Find your hardware address

A hardware address may also be referred to as an Ethernet ID, Ethernet Address, MAC Address, or Physical Address. This document will help you find your wired hardware address for Mac OS and Windows computers.

White spaces in images indicate where details have been redacted to ensure privacy and security.

Mac OS (13 or higher):

1) Go to Apple >  System Settings

 

2) Click on the Network tab

Image


3) Select your wired  Ethernet adapter (not the Wi-Fi!) and click the Details button

 



4) Click the Hardware tab on the left tand copy the address in the "MAC address" field

Tip: If the MAC address field is blank then check for 1) the Ethernet adapter is plugged into the computer; and/or 2) check the other adapters that may be listed in the "Other Services" section (see step 2).

 

 

 

Windows

Method 1: Command line

1) Click Start and open cmd.exe

2) Enter ipconfig/all at the prompt

3) Find the Ethernet adapter (not the Wireless!) and the line for "Physical Address"

Step 8 - ipconfig all

 

Method 2:

1) Click Start > Settings

Step 1 - Start_Settings

 

2a) Click Network & Internet

Step 2 - Settings_Network

 

2b) If you do not have an active wired network connection, skip to step 3 below. If you do currently have an active wired network connection, click Ethernet, then click on the adapter (in the following image, it is listed as "Network 2")

Settings_Ethernet

 

2c) Scroll down to find the Physical Address. You are done!

Settings_network adapter.png

3) Continue here if you do not have an active network connection.
Click on Ethernet, then click Network and Sharing Center

Step 3 - Settings_Ethernet

 

4) Click "Change adapter settings"

Step 4 - Network and Sharing

 

5) Double click the Ethernet adapter

Step 5 - Network connections

6) Click Details...

Step 6 - Ethernet status

 

7) Find the Physical Address. You are done!

Step 7 - Physical Address