How to Find the MAC Address of Your Computer

11 Methods:Windows Vista, 7, or 8Windows 98 and XPAny Version of WindowsMac OS X 10.5 (Leopard) and NewerMac OS X 10.4 (Tiger) and OlderLinuxiOSAndroid OSWindows Phone 7 or NewerChrome OSVideo Game Consoles

A MAC (Media Access Control) address is a number that identifies the network adapter(s) installed on your computer. The address is composed of up to 6 pairs of characters, separated by colons. You may need to provide your MAC address to a router in order to successfully connect to a network. To find your MAC address on any system with a network connection, use one of the following methods.

Method 1
Windows Vista, 7, or 8

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    Connect to a network. This method is only applicable if you are currently connected. Make sure to connect with the interface that you need the MAC address for (Wi-Fi if you need your wireless card’s MAC address, Ethernet if you need your wired card’s MAC address).
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    Click on the connection icon in the system tray. It may look like a small graphic (see above image), or like a tiny computer monitor. After clicking on it, select "Open Network and Sharing Center".
    • In Windows 8, run the Desktop application in your Start screen. Once you’re in Desktop Mode, right-click on the connection icon in the system tray. Select “Network and Sharing Center”.
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    Find and click on the name of your network connection. It will be located right after the word Connections. This will open a small window.
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    Click Details. This will open a list of configuration information about the connection, similar to what appears when you use the IPConfig tool in the Command Prompt.
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    Look for Physical Address. This your MAC address.

Method 2
Windows 98 and XP

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    Connect to a network. This method is only applicable if you are currently connected. Make sure to connect with the interface that you need the MAC address for (Wi-Fi is you you’re your wireless card’s MAC address, Ethernet if you need your wired card’s MAC address).
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    Open Network Connections. If you don’t have a desktop icon for this, find the connection icon in the taskbar (the lower right-hand corner of the Windows toolbar) and click on it to either bring up your current connection or a list of available networks.
    • You can also access Network Connections from the Control Panel, located in the Start menu.
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    Right-click your connection and select Status.
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    Click Details. Note that, in some versions of Windows, this may be under the Support tab. This will open a list of configuration information about the connection, similar to what appears when you use the IPConfig tool in the Command Prompt.
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    Look for Physical Address. This your MAC address.

Method 3
Any Version of Windows

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    Open the command prompt. Press the ⊞ Win+R keys and type cmd into the Run field. Press ↵ Enter to start the Command Prompt.
    • In Windows 8, press ⊞ Win+X and select Command Prompt from the menu.
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    Run GetMAC. At the command prompt, type getmac /v /fo list and press ↵ Enter. This will display configuration information for all of your network connections.
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    Look for Physical Address. This is another way to describe your MAC address. Make sure you get the physical address of the correct network adapter - usually there are several listed. For example, your wireless connection will have a different MAC address than your Ethernet connection.

Method 4
Mac OS X 10.5 (Leopard) and Newer

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    Open System Preferences. You can find this by clicking on the Apple icon on top left corner of your screen. Make sure that you are currently connected to a network using the connection that you want to find the MAC address for.
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    Select your connection. Select Network and choose either AirPort or Built-in Ethernet, depending on how you access your network. The connections are listed in the left frame.
    • For Ethernet, click Advanced and navigate to the Ethernet tab. At the top you will see the Ethernet ID, which is your MAC address.
    • For AirPort, click Advanced and navigate to the AirPort tab. There you will see the AirPort ID, which is your MAC address.

Method 5
Mac OS X 10.4 (Tiger) and Older

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    Open System Preferences. This can be found by clicking the Apple menu. Make sure that you are currently connected to a network using the connection that you want to find the MAC address for.
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    Select Network.
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    Select the connection from the Show menu. The Show pull-down menu will list all of the connected network devices. Select either your Ethernet or AirPort connection.
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    Find your AirPort ID or Ethernet ID. Once you’ve’ selected the connection in the Show menu, click on the applicable tab (Ethernet or AirPort). This page will display the MAC address as either Ethernet ID or AirPort ID[1]

Method 6
Linux

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    Open the terminal. Depending on your system, this might be called Terminal, Xterm, Shell, Command Prompt, or something similar. It can usually be found in the Accessories folder in your Applications (or the equivalent).
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    Open the interface configuration. Type ifconfig -a and press ↵ Enter. If you are denied access, enter sudo ifconfig -a and enter your password when prompted.
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    Find your MAC address. Scroll until you find your network connection (the primary Ethernet port is labeled eth0). Look for the HWaddr entry. This is your MAC address.[2]

Method 7
iOS

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    Open your Settings. You can find the Settings app on your Home Screen. Tap the General category.
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    Tap About. This will list information about your specific device. Scroll down until you see Wi-Fi Address. This is the MAC address for your iDevice.
    • This works for all iOS devices: iPhone, iPod, and iPad.
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    Find the Bluetooth MAC address. If you need the Bluetooth address, it is located directly beneath the Wi-Fi address entry.[3]

Method 8
Android OS

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    Open your Settings. When looking at the Home screen, push your Menu button and select Settings. You can also open Settings by tapping the app in the App Drawer.
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    Scroll down to About Device. This is typically located at the bottom of the Settings menu. In the About Device menu, tap Status.
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    Find your MAC address. Scroll down until you find the Wi-Fi MAC address entry. This is your device’s MAC address.
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    Find the Bluetooth MAC address. The Bluetooth MAC address is located directly beneath the Wi-Fi MAC address. Bluetooth must be turned on for your device in order to see the address.

Method 9
Windows Phone 7 or Newer

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    Open Settings. You can access settings by navigating to your Home screen and then swiping left. Scroll down until you see the Settings option.
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    Find About. In the Settings, scroll down and tap About. In the About screen tap the More Info button. Your MAC address will be displayed at the bottom of the screen.[4]

Method 10
Chrome OS

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    Click on the Network icon. This is located in the lower-right corner of the desktop, and looks like 4 radiating bars.
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    Open the Network Status. In this menu, click on the “i” icon, located in the lower-right corner. A message will appear listing your device’s MAC address.[5]

Method 11
Video Game Consoles

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    Find the MAC address of a PlayStation 3. In the PlayStation’s main menu system, scroll left until you reach the Settings menu. Scroll down until you locate System Settings.
    • Scroll down and select System Information. The MAC address will be listed beneath the IP address. [6]
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    Find the MAC address of an Xbox 360. Open the System Settings from the Dashboard. Open the Network Settings and then select Configure Network.
    • Select the Additional Settings tab and then select Advanced Settings. Choose the Alternate MAC Address option.
    • The MAC address will be listed in this screen. It may not be separated by colons.
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    Find the MAC address of a Wii. Click the Wii button in the bottom-left corner of the main Channel menu. Scroll to page 2 of the Settings menu and select Internet. Click Console Information and the MAC address will be displayed.[7]

Tips

  • For Mac OS X, you can also try the Linux method in Terminal.app. This works because MacOS X uses the Darwin kernel (based upon BSD).
  • Your MAC address can also be found with third party networking utilities, or by checking the network adapter properties under Device Manager.
  • A MAC address is a series of 6 groups character pairs separated by dashes.

Warnings

  • It is possible to temporarily change your MAC address with appropriate software, if your hardware allows it (older hardware may have the MAC permanently burned in). 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 will tend to confuse the router. This is only useful for pretending to a router that you are using a different computer.

Sources and Citations

  1. ↑ http://kb.iu.edu/data/ackn.html
  2. ↑ http://www.coffer.com/mac_info/locate-unix.html
  3. ↑ http://www.macinstruct.com/node/554
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Categories: Networking