Some users might change their MAC address to protect their privacy. For example, You might want to connect to a WiFi hotspot, or you might want to ensure interoperability. Think carefully before you decide to change your MAC address since certain providers bind their clients to a particular MAC address and if you change it, the service won’t work anymore.
How to Change MAC Address on Mac
One thing to keep in mind is that the change in your Mac’s MAC address won’t be permanent. Once you reboot your Mac, it’s going to go back to the original MAC address.
1 How to Change MAC Address on Mac2 How to Find and Change MAC Address for Mac3 How to Find Your MAC Address on Your Windows Computer4 How to Change MAC Address In Windows5 Conclusion
The first thing you’ll need to do is open a Terminal window. You can open one by pressing Command and Space together and typing Terminal. Don’t forget to press Enter. Once the Terminal window is open, run this command: sudo ifconfig en0 xx:xx:xx:xx:xx:xx Now, replace En0 with the network’s name and adding in your own MAC address. Most of the time the network interface will either be En0 or En1. It’s all going to depend on which interface you want to change if it’s the Ethernet or WiFi interface. Run the ifconfig command so you can see the list of interfaces, just in case you’re not sure of the correct network interface’s name. To make sure that the MAC address has been changed, you’ll need to run a simple command. For Mac, the command would be ifconfig.
How to Find and Change MAC Address for Mac
Finding your MAC address is easy. All you have to do is hold down the Option key and click on the WiFi icon that’s in the menu bar. Look for the word Address and the letters and numbers with the colons is your physical MAC address. Did you change your Mac Adress already? To see which address your computer is using you’ll need to use the Terminal. You’re going to have to type ifconfig en0 | grep ether What this code will do is it will output your MAC address for the hardware interface which is mostly used for WiFi. To check what interface you’re using for wireless, hold down the Option key and click on the WiFi icon. That’s how you’ll be able to see what device you’re using to surf the web. Also Read: How To Get The Most Out of Your Mac Finder Window
How to Find Your MAC Address on Your Windows Computer
For Windows computer most network cards let you create a personalized MAC address from the configuration panes in the Device Manager. One thing to keep in mind is that some network drivers probably won’t support this feature. To find the MAC address of the network adapters, you’re going to need to use the Command Prompt. To access the Command Prompt press WinKey+R and then type cmd when the Run dialog appears. Don’t forget to press Enter.
Now type getmac /v -fo list and press Enter. You should now see the output for each of your NIC adapters (network adapters, wired and wireless).
How to Change MAC Address In Windows
Just a small warning before you go ahead and change the MAC address on your Windows computer. Changing it could create problems, and sometimes your computer could fail to appear on the network. If you’re sure of what you’re doing, then you can change it by first pressing the Windows key and pause or break key. This should open the System Properties window. If the Pause key is mixed with the Shift key, you’re going to need to press Win+Fn+Pause keys. Click on the Device Manager to the left of the System window and when you see the Device Manager dialog find the Network Adapters. Find the plus sign after Network Adapters and click on it so you can see all the Network Adapters that are attached to your computer. Choose the network adapter that has the MAC address you want tp modify and right-click on it to select Properties. Now, click on the Advanced Tab choose Network Address or Locally Administered MAC Address. You will either see one or the other but not both. After clicking on the option, you should see a text to the right that says Value. In the box type a six-digit alphanumeric code once you’ve chosen the radio button.
Just the type the numbers and letters without the colons and dashes. If you add them that could result in error.To close the dialog box, just click OK. Don’t forget to close anything you might have left open, including the Device Manager. Also Read: How to Enable Hidden Administrator Account In Windows
Conclusion
Everyone has their reasons to change the MAC address on either their Windows computer on they’re Macs. Whatever yours is, now you know how you can find it and change it. Just don’t forget that changing it can cause issues. It’s not a sure thing but don’t be surprised if it happens. What’s your reason for changing your MAC address? Share your thoughts in the comments.
