MAC addresses are one of the essential elements when it comes to wireless communication between devices. It is a serial number assigned to hardware that connects to a network, including Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and Ethernet. As a result, it allows you to send the packets to the right device.

However, you might need to change your MAC address for various reasons. If you have a Mac, follow this guide to find and change your MAC address.

What Is a MAC Address?

MAC address in Terminal on macOS

A MAC (media access control) address is a unique 12-digit hexadecimal number used to identify a specific network adapter. A computer with multiple network interface cards will have multiple MAC addresses.

It is also used for static IP address assignment, unique identification of your device, and many other purposes. Generally, the manufacturer of your network adapter assigns a MAC address to it, and it looks like 96:eb:f3:12:f2:b9 or EB:EC:8B:86:79:CB.

At some public Wi-Fi spots, the MAC address allows the Wi-Fi provider to enforce time limitations as it can be used to identify a device uniquely.

Why Change Your MAC Address?

Mac FIltering Access Control on TP Link AX 1500 Router

There are numerous reasons why you want to change your MAC address. Although you can't change the physical MAC address of your network adapter, you can only spoof it.

For instance, the network administrators at your workplace or school often limit your device's access, speed, or usage with MAC address filtering. They can also monitor your activity using the same. You'd want to bypass it by changing your MAC address in such cases.

Another reason is that if you connect to public Wi-Fi, it's possible that hackers can impersonate you with your device's MAC address and steal your credentials. MAC addresses aren't encrypted, so anyone on the same network can access them. Hence, masking your original MAC address with another one is important.

How to Find Your Current Mac Address in macOS

Before you can change the MAC address on your Mac, you'll need to know your current MAC address, which is easy to find.

Press Option and click the WiFi icon in the menu bar to see your MAC address on Mac

Before finding it, you should connect to a Wi-Fi network. Then, click the Wi-Fi icon in the menu bar while holding the Option (⌥) key on the keyboard. You'll see your MAC address next to "Address:" in the menu. Besides, you'll also see other details such as IP address, BSSID, and more. But don't confuse your IP address with your MAC address since there's a difference between them.

If you don't have the Wi-Fi icon in the menu bar, follow these simple steps to find your Mac's MAC address.

  1. Go to Apple menu > System Settings from the menu bar.
    System Settings option in Apple menu on macOS Ventura
  2. Select Wi-Fi on the left pane and then Advanced on the right. You'll see your MAC address listed as the Wi-Fi MAC address in a new pop-up window.
    Wi-Fi MAC address in System Settings on macOS Ventura

Furthermore, if you want to find the MAC addresses of all other network cards on your Mac, like Ethernet and Thunderbolt, you can do so with a simple code. Open Terminal on your Mac and type the following command followed by the Return key.

        networksetup -listallhardwareports
    
Network report list all hardware ports command in Terminal on macOS Ventura

Usually, en0 is the Wi-Fi port on most Macs, but in some, it could be en1. So double-check it if you aren't sure.

How to Change Your MAC Address in macOS

Apple introduced the MAC address randomization feature in iOS 14, iPadOS, and watchOS 7, which generates a new MAC address per network. Unfortunately, this feature didn't make its way to macOS for some reason. However, you can still change your Mac's MAC address using these simple steps:

  1. Turn off Wi-Fi on your Mac from the menu bar or the Control Center.
    Turn Off Wi-Fi on your Mac
  2. Open Terminal using Spotlight search.
  3. Type the following command and press the Return key to generate a random MAC address.
            openssl rand -hex 6 | sed 's/\(..\)/\1:/g; s/.$//'
    Command to generate random MAC address in Terminal
  4. Select the generated hex number and use the Command + C shortcut to copy it.
  5. Enter the following command, paste the copied MAC address at the end using the Command + V shortcut, and press the Return key.
            sudo ifconfig en0 ether
  6. Enter your Mac user account password if prompted.
    Command to change your MAC address to generated MAC address in Terminal

Once done, you'll have a new MAC address. You can connect to your Wi-Fi again and browse the internet with your new MAC address. Besides, this MAC address will only last till your Mac restarts, so you'll have to generate a new one every time you restart your Mac.

Additional Tips While Changing Your Mac's MAC Address

Here are some additional tips to help you through the process:

  • To verify your MAC address has changed successfully, just recheck it using the procedure we discussed at the beginning.
  • To restore your original MAC address, simply reboot your Mac. It also means there's no way to permanently change the MAC address on a Mac. Thankfully, most Macs are low-maintenance and won't need rebooting often.
  • If you're experiencing network issues after changing the MAC address, restart your router and try connecting to it again. If you still experience problems, just reboot your Mac to reset the MAC address.
  • It might be a good idea to note down your existing MAC addresses in case something goes wrong.
  • Make sure to use an administrator account to perform the procedure.
  • Some Macs may use "en1" instead of "en0". To check this, run the following command in the Terminal and verify the network adapter for which you want to change the MAC address.
            networksetup -listallhardwareport
        

Changing the MAC Address on a Mac Is Easy

Using the simple steps mentioned above, you can easily change the MAC address of your Mac. Although some third-party apps also help you achieve the same, we wouldn't recommend them since they're expensive, and it's better to do it yourself.

And if you need help, ask someone to do it by following the above instructions. You'll have better privacy by changing your MAC address to a different one. As a result, you can stay away from MAC spoofing attacks.