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Do you need to find your MAC address to configure a router or get technical support? It's surprisingly easy to find this unique 12-character address that identifies your device on a network. We'll show you the quickest ways to locate the MAC address in Windows, macOS, and Linux, as well as on your Chromebook, iPhone, iPad, or gaming console.
Finding the MAC Address on Windows
- Open the Command Prompt by pressing Windows key + S and searching “Command.”
- Type “ipconfig /all” and press “Enter.”
- Locate the network adapter and find the MAC address next to “Physical Address.”
Steps
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Open the Command Prompt on your PC. You can use this method on any version of Windows, including Windows 10, 8.1, 7, and earlier.
- Open the Windows Search bar by pressing Windows key + S .
- Type Command into the search bar.
- Click Command Prompt in the search results.
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Type ipconfig /all at the prompt and press ↵ Enter . This displays a bunch of network information in the Command Prompt window. [1] X Research sourceAdvertisement
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Locate the network adapter for which you want to find the MAC address. Each adapter has a name that describes the type of adapter it is—for example, Wireless LAN adapter Wi-Fi is your Wi-Fi connection, while Ethernet adapter is your Ethernet (wired) network card.
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Find the MAC address next to "Physical Address." It's the series of letters and numbers that looks like this: 1A-2B-3C-D4-E5-F6. [2] X Research source
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Connect to a network . For example, if you want to find the MAC address of your Wi-Fi network adapter, connect to Wi-Fi now.
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Click the network icon . This is the network icon near the clock, which is usually at the bottom-right corner of the screen. [3] X Research source
- If you're connected to Wi-Fi, it'll be a wireless symbol, which looks like a cone made of curved lines.
- If you're connected through a wired connection, you'll see a computer with an ethernet cable.
- Depending on your connection type, the icon could also be a white globe.
- If you don't see an icon that looks like any of these, click the Windows menu, select Settings , and then click Network & Internet .
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Click Properties on your connection. You should see this link right below the active connection.
- If you got to your connection via your Settings, click the button that says Properties in the right panel.
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Scroll down to the “Properties” section. It's the final section in the window.
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Find the MAC address next to "Physical address (MAC)." It's the series of letters and numbers that looks like this: 1A-2B-3C-D4-E5-F6.
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Connect to a network. For example, if you want to find the MAC address of your Wi-Fi network adapter, connect to Wi-Fi now.
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Open your System Preferences. It'll be in the Apple menu, which is at the upper-left corner of the screen. [4] X Research source
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Select Wi-Fi or Ethernet in the left panel. If you want to find the MAC address for your wireless card, select Wi-Fi . If you have a wired connection to the internet, choose Ethernet .
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Click the Advanced button. You'll see this in the lower-right corner of the window. [6] X Research source
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Click the Hardware tab. It's the last tab in the upper-right corner of the window. [7] X Research source
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Find the MAC address. It's the series of letters and numbers that looks like this: 1A:2B:3C:D4:E5:F6.
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Open a terminal window . You can usually do this by pressing Ctrl + Alt + T on your keyboard, or by clicking the Terminal icon in your launcher.
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Find your MAC address next to "HWaddr." Scroll until you find your network connection (the primary ethernet card is labeled eth0 , and the wireless card typically begins with a "w"). The MAC address for each device appears next to "HWaddr" and looks something like this: 1A:2B:3C:D4:E5:F6. [8] X Research source
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Open your iPhone or iPad's Settings . It's the gray gear icon on your home screen or in your App Library. [9] X Research source
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Scroll down to "Wi-Fi Address." Your iPhone or iPad's MAC address appears here, and looks something like this: 1A:2B:3C:D4:E5:F6
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Tap About phone or About device . The option you see will vary depending on your Android.
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Tap Status . Depending on your Android, you may need to tap Status to find your MAC address. Other Androids may display the MAC address right on the About page.
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Find your MAC address. Whether you find it on the About page or the Status page, your MAC address will look something like this: 1A:2B:3C:D4:E5:F6. [13] X Research source
- If you're using Android 10 or later, your Android is configured to randomly choose different MAC addresses when connecting to Wi-Fi. If you need to supply a MAC address to someone so they can let it through a router (or for any other reason), you can disable this feature in Settings > Network & Internet (or Connections ) > Wi-Fi . Just tap the gear icon next to the connection, tap MAC address type , and choose Use phone MAC .
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Click the clock. You'll usually see this at the bottom-right corner of the desktop. [14] X Research source
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Select your Wi-Fi network. This displays the current connection.
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Click the small "i" in a circle. It's at the top of the box.
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Find the MAC address next to "Wi-Fi." It's the series of letters and numbers that looks like this: 1A:2B:3C:D4:E5:F6.
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Start your PlayStation 5 without a disc. If your PS5 is already on, restart it without the game or movie inside.
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Select System on the menu. It's the cube icon.
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Select Console Information . This appears at the top of the menu.
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Find your MAC address. Your Wi-Fi MAC address is prefaced with "MAC Address (Wi-Fi)," while your wired MAC address starts with "MAC Address (LAN Cable)."
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Start your PlayStation 4 without a disc. If your PS4 is already on, restart it without the game or movie inside. [16] X Research source
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Select Settings . It's the icon that looks like a toolbox.
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Scroll down and select System . It's near the bottom of the menu.
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Select System Information . It's at the top of the menu.
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Find your MAC address. Your Wi-Fi MAC address is prefaced with "MAC Address (Wi-Fi)," while your wired MAC address starts with "MAC Address (LAN Cable)."
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Start your PlayStation 3 without a disc. If your PS3 is already on, restart it without the game or movie inside.
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Select Settings . You can press the X to select this and all remaining options.
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Select Network Settings . Information about your network settings will appear.
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Select Settings & Connection Status List . Now you'll see information about your current connection.
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Find the MAC address under "MAC Address." It's the series of letters and numbers that looks like this: 1A:2B:3C:D4:E5:F6.
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Start up your Switch to the Home menu.
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Select System Settings on the menu. It's the gear icon in the icon row at the bottom of the screen. [17] X Research source
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Scroll down and select Internet . It's in the left panel.
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Find the MAC address next to "System MAC Address." It'll be in the right panel.
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Start your Wii without a disc inside. If there's already a disc inside, just remove it and restart your Wii.
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Select Wii . It's at the bottom-left corner.
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Select Wii Settings . It's the wrench icon on the right side.
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Scroll to page two of the Settings screen. You can do this by selecting the right-pointing arrow.
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Select Internet . It's near the bottom of the menu.
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Select Console Information .
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Find the MAC address at the top of the screen. It's the series of letters and numbers that looks like this: 1A:2B:3C:D4:E5:F6.
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Press the X button on your controller. This opens a menu.
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Select Profile & System . It's the first icon at the upper-left corner.
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Select Settings . It's the gear icon toward the bottom of the menu.
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Select the General tab. It's the first tab in the left panel.
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Select Network settings . This is the option with a wireless symbol and a gear in the right panel.
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Select Advanced settings . It's toward the bottom-right corner of the screen.
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Find the MAC addresses. The MAC address of your Wi-Fi card will appear next to "Wireless MAC," while your wired LAN card's MAC address appears next to "Wired MAC."
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Go to My Xbox on the Xbox Dashboard. This opens the menu. [19] X Research source
- If you haven't already connected to a network, you'll want to do so before you continue.
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Select Network on the menu. This displays some more settings.
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Select Advanced Settings .
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Find the MAC addresses. The MAC address of your Wi-Fi card will appear next to "Wireless MAC," while your wired LAN card's MAC address appears next to "Wired MAC."
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Select your network name and choose Configure Network .
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Select the Additional Settings tab. It's at the top-right corner.
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Select Advanced Settings . It's right above "Restore to Factory Defaults."
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Find the MAC address in the left panel. The MAC address is the 12-character number at the bottom of the left panel. You won't see any colons or dashes between the pairs of letters and numbers.
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Community Q&A
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QuestionWhat is the MAC address of a computer?This answer was written by one of our trained team of researchers who validated it for accuracy and comprehensiveness.wikiHow Staff EditorStaff AnswerMAC stands for Media Access Control, and, long story short, the MAC address is a code used to identify a particular computer or device on various types of networks, such as Wi-Fi, ethernet, Bluetooth and many more.
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QuestionHow can I get my device's MAC address if I no longer have the device?Community AnswerYou probably can't. It's a long shot, but if it hasn't been too long since the device was last connected to your network, your router may still have a record of this. Every router is different, but most will have a status page somewhere in the configuration showing currently-connected devices. That page sometimes also includes devices that are not currently connected, but were in the recent past.
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QuestionHow do I find the MAC address of a Windows 7 computer at my school that has security policies in place?Community AnswerType Wndows key + R, type cmd, and when command prompt opens up, type: Ipconfig /all. You should see the MAC address under Physical Address like this: 00:00:00:00:00:00.
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Tips
- It is possible to temporarily change your MAC address with appropriate software. This is known as "MAC address spoofing" and is generally not recommended unless you really need it. Since the MAC is needed to find your computer at a local level, changing your MAC address can confuse the router. This is only useful for pretending you're using a different device when connecting to a router.Thanks
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References
- ↑ https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-server/administration/windows-commands/ipconfig
- ↑ https://its.uiowa.edu/support/article/1618
- ↑ https://www.cmu.edu/computing/services/endpoint/network-access/mac-address.html
- ↑ https://oit.ua.edu/article/finding-your-mac-address/
- ↑ https://oit.ua.edu/article/finding-your-mac-address/
- ↑ https://oit.ua.edu/article/finding-your-mac-address/
- ↑ https://oit.ua.edu/article/finding-your-mac-address/
- ↑ https://cets.seas.upenn.edu/answers/find-mac-address.html
- ↑ https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT211227
- ↑ https://services.anu.edu.au/information-technology/login-access/finding-your-mac-address/finding-your-mac-address-iphoneipadipod
- ↑ https://services.anu.edu.au/information-technology/login-access/finding-your-mac-address/finding-your-mac-address-iphoneipadipod
- ↑ https://kb.iu.edu/d/bbis
- ↑ https://kb.iu.edu/d/bbis
- ↑ https://support.google.com/chromebook/answer/1047420?hl=en
- ↑ https://support.boingo.com/s/article/How-do-I-find-the-MAC-address-for-my-Playstation-5-PS5
- ↑ https://servicecenter.fsu.edu/s/article/How-can-I-find-the-MAC-address-on-my-Playstation-4-1600352497527
- ↑ https://en-americas-support.nintendo.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/22397/~/how-to-find-a-nintendo-switch-consoles-mac-address
- ↑ https://www.nintendo.com/consumer/systems/wii/en_na/includes/rvl-ht-int-find-mac-address.jsp
- ↑ https://networking.grok.lsu.edu/article.aspx?articleid=17612
- ↑ https://support.boingo.com/military/s/article/How-do-I-find-my-MAC-Address-for-my-Xbox-One
- ↑ https://networking.grok.lsu.edu/article.aspx?articleid=5668
- ↑ https://www.technipages.com/xbox-360-find-mac-address
About This Article
Article Summary
X
1. Connect to a network.
2. Click the network icon in the taskbar.
3. Click Properties
on your connection.
4. Scroll down to the “Properties” section.
5. Find the MAC address next to “Physical address (MAC).”
Did this summary help you?
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