A media access control (MAC) address contains 12 characters, consisting of numbers and letters. It is a globally unique identifier assigned to network devices. Your MAC address may have characters separated by a colon, dash, or a space. External wireless cards may have the MAC address printed on their label.


However, if your computer has an internal wireless card, you'll have to search for the MAC address in your operating system.


WINDOWS 11

Settings:

  1. Press Windows + I to open Settings.

  2. Click "Network & internet".

  3. Select "Wi-Fi" (or "Ethernet" if wired).

  4. Click "Hardware properties".

  5. MAC address appears as "Physical address (MAC)".

Command Prompt:

  1. Press Windows + X, select "Command Prompt (Admin)" or "Terminal (Admin)".

  2. Type:
    ipconfig /all

  3. Find the active adapter. Look for "Physical Address".

System Information:

  1. Press Windows + R, type:
    msinfo32

  2. Navigate to:
    Components > Network > Adapter

  3. Find the active network and look for "MAC Address".

WINDOWS 10

Settings:

  1. Click Start > Settings (gear icon).

  2. Go to "Network & Internet".

  3. Click "Wi-Fi" or "Ethernet".

  4. Select "Hardware Properties".

  5. MAC address appears under "Physical address (MAC)".

Command Prompt:

  1. Right-click Start and choose "Command Prompt (Admin)".

  2. Type:
    ipconfig /all

  3. Look for "Physical Address" under your active adapter.

macOS Ventura (13+) and Later

System Settings:

  1. Click the Apple menu.

  2. Select "System Settings".

  3. Click "Network" in the sidebar.

  4. Select "Wi-Fi".

  5. Click "Advanced".

  6. MAC address is listed in the details.

Terminal:

  1. Open Terminal.

  2. Type:
    ifconfig en0 | grep ether

macOS Monterey, Big Sur, Catalina, Mojave (10.14–12)

System Preferences:

  1. Click the Apple menu.

  2. Go to "System Preferences" > "Network".

  3. Select "Wi-Fi" on the left.

  4. Click "Advanced".

  5. MAC address is shown at the bottom.

Terminal:

  1. Open Terminal.

  2. Type:
    networksetup -getmacaddress en0

LINUX (Ubuntu and Similar)

GUI Method:

  1. Click the network icon in the system tray.

  2. Select "Wi-Fi Settings" or "Network Settings".

  3. Click the gear icon next to your connection.

  4. Look for "Hardware Address" — this is your MAC address.

Terminal:

  1. Open Terminal.

  2. Type:
    ip addr show

  3. Find your wireless interface (wlan0 or similar).

  4. Look for "link/ether" — that is your MAC address.

Alternate command: ifconfig -a