How to Look Up and Change Your MAC Address
If you want to change your MAC address, it’s easy to do. MAC addresses are used to identify devices on a network. Every device has a unique MAC address. You can look up your MAC address in the settings of your device. To change your MAC address, you’ll need to use a different MAC address.
Every device that connects to a network has a unique identifier assigned to it. This is called a MAC (Media Access Control) address, and it’s typically assigned by the manufacturer of the device.
You can think of a MAC address like a phone number. Just as every phone has a unique number that identifies it, every computer or other device on a network has a unique MAC address.
MAC addresses are used by network devices to identify and communicate with each other. For example, when you connect your computer to a network, the network will use your MAC address to determine where to send the data you’re requesting.
If you need to find your MAC address for any reason, there are a few ways you can do it. In this article, we’ll show you how to look up your MAC address in Windows, macOS, and Linux.
On Windows
To find your MAC address on a Windows computer, follow these steps:
1. Click the Start menu and search for “Command Prompt.”
2. Right-click on the “Command Prompt” result and select “Run as administrator.”
3. In the Command Prompt window, type “ipconfig /all” and press Enter.
4. Scroll through the output of the command until you find a section labeled “Ethernet adapter.”
5. Underneath that section, you’ll see a line that says “Physical Address.” This is your MAC address.
On macOS
To find your MAC address on a macOS computer, follow these steps:
1. Click the Apple menu and select “System Preferences.”
2. Click “Network.”
3. Select the network interface you want to view the MAC address for. For example, if you’re connected to a Wi-Fi network, you’ll want to select the “Wi-Fi” interface.
4. Click the “Advanced” button.
5. Click the “Hardware” tab.
6. Your MAC address will be listed next to “MAC Address.”
On Linux
To find your MAC address on a Linux computer, follow these steps:
1. Open a terminal window.
2. Type “ifconfig” and press Enter.
3. Scroll through the output of the command until you find a section labeled “Ethernet.”
4. Underneath that section, you’ll see a line that says “HWaddr.” This is your MAC address.
Changing Your MAC Address
In some cases, you may need to change your MAC address. For example, if you’re troubleshooting network problems, your ISP may ask you to use a specific MAC address.
You can change your MAC address on Windows, macOS, and Linux computers. However, it’s important to note that changing your MAC address can cause problems with your network connection. Therefore, it’s generally not recommended to change your MAC address unless you know what you’re doing.
On Windows
To change your MAC address on a Windows computer, follow these steps:
1. Click the Start menu and search for “Device Manager.”
2. Expand the “Network adapters” section.
3. Right-click on the network adapter you want to change the MAC address for and select “Properties.”
4. Click the “Advanced” tab.
5. Under the “Property” section, select “Network Address.”
6. Click the “Value” field and enter the new MAC address you want to use.
7. Click “OK” to save the changes.
On macOS
To change your MAC address on a macOS computer, follow these steps:
1. Click the Apple menu and select “System Preferences.”
2. Click “Network.”
3. Select the network interface you want to change the MAC address for. For example, if you’re connected to a Wi-Fi network, you’ll want to select the “Wi-Fi” interface.
4. Click the “Advanced” button.
5. Click the “Hardware” tab.
6. Click the “Ethernet ID” drop-down menu and select “Manually.”
7. Enter the new MAC address you want to use in the “Address” field.
8. Click “OK” to save the changes.
On Linux
To change your MAC address on a Linux computer, follow these steps:
1. Open a terminal window.
2. Type “ifconfig” and press Enter.
3. Find the network interface you want to change the MAC address for. For example, if you’re connected to a Wi-Fi network, you’ll want to find the “wlan0” interface.
4. Type “ifconfig [interface] down” and press Enter. For example, if you’re changing the MAC address for the “wlan0” interface, you would type “ifconfig wlan0 down.”
5. Type “ifconfig [interface] hw ether [MAC address]” and press Enter. For example, if you’re changing the MAC address for the “wlan0” interface and you want to use the MAC address “12:34:56:78:9A:BC,” you would type “ifconfig wlan0 hw ether 12:34:56:78:9A:BC.”
6. Type “ifconfig [interface] up” and press Enter. For example, if you’re changing the MAC address for the “wlan0” interface, you would type “ifconfig wlan0 up.”
7. Type “ifconfig” and press Enter. You should see the new MAC address you just set in the output of the command.
Table of Contents
How to Change Your MAC Address
A MAC address is a unique identifier assigned to network interfaces for communications on the physical network segment. MAC addresses are used as a network address for most IEEE 802 network technologies, including Ethernet and Wi-Fi.
Logically, MAC addresses are used in the media access control protocol sub-layer of the data link layer of network architectures. MAC addresses are most often assigned by the manufacturer of a network interface controller and are stored in its hardware, such as the card’s read-only memory or some other firmware mechanism.
If needed, MAC addresses can be changed manually by altering the controller’s settings, though this is not recommended without a good reason, as it can create network configuration and compatibility issues.
Here are instructions on how to look up and change your MAC address:
1. Open the Terminal. You can find this in the Utilities folder in your Applications folder.
2. Type in the following command, replacing en0 with the network interface you want to check the MAC address for:
ifconfig en0 | grep ether
This will return the MAC address for the en0 interface.
3. To change the MAC address, type in the following command, again replacing en0 with the correct interface:
sudo ifconfig en0 ether aa:bb:cc:dd:ee:ff
This will change the MAC address for the en0 interface to the one specified. Remember to use a unique MAC address that is not being used by any other devices on the network.
4. To check that the MAC address has been changed, type in the following command:
ifconfig en0 | grep ether
This will return the MAC address for the en0 interface, which should now be the one you specified in the previous step.
Why You Might Need to Change Your MAC Address
If you’ve ever needed to troubleshoot a network issue, you may have been asked for your MAC address. MAC stands for Media Access Control, and it’s a unique identifier assigned to every network adapter.
You might need to change your MAC address if you’re experiencing network issues, or you may want to spoof your MAC address to remain anonymous on a network. Whatever the reason, it’s easy to change your MAC address in Windows.
Here’s how:
1. Open the Start menu and search for Device Manager.
2. In Device Manager, expand the Network adapters section.
3. Right-click on the network adapter you want to change and select Properties.
4. In the Properties window, select the Advanced tab.
5. Under the Property section, find and select the MAC Address property.
6. Click the Value button and enter the new MAC address.
7. Click OK to save the changes.
Your MAC address will now be changed. Keep in mind that this change is temporary and will be reverted back to the original MAC address after you reboot your computer. If you want to make the change permanent, you’ll need to follow these steps again and enter the MAC address in the startup script.
How to Find Out if Your MAC Address Has Been Changed
A MAC address is a unique identifier assigned to network interfaces for communications on the physical network segment. MAC addresses are used in the media access control protocol sublayer of the data link layer of network architectures. They are also used for many other purposes, such as identifying computer hardware devices in a network, and are commonly referred to as hardware addresses or physical addresses.
If you think that your MAC address may have been changed, there are a few ways to check and change it back if necessary.
1. Check your network settings
The first thing to do is check your network settings to see what your MAC address is listed as. In Windows, you can do this by going to Start > Control Panel > Network and Sharing Center. In the left-hand sidebar, click on Change adapter settings.
Right-click on the network adapter that you’re using and select Properties. In the Properties window, select the Configure… button. In the Configuration window, go to the Advanced tab and look for the MAC Address setting.
The MAC address should be listed under the Value column. If it’s not, then your MAC address may have been changed.
2. Check your router’s settings
Another place to check is your router’s settings. The MAC address should be listed in the router’s DHCP settings. To access your router’s settings, you will need to know the router’s IP address.
To find the router’s IP address in Windows, go to Start > Control Panel > Network and Sharing Center. In the left-hand sidebar, click on Change adapter settings.
Right-click on the network adapter that you’re using and select Properties. In the Properties window, select the Details… button. In the Details window, look for the IPv4 Address setting. The number listed next to it is your router’s IP address.
Once you have the router’s IP address, open a web browser and enter the IP address in the address bar. This will take you to the router’s login page. Enter the username and password for the router to access the settings.
Once you’re logged in, look for the DHCP settings. The MAC address should be listed under the DHCP table. If it’s not, then your MAC address may have been changed.
3. Check your device’s settings
If you’re still not able to find your MAC address, check your device’s settings. The MAC address should be listed in the network settings.
To find the MAC address on an iPhone, go to Settings > General > About. The MAC address will be listed under the Wi-Fi Address section.
To find the MAC address on an Android device, go to Settings > About Phone > Status. The MAC address will be listed under the Wi-Fi MAC Address section.
4. Use a command prompt
If you’re still unable to find your MAC address, you can use a command prompt to find it.
To do this, open a command prompt and type in the following command:
ipconfig /all
This will bring up a list of all the network adapters on your computer. Look for the adapter that you’re using and find the MAC address next to the Physical Address setting.
5. Use a third-party tool
If you’re still having trouble finding your MAC address, there are a few third-party tools that can help.
One tool that you can use is the MAC Address Lookup tool from ipchicken.com. To use this tool, simply enter your MAC address in the search box and click on the Search button.
Another tool that you can use is the MAC Address Lookup tool from macvendors.com. To use this tool, enter your MAC address in the search box and click on the Search button.
If you find that your MAC address has been changed, you can change it back to the original address. To do this, you will need to access the network settings for your device or computer.
For Windows computers, you can access the network settings by going to Start > Control Panel > Network and Sharing Center. In the left-hand sidebar, click on Change adapter settings.
Right-click on the network adapter that you’re using and select Properties. In the Properties window, select the Configure… button. In the Configuration window, go to the Advanced tab and look for the MAC Address setting.
Enter the MAC address that you want to use and click on the OK button.
For iPhones, go to Settings > General > About. Under the Wi-Fi Address section, tap on the Edit button. Enter the MAC address that you want to use and tap on the Done button.
For Android devices, go to Settings > About Phone > Status. Under the Wi-Fi MAC Address section, tap on the Edit button. Enter the MAC address that you want to use and tap on the Done button.
How to Reset Your MAC Address
Have you ever wondered how to change your MAC address? Maybe you’re trying to stay anonymous online, or you’re trying to get around a network block. Whatever the reason, it’s actually quite easy to do.
A MAC address is a unique identifier assigned to every network device. It’s also known as a physical or hardware address, and it’s stored in the device’s firmware. MAC addresses are formed by six pairs of hexadecimal digits, separated by colons.
You can usually find your MAC address in the network settings of your device. For example, in Windows, go to Control Panel > Network and Sharing Center > Change adapter settings. Then, right-click on the adapter you’re using and select Properties. In the Properties window, select the Configure button, and then click on the Advanced tab. Your MAC address will be listed under the “Network Address” or “Physical Address” heading.
On a Mac, go to System Preferences > Network. Select the adapter you’re using and click the “Advanced” button. Your MAC address will be listed at the bottom of the window under the “Ethernet Address” heading.
If you’re using a Linux-based operating system, your MAC address should be listed under the “HWaddr” heading when you run the “ifconfig” command.
Once you know your MAC address, you can change it using the “ifconfig” command. For example, if your MAC address is “00:11:22:33:44:55” and you want to change it to “66:77:88:99:AA:BB”, you would type the following command:
sudo ifconfig eth0 hw ether 66:77:88:99:AA:BB
Replace “eth0” with the name of your network adapter, and “66:77:88:99:AA:BB” with the MAC address you want to use.
Keep in mind that changing your MAC address will usually only be temporary. When you reboot your computer, your MAC address will usually revert back to its original value. So, if you want to make the change permanent, you’ll need to edit the configuration file for your network adapter.
On Windows, this file is located at C:\Windows\inf\net*.inf. Look for a section that starts with “[Adapter]”, and find the line that says “NetworkAddress=”. Replace the MAC address on this line with the MAC address you want to use.
On a Mac, the configuration file is located at /Library/Preferences/SystemConfiguration/NetworkInterfaces.plist. Find the section that corresponds to your network adapter, and find the “IEEE80211_Mode” key. Replace the value of this key with the MAC address you want to use.
Keep in mind that changing your MAC address can cause problems with some networks. For example, if you’re trying to connect to a Wi-Fi network that uses MAC filtering, you’ll need to add your new MAC address to the list of allowed devices. So, before you change your MAC address, make sure you know what you’re doing.
Conclusion
A MAC address is a unique identifier assigned to each network interface on a computer. MAC addresses are used to identify the source and destination of network traffic.
You can look up your MAC address in the Device Manager on Windows or the System Preferences on macOS. You can also view your MAC address in the network settings of your router.
If you need to change your MAC address, you can do so in the network settings of your operating system.
