How to find out the MAC address of a computer

A MAC address, or physical address, is a personal identifier that any device that can connect to the internet has. It is a unique combination of six pairs of letters and numbers separated by a colon. Such an identifier is assigned at the manufacturing stage, and by its first part it is even possible to determine the manufacturer.

The physical address is used when setting up the network and, as a rule, is needed to configure router or the initial configuration of the network connection by the Internet provider.

All wireless adapters and network cards of computers, of course, have a MAC address. Depending on the OS your PC is running, you can find it in different ways. Consider a couple of the fastest options for each of the systems.

How to find the MAC address of a computer in Windows

In network properties

Right-click on the Internet connection icon in the tray and select "Network and Internet Settings".

Click "Properties" at the top of the window.

Scroll to the bottom of the list and find the line "Physical Address (MAC)".

Through the command line

Open search and launch Command Prompt.

Enter command getmac /v. The physical address will be shown next to the network adapter name.

How to find the MAC address of a computer in macOS

In network information

Just click on the Wi-Fi or Ethernet icon while holding down the Option key. The required information will be displayed in the "Address" line.

From the terminal

Run terminal via Spotlight search or from the Applications folder → Utilities.

Enter command ifconfig en0 | grep ether and find the physical address in the ether line.

How to find out the MAC address of a computer in Linux

In network properties

Right-click on the network icon in the taskbar and select "Connection Details".

Look at the line "Hardware address".

Through the terminal

Open a terminal.

Enter command ip link show. The MAC address will be displayed in the link/ether line.

Artyom Kozoriz