Every piece of hardware that connects to a network—whether it is your iPhone, a smart TV, or your Mac—has a unique, permanent identifier assigned to it by the manufacturer. This is called a MAC (Media Access Control) address. Unlike your IP address, which changes depending on the Wi-Fi network you join, your MAC address generally remains exactly the same for the lifespan of the device.
You may need to find your Mac’s MAC address if you are setting up advanced routing rules on your home router, configuring a static IP address, or trying to connect to a highly secure corporate network that uses MAC filtering to restrict access to approved devices only.
This guide explains how to quickly find the MAC address of your Mac’s Wi-Fi or Ethernet adapter.
Finding Your MAC Address via System Settings
The easiest way to find your MAC address is through the standard macOS graphical interface.
- Click the Apple Logo in the top-left corner of your screen.
- Select System Settings (or System Preferences on older versions of macOS).
- In the left-hand sidebar, click on Network.
- On the right side of the window, click on the active network connection you are currently using (e.g., Wi-Fi or Ethernet).
- Click the Details… button (or Advanced… on older macOS versions) next to the connected network name.
- In the new window that appears, look at the sidebar on the left and click on Hardware.
- The very first line of text will be labeled MAC Address. It consists of six groups of two hexadecimal digits, separated by colons (for example,
a1:b2:c3:d4:e5:f6).
Note: If your Mac has both Wi-Fi and a physical Ethernet port, each interface has its own unique MAC address. Ensure you check the settings for the specific connection method you plan to use.
Finding Your MAC Address via the Terminal
If you prefer using the command line, you can retrieve your MAC address instantly without navigating through menus.
- Open the Terminal app (you can find it in Applications > Utilities, or by searching for it via Spotlight).
- To find the MAC address of your Wi-Fi adapter, type the following command and press Enter:
networksetup -getmacaddress en0 - To find the MAC address of your Ethernet adapter (if applicable), type this command and press Enter:
networksetup -getmacaddress en1
The terminal will instantly output the MAC address corresponding to that hardware interface.