Stop the “New Interface Detected: Thunderbolt Bridge” Alert in Mac OS X Network Preferences

Some Mac users have recently stumbled upon a “Thunderbolt Bridge” alert dialog that shows up when they visit the Mac OS X Network preference panel, the full text of the message box says:

“New Interface Detected
 
A new network has been detected:
 
Thunderbolt Bridge
 
Please verify that it is configured correctly, then press Apply to activate it.”

Because this is showing up out of the blue for most Mac users, it’s causing a fair amount of confusion as to what it is, why it’s showing up, and what to do about it… and that’s what we’re going to explain here.

What is Thunderbolt Bridge? Why is it Suddenly Showing Up on Mac?

Thunderbolt Bridge allows you to connect Macs together to transfer files and data back and forth directly using a Thunderbolt cable, without the need for using traditional file sharing methods like AFP, AirDrop, or wi-fi and ethernet networking. Because of the impressive speed offered through Thunderbolt connections, a Thunderbolt Bridge transfer makes copying data between Macs extremely fast, reaching speeds of 10GB/s.

This is commonly used with Migration Assistant to move everything from an old Mac to a new Mac at the fastest possible speed, but it can also be used for generic file transfers and Target Disk Mode as well.

To use Thunderbolt Bridge as a networking option, you’ll need a Thunderbolt Cable and both Mac computers must be running Mac OS X Mavericks or newer with Thunderbolt Support.

Ok so Thunderbolt Bridge is for networking, but why is it showing up randomly?

The reason most users are seeing this message now in the Network preference panel is likely because they recently updated Mac OS X, which added support for the feature in Mavericks. If you haven’t been to the Network preference panel in a while, you’ll see it the when you go there.

Likewise, if you visited the Network Preference panel, simply clicked “OK” on the alert box, and then ignored the addition, you’ll get nagged with the same alert box again informing you the interface has been detected.

How to Stop the “New Interface Detected: Thunderbolt Bridge” Pop-Up from Appearing

You have two options: adding the interface and ignoring it, or deleting the Thunderbolt Bridge networking interface (don’t worry, you can add it back later if you want to actually use the service for file transfers):

Solution 1: Add the Thunderbolt Bridge Network Interface

1. Open the Network Preference panel as usual to bring about the “New Interface Detected” popup dialog, then click “OK” to dismiss the alert
2. Now select “Thunderbolt Bridge” from the preference panel, then click the “Apply” button to set the addition of the new networking interface to OS X

All this is doing is accepting the Thunderbolt Bridge as another networking option, it does not mean you have to use it.

You should be able to close out of Network Preferences and never be bothered by this message again, but if for some reason it shows up you again you set it to ‘inactive’ by doing the following:

1. Select “Thunderbolt Bridge” from the Network panel and click the gear icon
2. Choose “Make Service Inactive”

Solution 2: Removing the Thunderbolt Bridge Network Interface

You can also choose to remove the Thunderbolt Bridge from an available networking interface. This is the best solution if for some reason the above two approaches don’t work to make that alert message go away.

1. From the Network Preference panel, click “OK” on the New Interface Detected dialog
2. Now select “Thunderbolt Bridge” from the sidebar and click the little [-] minus button to delete the option as a networking interface
3. Choose “Apply” to set the change

This is not permanent, but it will stop the nagging window from showing up in Mac OS X Network preferences.

If you decide you want to use Thunderbolt Bridge as a Mac-to-Mac networking option down the road, simply go back to the Network control panel, click the [+] plus button, and add Thunderbolt Bridge as a networking interface option again.