How to Find Your MAC Address

Using Windows XP, Vista or Mac OS X

May 15, 2009 Cliff Daigle

Often a router's security set-up requires a MAC address from each computer that will be accessing the network. Luckily, finding a MAC address is a quick and easy process.

The Media Access Control Address, or MAC address is a unique identification number that is assigned to most network cards by the manufacturer. Some routers will use this number to identify a specific computer as having permission to access the network.

The MAC address is a series of six pairs of numbers and letters, separated by dashes, that looks something like this:

00-1A-A0-68-93-7D

Note that because the MAC address is assigned to the physical network card, if the card is replaced then the MAC address of the new card will need to be determined and the router's set-up updated with this information.

Finding a MAC Address in Windows XP or Vista

It is simple to find a MAC address using either Windows XP or Vista by following the steps below.

1. Click the Start Button (on the lower left side of your screen).
2. Select "Run" from the bottom right hand side of the menu (Note: If Run is not listed as an option in Vista, hold down the Windows key and press the R-key, or see below to add the Run command to Vista's Start menu).
3. When the Run dialog box opens, type "cmd" (without the quotes) and hit OK.
4. In the window that opens, type "getmac" (again without the quotes) and hit the "Enter" key.
5. The 12-digit sequence of numbers and letters that shows up under the heading "Physical Address" is the MAC address.

As it can be difficult to remember infrequently used hot keys (such as the above-mentioned Windows Key + R), it is probably a good idea to add the Run command to the Vista start menu as outlined below. It comes in handy for many operations in Windows.

How to Enable the Run Option in Windows Vista

In Windows Vista the Run command is absent from the Start menu by default. To add this command to the Start menu follow the instructions below.

1. Right-click on the Start Button (on the lower left side of your screen).
2. Select "Properties" from the list of options.
3. When the "Taskbar and Start Menu Properties" window opens, select the "Start Menu" tab, if it isn't selected already.
4. Click the "Customize" button (in the top right corner of the window).
5. Scroll down the list until you see "Run command" and click the check box beside it.
6. Hit OK to exit this window, and OK again to exit the properties window.
7. The Run option will now be visible in the Vista Start Menu (at the bottom right).

The Run command can be removed from the Start menu by following the procedure above, but then removing the check in the "Run command" box.

Finding a MAC Address in Mac OS X

Mac OS X also has a fast and easy way to find a MAC address, as outlined in the steps below.

1. Click the Apple Menu (top left of screen) and select "System Preferences" from the drop-down.
2. Double-click the Network preferences icon.
3. To see your wireless MAC address:
   • Select "AirPort" from the "Show" drop-down.
   • Make sure that the "AirPort" button is selected (the button is on the far right side of the button row).
   • Your MAC address is 12-digit sequence of numbers and letters shown after "AirPort ID:"
4. To see your wired MAC address:
   • Select "Built-in Ethernet" from the "Show" drop-down.
   • Make sure that "Ethernet" button is selected (the button is on the far left side of button row).
   • Your MAC address is the 12-digit sequence of numbers and letters shown after "Ethernet ID:"

The copyright of the article How to Find Your MAC Address in Computer Hardware/Accessories is owned by Cliff Daigle. Permission to republish How to Find Your MAC Address in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

Ethernet Cable

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