Finding your MAC (Media Access Control) Address
The MAC Address of a network device has nothing to do with Apple or Macintosh computers. MAC stands for Media Access Control. A MAC address is the serial number assigned to a network adapter. As the addresses must be unique, every network adapter is given a specific range to use.
A MAC Address is sometimes called a hardware address, physical address, ethernet ID, or layer-two address.
The procedure to find the MAC address varies depending on the operating system on your network device (phone, computer, tablet, etc.). Please look at the appropriate section below.
Find the MAC address of a network adapter on
Windows
Open a command prompt window. Go to Start and type CMD. Then, press the Enter key.
A command prompt window should open up. At the prompt, type ipconfig /all and press the Enter key.
(see image to the right)
Look for either (or both):
a. Ethernet adapter Local Area Connection:
b. Ethernet adapter Wireless Network Connection:
You will find the MAC address to the right of Physical Address. It should have hexadecimal characters in the form xx-xx-xx-xx-xx-xx.
Macintosh
Open the Apple menu (small Apple icon in the top left of the screen) and click on System Preferences.
In System Preferences, click on Network.
Select the desired network adapter (Ethernet or Wi-Fi) to the left.
Click on the Advanced button. Then, click on the Hardware tab.
(see image to the right)
Look for MAC address. It should have hexadecimal characters in the form xx-xx-xx-xx-xx-xx.
iOS
Press the Home button to get back to the Home screen.
Tap the Settings icon.
Tap General and then About.
The MAC address is labeled "Wi-Fi Address". It should have hexadecimal characters in the form xx-xx-xx-xx-xx-xx.
(see image to the right)
Android
Click on the Home button at the bottom of the phone.
At the Home screen, click Menu.
Select Settings.
Select About Phone.
Select Hardware Information.
(under Status on Android version 2.3)
The MAC address is labeled "Wi-Fi Address". It should have hexadecimal characters in the form xx-xx-xx-xx-xx-xx.
NOTE:
For Android version 3, the MAC Address can be found in the settings under Wireless and Network , then Wi-Fi Settings.
Xbox
Turn on your Xbox console with no game disc in the disc tray.
From the Xbox Dashboard, choose Xbox Live.
From the Connect Status screen, select Settings.
The MAC address is the 12-digit number at the bottom-right corner of the Network Settings screen.
(Click here for Source of Information)
Xbox 360
Go to the System area of the Xbox Dashboard and select Network Settings.
Select Edit Settings.
From Additional Settings, select Advanced Settings.
At the bottom of this screen you"ll see a heading called Wired MAC Address.
(Click here for Source of Information)
PlayStation 2
Power up the PlayStation 2 and load the Network Adaptor Startup Disc.
Once it has loaded, press X to enter the ISP SETUP.
The ISP SETUP will begin to load.
Once the setup process has loaded, press X to continue.
After the network adaptor has been found, press X to continue.
Press X again to continue.
Select NEW and then press X to continue.
Type a name for your ISP setting. This can be any name you would like to associate with this connection.
When asked if you currently subscribe to an ISP service, select YES and press X to continue.
For connection type, choose HIGH SPEED CONNECTION (CABLE OR DSL) and press X to continue. Select AUTOMATIC SETTINGS and press X to continue.
When asked if your ISP requires a User ID and Password, select NO and press X to continue.
When asked if your Internet Service Provider requires you to input a DHCP Host Name, select NO, unplug your ethernet cord from the PS2, and press X to continue. (Unplugging your ethernet cord from the PS2 will cause the test to fail, but you want this to happen so that the PS2 will display your MAC address.)
Wait while your network connection is tested.
The network connection test will fail. Do not press X or Triangle. Press Select to see the error message.
The MAC address will be displayed. The address is a combination of 12 numbers and letters.
(Click here for Source of Information)
PlayStation 3
Power up the PlayStation 3 without any disc in the drive.
Once the PlayStation 3 operating system has loaded, select Settings.
Once you are in Settings select Network Settings.
When the Network Settings list appears, select the first option which is titled Settings and Connection Status List.
The physical address will be listed under MAC Address. The address is a combination of 12 numbers and letters.
(Click here for Source of Information)
GameCube
Remove the GameCube"s broadband adaptor from the GameCube unit.
Printed on the underside of the adaptor is a MAC address. It will consist of hexadecimal characters and have the format xx:xx:xx:xx:xx:xx.
(Click here for Source of Information)
Wii
Turn on your Wii.
From the Wii Menu select Wii Options. (It is the round button in the lower left corner that says Wii.)
Select Wii Settings.
Scroll to the right to Wii System Settings 2.
Select Internet.
Select Console Information.
The MAC address will be displayed. It will consist of hexadecimal characters and have the format xx-xx-xx-xx-xx-xx.
How do I tell if a MAC address belongs to my wireless or my wired card?
The name of a wireless card will usually include something along the lines of WLAN (Wireless Local Area Network) or 802.11 (the used by wireless cards protocol). A wired card will say something like 10/100 or 10/100/1000 (the speeds used by the card) or Packet Scheduler.