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How to Find Your MAC Address on Any Device

4 min read •
Beginner MAC Address Networking WiFi How-To

Quick Answer: Windows: run ipconfig /all and look for "Physical Address". Mac: hold Option + click WiFi icon in menu bar. iPhone: Settings → General → About → WiFi Address. Android: Settings → About Phone → Status → WiFi MAC Address. Linux: run ip link show.

A MAC address (Media Access Control) is a unique hardware identifier assigned to every network device. Think of it as your device's fingerprint on the network — every WiFi adapter, Ethernet port, and Bluetooth chip has its own.

It looks like this: A4:83:E7:2B:F1:09 — six pairs of hexadecimal characters separated by colons.

When Do You Need Your MAC Address?

  • MAC filtering: Your router only allows specific devices to connect
  • Static DHCP: Assigning a fixed IP to a device on your router
  • Network troubleshooting: Identifying devices on your network
  • Device registration: School or work networks that require MAC registration
  • Warranty/support: Some manufacturers ask for it

Find MAC Address on Windows

Method 1: Settings (Easiest)

  1. Open Settings → Network & Internet
  2. Click WiFi (or Ethernet)
  3. Click your connected network
  4. Scroll down to Physical address (MAC) — that is your MAC address

Method 2: Command Prompt

ipconfig /all

Look for Physical Address under your active adapter (Wi-Fi or Ethernet).

Method 3: PowerShell (Clean Output)

Get-NetAdapter | Select-Object Name, MacAddress, Status

This shows all adapters with their MAC addresses and connection status.

Method 4: One-Liner

getmac /v

Shows MAC addresses for all adapters with transport names.

Find MAC Address on Mac

Method 1: System Settings

  1. System Settings → Network
  2. Click WiFi → Details
  3. Your MAC address is shown at the bottom as WiFi Address

Method 2: Terminal

ifconfig en0 | grep ether
  • en0 = WiFi
  • en1 = Ethernet (on some Macs)

Method 3: Option-Click

Hold Option and click the WiFi icon in the menu bar. Your MAC address is shown as Address.

Note: macOS Ventura+ uses a private WiFi address by default (different from your hardware MAC). System Settings → WiFi → (i) next to your network → Private WiFi Address shows the current one.

Find MAC Address on iPhone

iOS 16+

  1. Settings → General → About
  2. Scroll down to WiFi Address — this is your MAC address

Private MAC Address (Per-Network)

Modern iPhones use a different (random) MAC for each WiFi network for privacy.

  1. Settings → WiFi
  2. Tap (i) next to your connected network
  3. WiFi Address shown is the private MAC used for this network
  4. Toggle Private WiFi Address OFF to use your real hardware MAC

Find MAC Address on Android

Android 10+

  1. Settings → About Phone → Status (or Status Information)
  2. Look for WiFi MAC Address

Per-Network MAC

  1. Settings → WiFi
  2. Tap your connected network
  3. Look for Randomized MAC address (or Device MAC address)

Older Android

  1. Settings → WiFi → Advanced (or three-dot menu)
  2. MAC address is shown at the bottom

Find MAC Address on Linux

Method 1: ip command (Modern)

ip link show

Look for link/ether — that is the MAC address for each interface.

Method 2: Specific Interface

ip link show wlan0

or 

cat /sys/class/net/wlan0/address

Method 3: ifconfig (Older Systems)

ifconfig | grep ether

Find MAC Address on Your Router

Your router has its own MAC address (for the WAN/Internet interface).

Method 1: Router Admin Panel

  1. Go to 192.168.1.1 (or your router's IP) in a browser
  2. Log in
  3. Look under Status, WAN, or Network for the WAN MAC address

Method 2: Router Sticker

Flip the router over — most have a sticker showing the MAC address.

Method 3: From Your Computer

arp -a

Find your router's IP (default gateway) in the list — the MAC is shown next to it.

MAC Address vs IP Address

MAC Address IP Address
What it is Hardware identifier Network address
Assigned by Manufacturer (burned in) Router/DHCP server
Format A4:83:E7:2B:F1:09 192.168.1.5 or 2001:db8::1
Changes? No (but can be spoofed) Yes (changes between networks)
Scope Local network only Can be global (public IP)
Uniqueness Globally unique per device Unique on its network

Private/Randomized MAC Addresses

Modern devices (iOS 14+, Android 10+, Windows 11) use random MAC addresses by default for each WiFi network. This prevents tracking across networks.

If you need your real MAC address (for MAC filtering, DHCP reservation):

  • iPhone: Settings → WiFi → (i) → Private WiFi Address → OFF
  • Android: Settings → WiFi → network → Privacy → Use Device MAC
  • Windows 11: Settings → Network → WiFi → Random hardware addresses → OFF

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