What is a MAC Address and How to Find It On PC or Mac

Any device that connects to a WiFi network must identify itself to the network using a unique network address. This unique identifier, known as the Media Access Control (MAC) address helps the network administrators or observers track or profile every user’s network activity and location over time.

While you may not have to worry about your device’s MAC address most of the time, there are times you need to know your network adapter’s MAC address. This way, you can identify the device or configure networking permissions on your router.

What is a MAC Address?

The MAC address is a unique 17-character (00:1A:C2:9B:00:68, for example) which serves as a hardware identifier that’s embedded on your computer’s network interface controller (NIC) card.

The unique identifier is assigned by the device manufacturer and permanently tied to your device. This allows for communication between devices within a local network to initiate a connection.

There are two main types of MAC addresses: Universally Administered Address (UAA) and Locally Administered Address (LAA).

The UAA is the more popular type, which is assigned by the device manufacturer, while the LAA changes your adapter’s MAC address. You can assign the LAA to your network device and it will override the address assigned by the manufacturer.

Your device’s MAC address is sometimes confused for the IP address even though both are used to identify your device on the internet, but there are some major differences. 

MAC addresses are permanently assigned by the device manufacturer to identify your machine from others and are designed not to be modified. IP addresses handle the logical routable connection from your devices and networks, and can change based on location.

Your device’s MAC address is used inside your local network, while the IP address can be used across the world to identify network devices.

Finding Your MAC Address

Windows (two methods)

Method 1:

1. Click Start and in the Search Programs and Files box type ncpa.cpl and then push Enter on your keyboard.
2. The Network Connections window will appear. Double-click on either Local Area Connection icon (if you are trying to register your Ethernet/wired connection) or Wireless Network Connection.
3. In the window that appears, click Details… and in the subsequent window you’ll see the Physical Address field: that is your MAC address.

Method 2:

1. Click Start then Run (in Windows 7, Start and type in the Search Programs and Files box.)
2. Enter: cmd
3. Enter: ipconfig /all
   If the output scrolls off your screen, and it will on Vista and Windows 7, use: ipconfig /all | more
4. The Physical Address is your MAC address; it will look like 00-15-E9-2B-99-3C. You will have a physical address for each network connection that you have.

Mac OS

1. Click on the Apple menu then System Preferences then Network
2. MAC address for wireless connections:
   1. Select AirPort or Wi-Fi from the list on the left.
   2. Click the Advanced button.
   3. On the AirPort or Wi-Fi tab, the AirPort ID or Wi-Fi Address is your MAC address.

Linux

1. Become root, using su.
2. Enter: ifconfig -a # ifconfig -a eth0 Link encap:Ethernet HWaddr 00:09:3D:12:33:33 inet addr:10.248.155.17 Bcast:10.248.255.255 Mask:255.255.0.0 inet6 addr: fe50::234:3dff:fe12:7d73/64 Scope:Link UP BROADCAST RUNNING MULTICAST MTU:1500 Metric:1 RX packets:3489041718 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 frame:0 TX packets:3259212142 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 carrier:0 collisions:0 txqueuelen:1000 RX bytes:2732221481 (2.5 GiB) TX bytes:4065716672 (3.7 GiB) Interrupt:185
3. The ethernet devices are called eth0, eth1, and so on The MAC address is in the first line of the output, labeled HWaddr, it is 00:09:3D:12:33:33.

iOS

1. From the Home menu, tap on Settings.
2. Tap on General
3. Tap on About
4. Scroll down to Wi-Fi Address and write down the address. This is your MAC address.

iOS 14+

There is a new setting in iOS 14 that may change which address our network verifies for registration. If you have updated to this version, you may need to go through the following steps instead.

1. From the Home menu, tap on Settings.
2. Tap on Wi-Fi 
3. Tap on the Information Icon  next to UCInet Mobile Address or ResNet Mobile Access
4. Scroll down to Wi-Fi Address and write down the address. This is the MAC address associated with this particular network. Note that each network will have a unique address associated with it. As such, if both campus networks are used then both addresses would need to be registered.

Android

1. Go to Settings->Wireless Controls->Wi-Fi settings.
2. Tap the 3 dots on the top right corner.
3. Tap Advanced.
4. Swipe all the way down to the bottom, and you will see both the IP and MAC address.

Kindle

1. From the Home screen press Menu
2. Select Settings
3. The Wi-Fi MAC Address is located toward the bottom of the screen in the Device Info section.