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mac-address

How to find the MAC address of your phone or computer

Updated August 17, 2026 3 min read
TL;DROn Windows, run ipconfig /all. On a Mac, check Network settings. On a phone, look under Wi-Fi details or About. Here's the exact path for each OS.

Short answer: on Windows, open Command Prompt and run ipconfig /all — look for “Physical Address.” On a Mac, go to System Settings → Wi-Fi → Details → the address next to “Wi-Fi Address.” On an iPhone, it’s Settings → General → About → Wi-Fi Address. On Android, Settings → About phone → Status → Wi-Fi MAC address.

Why you’d need this

A few situations call for your own device’s MAC address specifically:

  • Setting up MAC filtering on your router, which only lets listed addresses connect.
  • Reserving a fixed local IP for a device through your router’s DHCP settings, which is usually tied to its MAC.
  • Registering a device on a network that requires it, like some corporate, university, or hotel WiFi.
  • Matching a router’s client list to the device sitting in front of you, when you’re not sure which entry is which.

In all of these cases you’re looking for the hardware address of the network interface you’re currently using to connect, not some abstract device ID.

Windows

  1. Press Win + R, type cmd, press Enter.
  2. Type ipconfig /all and press Enter.
  3. Find your active adapter (Wireless LAN adapter Wi-Fi, or Ethernet adapter). The “Physical Address” line under it is the MAC address, formatted as six pairs of characters like 3C-5A-B4-12-9D-E7.

If you have both WiFi and ethernet connected, each adapter lists its own physical address. Use the one under whichever adapter shows a real IP address, since that’s the connection actually in use.

macOS

  1. Open System Settings, then Wi-Fi.
  2. Click Details next to your connected network, then Wi-Fi (or TCP/IP, depending on macOS version).
  3. Look for “Wi-Fi Address” — that’s the MAC address for your WiFi interface.

For an ethernet connection, the same Details panel under the Ethernet entry has its own separate address.

iPhone and iPad

  1. Open Settings → General → About.
  2. Scroll down to “Wi-Fi Address.” That’s your device’s MAC address for the network you’re connected to right now.

Apple started randomizing this address per network by default a few years back, so the value here won’t necessarily match what a router’s client list showed for this same phone last week.

Android

  1. Open Settings → About phone → Status (the exact label varies by manufacturer, sometimes under “Hardware information” or “IMEI information”).
  2. Look for “Wi-Fi MAC address.”

Some Android versions also show it under Settings → About phone → Wi-Fi MAC address directly, without the extra Status step.

Why the address might look different each time

Randomized MAC addresses are the most common reason the number you find today doesn’t match what you remember from a previous check. Phones, laptops, and tablets now generate a fresh, temporary address per WiFi network as standard practice, so the network operator can’t track the same device across different networks by its hardware ID. Your device’s real, permanent address still exists underneath, but you’d need to dig into developer or advanced settings to see it, and most people never need to. The randomized MAC address guide covers how to tell a random address from a permanent one if it matters for your setup.

What the address is actually for

A MAC address only means something on your local network. It tells your router which physical device is which when it hands out IPs, filters connections, or lists who’s online, but it never travels past your router onto the wider internet. MAC address vs IP address covers the difference in more detail if you’re trying to work out which one applies to whatever you’re setting up.

Once you have the address, you can also run it through a MAC vendor lookup to confirm it matches the device you think it does. The first half of the address, the OUI, is registered to the manufacturer, so a lookup on your own phone’s address should come back showing Apple, Samsung, or whoever made it. If it doesn’t, you’ve probably copied down the wrong entry.

Frequently asked questions

Does my MAC address ever change?

The physical address burned into the hardware doesn't. But most phones and modern laptops now generate a random, temporary MAC address for each new WiFi network instead of showing the real one, as a privacy feature. If the address you find doesn't match what you saw last time, that's usually why.

Can I find a device's MAC address without touching the device itself?

Yes, if it's already connected to your network. Open your router's admin page and look at the connected-devices list, which shows a MAC address next to every device online right now. That's also the easiest way to check a device you can't unlock or don't have in hand.

Do all my device's network connections have the same MAC address?

No. WiFi and ethernet are separate physical interfaces, so a laptop with both has two different MAC addresses, one per interface. A phone with WiFi and Bluetooth radios can show a different address for each, too.