How to find the MAC address on a device

Owned by Barb Yantha
Last updated: Mar 21, 2023 by Gwendolyn Shaver
5 min read

Every device connected to a network has a Media Access Control (MAC) address, that uniquely identifies it. The MAC address is a 12 character hexadecimal number. These instructions describe how to find the MAC address (Wireless or wired) of devices and operating systems.

It is important to note that manufacturers sometimes use different names to describe the MAC address, such as Hardware ID, Physical Address, Wireless ID, Wi-Fi Address, etc.

Could my device have more than one MAC address?

Yes. For each network interface in your device, there is a unique MAC address associated with it. So if your laptop has both an Ethernet port and Wi-Fi built-in, you will see two MAC addresses in the system configuration.

In general, you will find MAC addresses in the system settings, general information, or network settings/status of your device. Occasionally, the MAC address is printed on a label affixed to the bottom of a device.

If you would like to enable private MAC address, please refer to the article How to enable private MAC addresses on your device

The instructions in this article include the following devices and operating systems:

Android 11 - Tablet

  1. Tap on Settings.

     

  2. Scroll down and tap About Tablet in the sidebar

     

  3. Tap Status information to see the Tablet Wi-Fi MAC address listed.

 

Android 12 - Smartphone

  1. Tap on Settings (the Gear icon towards the bottom of the page).

     

  2. Scroll down and top on About phone.

     

  3. Scroll down to see the Device Wi-Fi MAC Address.

 

iOS or iPadOS - iPhone and iPad

  1. Tap the Settings tile

     

  2. Tap on General

     

  3. Tap on About

     

  4. See the Wi-Fi Address listed

     

MacOS - Wireless MAC address

  1. Click the Wi-Fi icon in the upper right corner of the screen. Click on Network Preferences…

     

  2. Make sure Wi-Fi is selected in the left sidebar and click Advanced...

     

  3. See Wi-Fi MAC Address list on the screen that appears.

MacOS - Wired MAC Address

  1. Click the Wi-Fi icon in the upper right corner of the screen. Click on Network Preferences...

     

  2. Make sure Ethernet is selected in the left sidebar and click Advanced...

     

  3. Select the Hardware tab.

     

  4. The MAC Address is displayed in the Hardware window.

 

Windows 10 - Wireless MAC Address

  1. Open Settings

  2. Click Network & Internet

     

  3. Click View hardware and connection properties

     

  4. The Wireless MAC address will be listed as Physical Address (MAC)

     

Windows 10 - Wired MAC Address

  1. Open Settings

     

  2. Click Network & Internet

     

  3. Click View hardware and connection properties

     

  4. The Wired MAC address will be listed as Physical Address (MAC)

     

 

 

Ubuntu 20.04 - Wireless MAC Address

(if you cannot connect to the Wi-Fi, the only option is through a terminal command.)

  1. Open your Terminal.

  2. Type in ip link”and hit Enter.

     

  3. Your Wireless MAC address will be link/ether hexadecimal under your wireless adaptor (typically named “wlanX, wloX or wlX” ex. wlan0 or in this case, wlp3s0)

 

Ubuntu 20.04 - Wired MAC Address

  1. Open Settings

     

  2. Click Network on the left-hand sidebar.

     

  3. See Hardware Address for your Wired MAC address.

 

 

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