Locate a Hardware (MAC) Address

machine media Access control

A MAC Address is an identifier that devices use to communicate on networks. It consists of 12 letters and numbers (A-F and 0-9) and is often separated by colons (:) or hyphens (-). MAC Addresses are not case-sensitive. This identifier is usually found printed somewhere on the device's label - usually on the bottom or rear. Many devices only have this information available in the "About", "General Information" or "Network Settings" menus of the device and not on a physical label. Devices with multiple network connections (i.e. both wired and wireless) will have multiple MAC Addresses - one for each connection. MAC Addresses are also called Physical Addresses or Hardware Addresses.

In this context, MAC is an acronym for Media Access Control and is not specific to Apple brand products. Windows PCs and other non-Apple devices will have a MAC Address as well.

Many devices use a randomized or private MAC address. This feature limits the ability of a device to be tracked between networks, however it makes troubleshooting connection issues much more difficult. A device using this feature will have a different MAC address for each network it connects to, and that address may change from time to time. In order to effectively troubleshoot connection issues, ITC may request that this feature be disabled temporarily on your device. ITC may also ask for both the device's MAC address as well as the private or randomized MAC address that the device is using.

To locate the MAC Address of your device, follow the instructions below. For devices not listed, contact your device's manufacturer for support.

Instructions For

Mac OS X

Windows 10

iOS (iPhone and iPad)

Android

Mac OS X

Click the Wi-Fi icon in the menu bar at the top of the screen
Click "Open Network Preferences..." at the bottom of the menu that appears
Select "Wi-Fi" from the list on the left if you are looking for the Wi-Fi MAC Address. Otherwise, choose the connection whose MAC Address you are looking for.
Click the "Advanced..." button in the lower right corner of the window
You should see the MAC Address in the window that opens.

Windows 10

Click the Wi-Fi icon in the system tray.
Click Network & Internet Settings.
Click "View hardware and connection properties".
Find the section that pertains to the network adapter you are looking for the MAC Address of. You may need to scroll down. If you are looking for the Wi-Fi MAC Address of your device, make sure you choose the connection labelled "Wi-Fi" and not "Wi-Fi Direct" as the addresses may be different. The MAC Address is listed in the "Physical address (MAC)" field.