Troubleshooting Internet Connectivity Problems

If you experience internet connectivity problems such as trouble using Mathematica's integrated data functions, try following the troubleshooting techniques described below.

Open the Internet Connectivity Preferences dialog (Help ► Internet Connectivity) and use the "Test Internet Connectivity" button. Make sure that the box marked "Allow Mathematica to access the Internet" is checked.

If the test succeeds, then Mathematica is correctly configured for internet access, and the problem lies elsewhere, such as a problem with your network configuration.

If the test fails, note how long it took. If there was a minutes-long delay, skip to the "Check your proxy settings" section below for troubleshooting information.

If your web browser does not work, there might be a network problem. To test whether your browser works, make sure to load an uncached page, or use Shift+Reload to force-reload a cached page.

Mathematica's proxy settings are configured in the Internet Connectivity dialog.

By default, Mathematica will attempt to use system proxy settings, if your operating system has them, using the setting Use proxy settings from my system or browser in the Proxy Settings section of the Internet Connectivity dialog (Help ► Internet Connectivity).

If you are experiencing connectivity problems, it is possible that your system has incorrect proxy information or that you do not use a proxy to access the internet. To test this, select the setting Direct connection to the Internet.

Alternatively, try copying the proxy settings from your web browser into Mathematica. The HTTP proxy setting should be sufficient in most cases.

On Windows, Mathematica will by default use the proxy settings found in Windows under Control Panel > Internet Options > Connections. These are the same proxy settings used by Internet Explorer.

For Windows Firefox users, proxy settings are found in Tools > Options. Click "Advanced" at the top, and then click the "Network" tab that appears below. Click the "Settings..." button in the Connections section and a proxy settings window will appear.

On Mac OS X, proxy settings are configured in the Network Preferences panel.

If you're using Windows, try unchecking the "Use same proxy server for all protocols" checkbox in the Proxy Settings dialog under Control Panel > Internet Options > Connections and then clicking the "Advanced" button in the proxy settings section.

If the "Test Network Connectivity" button (described in "Test Internet Connectivity") fails after a minutes-long delay, an incorrect SOCKS proxy configuration is likely to be the problem. Mathematica does not require a SOCKS proxy, but will attempt to use one if the SOCKS proxy information is available.

Certain firewall configurations could cause internet connectivity problems in Mathematica. Temporarily turn off the firewall to see if that fixes the problem.

If so, configure the firewall to allow the Java Runtime Environment in the Mathematica layout to use the internet. Mathematica connects to the internet using the standard HTTP port, port 80.

For more information about Mathematica's connectivity capabilities, see "Internet Connectivity".

If the information in this document does not help you resolve your connectivity problems, consult the Wolfram Research Technical Support troubleshooting guide at support.wolfram.com/mathematica/systems/allplatforms/networkconnectivityissues.html.