How to Find the MAC Address of Your Computer

Written by Garnik Ovsepyan | Edited by Nicole Levine, MFA

Last Updated: March 30, 2024 Fact Checked

Do you need to find your MAC address to configure a router or get technical support? It's surprisingly easy to find this unique 12-character address that identifies your device on a network. We'll show you the quickest ways to locate the MAC address in Windows, macOS, and Linux, as well as on your Chromebook, iPhone, iPad, or gaming console.

Finding the MAC Address on Windows

Open the Command Prompt by pressing Windows key + S and searching “Command.”
Type “ipconfig /all” and press “Enter.”
Locate the network adapter and find the MAC address next to “Physical Address.”

Method 1

Method 1 of 15:

All Versions of Windows (Command Prompt)

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1
Open the Command Prompt on your PC. You can use this method on any version of Windows, including Windows 10, 8.1, 7, and earlier.
- Open the Windows Search bar by pressing Windows key + S.
- Type Command into the search bar.
- Click Command Prompt in the search results.
This displays a bunch of network information in the Command Prompt window.^{[1]
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Each adapter has a name that describes the type of adapter it is—for example, Wireless LAN adapter Wi-Fi is your Wi-Fi connection, while Ethernet adapter is your Ethernet (wired) network card.
It's the series of letters and numbers that looks like this: 1A-2B-3C-D4-E5-F6.^{[2]
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Method 2

Method 2 of 15:

Windows 10 (Network Status)

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Connect to a network. For example, if you want to find the MAC address of your Wi-Fi network adapter, connect to Wi-Fi now.
2
Click the network icon
. This is the network icon near the clock, which is usually at the bottom-right corner of the screen.^{[3]
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- If you're connected to Wi-Fi, it'll be a wireless symbol, which looks like a cone made of curved lines.
- If you're connected through a wired connection, you'll see a computer with an ethernet cable.
- Depending on your connection type, the icon could also be a white globe.
- If you don't see an icon that looks like any of these, click the Windows menu, select Settings, and then click Network & Internet.
3
Click Properties on your connection. You should see this link right below the active connection.
- If you got to your connection via your Settings, click the button that says Properties in the right panel.
It's the final section in the window.
It's the series of letters and numbers that looks like this: 1A-2B-3C-D4-E5-F6.

Method 3

Method 3 of 15:

macOS

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For example, if you want to find the MAC address of your Wi-Fi network adapter, connect to Wi-Fi now.
It'll be in the Apple menu, which is at the upper-left corner of the screen.^{[4]
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It's the globe icon in your System Preferences.^{[5]
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If you want to find the MAC address for your wireless card, select Wi-Fi. If you have a wired connection to the internet, choose Ethernet.
You'll see this in the lower-right corner of the window.^{[6]
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It's the last tab in the upper-right corner of the window.^{[7]
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It's the series of letters and numbers that looks like this: 1A:2B:3C:D4:E5:F6.

Method 4

Method 4 of 15:

Linux

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Open a terminal window. You can usually do this by pressing Ctrl + Alt + T on your keyboard, or by clicking the Terminal icon in your launcher.
Enter your password if prompted to do so.
Scroll until you find your network connection (the primary ethernet card is labeled eth0, and the wireless card typically begins with a "w"). The MAC address for each device appears next to "HWaddr" and looks something like this: 1A:2B:3C:D4:E5:F6.^{[8]
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Method 5

Method 5 of 15:

iPhone or iPad

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Open your iPhone or iPad's Settings
. It's the gray gear icon on your home screen or in your App Library.^{[9]
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It's in the third group of settings.^{[10]
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This is right at the top of the General menu.^{[11]
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Your iPhone or iPad's MAC address appears here, and looks something like this: 1A:2B:3C:D4:E5:F6

Method 6

Method 6 of 15:

Android

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Open your Android's Settings
. It's the gear icon in your app list.^{[12]
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The option you see will vary depending on your Android.
Depending on your Android, you may need to tap Status to find your MAC address. Other Androids may display the MAC address right on the About page.
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Find your MAC address. Whether you find it on the About page or the Status page, your MAC address will look something like this: 1A:2B:3C:D4:E5:F6.^{[13]
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- If you're using Android 10 or later, your Android is configured to randomly choose different MAC addresses when connecting to Wi-Fi. If you need to supply a MAC address to someone so they can let it through a router (or for any other reason), you can disable this feature in Settings > Network & Internet (or Connections) > Wi-Fi. Just tap the gear icon next to the connection, tap MAC address type, and choose Use phone MAC.

Method 7

Method 7 of 15:

Chromebook

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You'll usually see this at the bottom-right corner of the desktop.^{[14]
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This displays the current connection.
It's at the top of the box.
It's the series of letters and numbers that looks like this: 1A:2B:3C:D4:E5:F6.

Method 8

Method 8 of 15:

PlayStation 5

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If your PS5 is already on, restart it without the game or movie inside.
It's at the upper-right corner of the home screen.^{[15]
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It's the cube icon.
This appears at the top of the menu.
Your Wi-Fi MAC address is prefaced with "MAC Address (Wi-Fi)," while your wired MAC address starts with "MAC Address (LAN Cable)."

Method 9

Method 9 of 15:

PlayStation 4

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If your PS4 is already on, restart it without the game or movie inside.^{[16]
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It's the icon that looks like a toolbox.
It's near the bottom of the menu.
It's at the top of the menu.
Your Wi-Fi MAC address is prefaced with "MAC Address (Wi-Fi)," while your wired MAC address starts with "MAC Address (LAN Cable)."

Method 10

Method 10 of 15:

PlayStation 3

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If your PS3 is already on, restart it without the game or movie inside.
You can press the X to select this and all remaining options.
Information about your network settings will appear.
Now you'll see information about your current connection.
It's the series of letters and numbers that looks like this: 1A:2B:3C:D4:E5:F6.

Method 11

Method 11 of 15:

Nintendo Switch

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It's the gear icon in the icon row at the bottom of the screen.^{[17]
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It's in the left panel.
It'll be in the right panel.

Method 12

Method 12 of 15:

Nintendo Wii

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If there's already a disc inside, just remove it and restart your Wii.
This takes you to the main menu.^{[18]
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It's at the bottom-left corner.
It's the wrench icon on the right side.
You can do this by selecting the right-pointing arrow.
It's near the bottom of the menu.
It's the series of letters and numbers that looks like this: 1A:2B:3C:D4:E5:F6.

Method 13

Method 13 of 15:

Xbox Series X/S

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This opens a menu.
It's the first icon at the upper-left corner.^{[19]
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It's the gear icon toward the bottom of the menu.
It's the first tab in the left panel.
This is the option with a wireless symbol and a gear in the right panel.
It's toward the bottom-right corner of the screen.
The MAC address of your Wi-Fi card will appear next to "Wireless MAC," while your wired LAN card's MAC address appears next to "Wired MAC."

Method 14

Method 14 of 15:

Xbox One

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1
Go to My Xbox on the Xbox Dashboard. This opens the menu.^{[20]
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- If you haven't already connected to a network, you'll want to do so before you continue.
It's the option with a gear icon.^{[21]
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This displays some more settings.
The MAC address of your Wi-Fi card will appear next to "Wireless MAC," while your wired LAN card's MAC address appears next to "Wired MAC."

Method 15

Method 15 of 15:

Xbox 360

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1
Go to My Xbox in the Xbox Dashboard. A menu will expand.^{[22]
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- If you haven't already connected to a network, you'll want to do so before you continue. It can be any network at all—you'll just need some type of connection so the MAC address will appear.^{[23]
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It's at the top-right corner.
It's right above "Restore to Factory Defaults."
The MAC address is the 12-character number at the bottom of the left panel. You won't see any colons or dashes between the pairs of letters and numbers.

Community Q&A

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Question

What is the MAC address of a computer?

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Staff Answer
This answer was written by one of our trained team of researchers who validated it for accuracy and comprehensiveness.

wikiHow Staff Editor

Staff Answer

MAC stands for Media Access Control, and, long story short, the MAC address is a code used to identify a particular computer or device on various types of networks, such as Wi-Fi, ethernet, Bluetooth and many more.

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How can I get my device's MAC address if I no longer have the device?

Community Answer

You probably can't. It's a long shot, but if it hasn't been too long since the device was last connected to your network, your router may still have a record of this. Every router is different, but most will have a status page somewhere in the configuration showing currently-connected devices. That page sometimes also includes devices that are not currently connected, but were in the recent past.

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How do I find the MAC address of a Windows 7 computer at my school that has security policies in place?

Community Answer

Type Wndows key + R, type cmd, and when command prompt opens up, type: Ipconfig /all. You should see the MAC address under Physical Address like this: 00:00:00:00:00:00.

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It is possible to temporarily change your MAC address with appropriate software. 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 can confuse the router. This is only useful for pretending you're using a different device when connecting to a router.

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