The MAC address (Media Access Control address) is a unique identifier assigned to network interfaces, including Ethernet and Wi-Fi adapters, on your devices. It consists of six pairs of alphanumeric characters and is essential for network communication. If you need to find the MAC address on your PC, laptop, or mobile device, follow these simple steps.
Windows PC
Viewing MAC Address on Windows PC:
- Open the Start menu and type “cmd” in the search bar to open the Command Prompt.
- In the Command Prompt window, type “ipconfig /all” and press Enter.
- Scroll through the results and locate the network adapter for which you want to find the MAC address (e.g., Ethernet or Wi-Fi).
- Look for the “Physical Address” or “MAC Address” listed under the network adapter section. It will be displayed as six pairs of alphanumeric characters separated by colons.
Example: Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 12-34-56-78-9A-BC
Note: The MAC address is usually labeled as “Physical Address” or “MAC Address” in the ipconfig results.
By following these steps, you can easily view the MAC address of your network adapter on a Windows PC.
Mac
Viewing MAC Address on Mac:
- Click on the Apple menu in the top-left corner of the screen and select “System Preferences.”
- In the System Preferences window, click on “Network.”
- Select the network connection for which you want to find the MAC address from the list on the left side (e.g., Wi-Fi or Ethernet).
- Click on the “Advanced” button in the lower-right corner.
- In the Advanced window, navigate to the “Hardware” or “Ethernet” tab.
- The MAC address, also referred to as the “Ethernet ID” or “Airport ID,” will be displayed in the format of six pairs of alphanumeric characters separated by colons.
Example: Ethernet ID: 12:34:56:78:9A:BC
Note: The exact location of the MAC address may vary slightly depending on the version of macOS you are using.
By following these steps, you can easily view the MAC address of your network adapter on a Mac computer.
Linux
Viewing MAC Address on Linux:
- Open a terminal window by clicking on the terminal icon in the taskbar or by pressing Ctrl+Alt+T.
- Type the following command and press Enter:
ifconfig
This command will display the network interfaces on your Linux system along with their respective MAC addresses.
- Locate the network interface for which you want to find the MAC address (e.g., eth0 for Ethernet or wlan0 for Wi-Fi).
- Look for the “HWaddr” or “ether” field next to the network interface. The value next to it is the MAC address.
Example: HWaddr 00:12:34:56:78:9A
Note: In some Linux distributions, the “ifconfig” command may be replaced by the “ip” command. In such cases, you can use the following command instead:
ip link show
By following these steps, you can easily view the MAC address of a network interface on a Linux system using the terminal.
Android
Viewing MAC Address on Android:
- Open the “Settings” app on your Android device. You can usually find it in the app drawer or by swiping down from the top of the screen and tapping the gear icon.
- Scroll down and tap on “About phone” or “About device”. The name may vary depending on your Android version and device manufacturer.
- Look for “Status” or “Network” in the About phone/device menu and tap on it.
- Scroll down until you find “Wi-Fi MAC address” or “Ethernet MAC address”. The value next to it is the MAC address of your device.
Example: Wi-Fi MAC address: 00:12:34:56:78:9A
Note: The steps may vary slightly depending on your Android device and version. If you can’t find the MAC address under “Status” or “Network”, try looking for “Wi-Fi” or “Ethernet” settings where you can find the MAC address.
By following these steps, you can easily view the MAC address of your Android device in the settings menu.
iOS (iPhone, iPad)
Viewing MAC Address on iOS (iPhone, iPad):
- Open the “Settings” app on your iOS device. You can find it on the home screen.
- Scroll down and tap on “General”.
- Tap on “About” or “About This Device”.
- Look for “Wi-Fi Address” or “Wi-Fi MAC Address”. The value next to it is the MAC address of your device.
Example: Wi-Fi Address: 00:12:34:56:78:9A
Note: The steps may vary slightly depending on your iOS version. If you can’t find the MAC address under “General” or “About”, you can also try the following steps:
- Open the “Settings” app.
- Tap on “Wi-Fi”.
- Find the connected Wi-Fi network and tap on the (i) icon next to it.
- Look for “MAC Address” or “Wi-Fi Address”. The value next to it is the MAC address of your device.
By following these steps, you can easily view the MAC address of your iOS device in the settings menu.
By following these simple steps, you can easily find the MAC address on your PC, laptop, or mobile device. Remember that the location of the MAC address may vary slightly depending on the operating system or device model. The MAC address can be useful for network troubleshooting or when configuring network settings on your devices.
