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10 Tech How-To

How to Find Your MAC Address in Windows and macOS

Guide 10-42247 · Updated · Step by step

This guide shows you how to locate the MAC (Media Access Control) address of your computer’s network adapter on both Windows and macOS. You’ll need this unique hardware identifier for network troubleshooting, MAC address filtering on your router, or setting up DHCP reservations. No special tools are required—everything is done through built-in system settings.

What You’ll Need

  • Access to a Windows PC or a Mac
  • Administrator rights are not required for viewing the MAC address
  • For Windows, you may need to know whether you use Wi-Fi or Ethernet

Step-by-Step

Windows 10 and Windows 11

  1. Click the Start button (Windows logo) and type “cmd” or “Command Prompt” in the search box.
  2. Press Enter or click “Command Prompt” in the results to open the terminal window.
  3. Type ipconfig /all and press Enter.
  4. Scroll through the output until you find the section labeled “Ethernet adapter” (for wired connections) or “Wireless LAN adapter Wi-Fi” (for wireless connections).
  5. Look for the line that says “Physical Address”. The value next to it (e.g., 1A-2B-3C-4D-5E-6F) is your MAC address.

Alternatively, you can use the Settings app:

  1. Open Settings (Windows key + I).
  2. Go to Network & Internet (Windows 11) or Network & Internet > Status (Windows 10).
  3. Click “View hardware and connection properties” (Windows 10) or select “Advanced network settings” then “Hardware and connection properties” (Windows 11).
  4. Find your active connection (e.g., “Wi-Fi” or “Ethernet”). The “Physical address (MAC)” field shows the MAC address.

macOS (all recent versions)

  1. Click the Apple menu (top-left corner) and select “System Settings” (on macOS Ventura or later) or “System Preferences” (on older versions).
  2. Click “Network”.
  3. Select the active connection on the left: Wi-Fi or Ethernet.
  4. Click “Details…” (next to the connection name) for Wi-Fi, or just click the connection name for Ethernet.
  5. In the window that opens, click the “Hardware” tab. The “MAC Address” is displayed there (e.g., 1a:2b:3c:4d:5e:6f).

Another quick macOS method:

  1. Open Terminal (found in Applications > Utilities).
  2. Type ifconfig and press Enter.
  3. Look for en0 (usually Wi-Fi) or en1 (often Ethernet). The line starting with ether shows the MAC address.

Common Mistakes

  • Looking at the wrong adapter: A computer has multiple MAC addresses (one per network interface). Make sure you’re copying the one for the connection you actually use (Wi-Fi vs. Ethernet).
  • Confusing IP address with MAC address: The IP address (like 192.168.1.5) changes and is not the MAC address. The MAC address is a fixed 12-character hexadecimal string.
  • Using the “Physical Address” from a disabled adapter: If you see a physical address but the connection is disconnected, that may be an inactive adapter. Use the one for your active connection.
  • Including extra characters: On Windows, the address uses hyphens (e.g., AA-BB-CC-DD-EE-FF). On macOS, it uses colons (e.g., aa:bb:cc:dd:ee:ff). Both are the same address; don’t mix the separators when entering it elsewhere.

Tips

  • Use the command line for speed: ipconfig /all on Windows and ifconfig on macOS are faster than clicking through menus once you’re familiar with them.
  • Copy, don’t type: MAC addresses are long and easy to mistype. Highlight the value and copy it directly into whatever form or configuration you need.
  • Check for “randomized” MAC addresses: On both Windows and macOS, there’s a privacy feature that can randomize your Wi-Fi MAC address per network. If you’re trying to filter by MAC, either disable this feature for that network or copy the address shown while connected to it.
  • Label your adapters: If you frequently switch between Wi-Fi and Ethernet, note which MAC is which in a text file to avoid confusion.

Troubleshooting

ipconfig /all doesn’t show a Physical Address. This usually means the adapter is disabled. Go to Control Panel > Network and Sharing Center > Change adapter settings, right-click the adapter, and select Enable. Then run ipconfig /all again.

You see multiple “Wireless LAN adapter” sections. Some systems have virtual Wi-Fi adapters (e.g., for mobile hotspot). Look for the one that says “Wi-Fi” without extra words like “Direct” or “Virtual”.

On macOS, the Hardware tab is grayed out. This happens when the connection is not active. Connect to the network first, then try again. If it’s Ethernet, make sure the cable is plugged in.

You can’t find “Details…” on macOS. On older macOS versions (Catalina and earlier), the button is labeled “Advanced…” and the MAC address is under the “Hardware” or “Wi-Fi” tab.

Terminal shows “ifconfig: command not found” on macOS. This is extremely rare; if it happens, your shell path is misconfigured. Try /sbin/ifconfig instead.

The MAC address you copied doesn’t work for router filtering. Double-check that you copied the correct adapter (Wi-Fi vs. Ethernet) and that you didn’t include spaces. Also ensure your router is set to allow the correct format (some accept colons, others only hyphens).

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Is the MAC address the same as the IP address?
A: No. The IP address is assigned by your router and can change. The MAC address is burned into your network hardware and never changes (unless you manually spoof it).

Q: Can I change my MAC address?
A: Yes, both Windows and macOS allow you to set a custom MAC address in the adapter’s advanced settings, but this is rarely needed and can cause network issues if done incorrectly.

Q: Why does my Wi-Fi MAC address look different from what I saw before?
A: Both Windows and macOS have a “private Wi-Fi address” or “random hardware addresses” feature that generates a different MAC per network. You can disable this in the network settings for that specific network.

Q: Do I need the MAC address to connect to the internet?
A: No. The MAC address is used on your local network only. Your internet connection works fine without you ever knowing it.

Q: What do the letters and numbers in a MAC address mean?
A: The first six characters identify the manufacturer of the network card. The last six are a unique serial number for that specific device.

Q: Can I find the MAC address of a device that’s not on my network?
A: Not directly. You can only see MAC addresses of devices that are on the same local network as you (e.g., via your router’s client list).

Related

General steps for current mainstream versions; menus can differ by device and version. See the disclaimer or report an error.

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