Apple, stealth mode prevents responses to ping requests and to connection attempts against closed TCP or UDP ports.

This makes simple network discovery more difficult, but it does not make the Mac invisible and does not block connections that the firewall already allows.

How to fix it

Current macOS versions

  1. Choose Apple menu > System Settings.
  2. Open Network > Firewall. You may need to scroll down.
  3. If the firewall is off, turn it on first.
  4. Click Options.
  5. Turn on Enable stealth mode, then click OK.
macOS firewall options with Enable stealth mode turned on

macOS 10.11–12

  1. Choose Apple menu > System Preferences > Security & Privacy > Firewall.
  2. Click the lock and authenticate if macOS asks you to make changes.
  3. Click Firewall Options or Advanced.
  4. Select Enable stealth mode, then confirm the dialog.
Legacy macOS firewall options with Enable stealth mode selected

What stealth mode does not do

  • It does not replace the macOS application firewall, router firewall, software updates, or secure service configuration.
  • It does not hide the Mac’s IP address or prevent all network traffic.
  • It can make legitimate ping-based troubleshooting and monitoring fail. If your organization relies on those checks, confirm the requirement before enabling it.

For the related prerequisite, see Turn on the macOS firewall.

Apple sources