Starbucks has been giving people a place to gather and caffeine for years. And one of the main advantages of this famous “third place” between work and home, especially for teleworkers, is free Wi-Fi. Connecting to Wi-Fi at any Starbucks store is usually straightforward.
Find a location
If you’re in an unfamiliar area and want to find the nearest store, Starbucks makes it easy. Just use the Starbucks Location Page and enter your city, state, or zip code, and a list of nearby results will appear. You can also just use your current location (you’ll need to allow the site to access your location first).
Connecting to free Starbucks Wi-Fi
Use your device’s Wi-Fi menu (in the upper right corner of the screen on a Mac, in the lower right corner of the screen on a Windows PC, or in Settings on an iPhone or Android) to view a list of networks available nearby.
As long as you’re within range of Starbucks’ free Wi-Fi network, you’ll see it as “Google Starbucks.” Starbucks locations use Google Fiber Internet for their networks.
Once your device is connected, open a web browser. The page that loads should be a login portal for Wi-Fi. In some cases, this may open automatically.
If this is your first time connecting to a Starbucks network, you will be prompted to enter your:
- last name and first name
- e-mail address
- Postal code
Once you’ve done that, click “Agree and Continue” to sign in.
Please note that by logging in and accepting the terms, you authorize Starbucks to send you offers via email. Check if you can disable this option before logging in. If you can’t, unsubscribe once the company sends you a promotional email. There will be a link titled “Unsubscribe” at the very bottom.
Once you have accepted the terms, you will see a web page telling you that you have successfully connected to the network. You’re ready to sip your coffee and cruise your way.
Whatever device you connect to should automatically reconnect to the network on future visits without you having to re-enter your information (unless you remove the network from your Wi-Fi menu).
Troubleshooting Starbucks Free Wi-Fi
While many people connect to Starbucks’ free Wi-Fi without issue, its network can be finicky. If you can’t sign in or have trouble signing in, there are several methods you can try.
Delete and re-add the network
If your device is unable to connect to the network at all, you can remove it from the list of Wi-Fi networks on your device and try to reconnect it.
How you do this depends on your device. For example, in Windows 10, right-click the network in the list of available Wi-Fi networks and select “Forget”. On an iPhone, tap the blue “i” to the right of a network name on the Settings > Wi-Fi screen and tap “Forget this network.” On a Mac, you’ll find this option in System Preferences > Network.
Clear your browser cache
You can also try clearing your cache in Chrome or another browser. The option will be available in your browser settings.
Try connecting to Google or an HTTP website
Navigating to the Google website may also display the login page. Try entering the full URL (https://www.google.com) instead of just google.com.
Advice: Logging into an HTTP website can often help bring up the login page. If you need a simple and fast HTTP website to connect, try example.com.
Change your DNS settings
Problems with café Wi-Fi are often a Domain Name System (DNS) problem.
If you’ve already changed your DNS settings, try restoring them to default. This should solve the problem. If not, you can try reconfiguring your DNS settings.
Other possible quick fixes include:
- reset Wi-Fi connection by turning off/on Wi-Fi on your device
- browsing to a non-HTTPS page in your browser in an incognito window
- restart your device
- temporarily disable your VPN
Advice: If you’re using Starbucks’ free public Wi-Fi, avoid hunkering down for an extended period of time without making at least a small purchase. It’s just good etiquette. The staff won’t be happy about someone occupying the same table for six hours, especially if they haven’t bought anything from the store.
