How To Find Your Device MAC Address

What is a MAC Address?

MAC Address or media access control address is a unique ID assigned to network interface cards (NICs). It is also known as a physical or hardware address. It identifies the hardware manufacturer and is used for network communication between devices in a network segment. MAC Address usually consists of six groups of two hexadecimal digits.

The network adapters or network interface cards always come with a MAC address which is fed into hardware, usually in read-only memory (ROM), or BIOS system. The physical address is stored into the NIC by its manufacturer, that is why this address is also called a burned-in address (BIA) or ethernet hardware address.

There are several NIC manufacturers; some well-known of them are Dell, Cisco, Belkin. The first three sets of two hexadecimal numbers in a MAC Address identifies the card manufacturer, and this number is called OUI (organizationally unique identifier). OUI is always the same for NICs manufactured by the same company. For example, let's say a network card manufactured by dell has a physical address: 00-14-22-04-25-37, in this address, 00-14-22 is the OUI of Dell which identifies that the device is by Dell. It may be interesting for you to know that all the OUIs are registered and assigned to the manufacturers by IEEE.

How to Find MAC Address?

To find MAC Address, see the instructions given below for popular operating systems.

How to Find MAC Address in Windows? 

Go to Command Prompt

• Press Windows + R
• Type cmd and press Enter

OR

• Click Start Button
• Type cmd and press Enter
• In Command Prompt, type ipconfig/all and press Enter

And locate for the "Physical Address" or "HWaddr" field. The Physical Address should be in format M:M:M:S:S:S. For example: 00-14-22-04-25-37

How to Find MAC Address in MacOS?

• Click on Apple Menu (usually on top left corner), and click System Preferences
• In System Preferences, click View menu and select Network
• In the Network window that just opened, click the Wi-Fi, Ethernet, or Airport icon on left.
• Now click Advanced on bottom right.
• From the upper menu, click Hardware, and look for MAC Address field.

Your MAC Address should be in the format: M:M:M:S:S:S. For example: 00-14-22-04-25-37

How to Find MAC Address in Linux or Unix?

Perform the following as super user (or with appropriate permissions)

• Type ifconfig -a
• Look for "eth0". This is your default ethernet adapter
• Now locate the field "HWaddr". The value displayed next to it is your MAC Address.
• Your MAC Address should be in this format: 00-14-22-04-25-37
• How to Find MAC Address in iOS?
• Open Settings app.
• Tap on General option in settings.
• Now tap on About option.
• Locate the field Wi-Fi Address
• The value against this field is your MAC Address

Your MAC Address should be in the format: M:M:M:S:S:S. For example: 00-14-22-04-25-37

Finding a MAC Address in Android

Method 1:

• Open Settings app.
• Select the option Wireless & Networks
• Select Wi-Fi Settings
• Select Advanced, and your wireless network card's MAC Address should appear here.

Method 2:

• Open Settings app.
• Select the option About Device
• Tap on the option Hardware Info
• Select Advanced, and your wireless network card's MAC Address should appear here.