This article describes how to find the Media Access Control (MAC) address of a network adapter in Windows.
- Media Access Control Address
- Locating the MAC Address of a Network Adapter in Windows
Issue 1: Media Access Control Address
A network adapter, also called a Network Interface Card or NIC, is equipped with a unique identifier known as the Media Access Control (MAC) address. This address can be used by routers and switches to control access to a network. You may find it useful in some situations to determine the MAC address of a NIC in Windows. The instructions in this article explain how to do so.
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Issue 2: Locating the MAC Address of a NIC in Windows
To locate the MAC address of a NIC in Windows, follow these steps:
- Open a command prompt. (Click Start, Run, Type CMD, then right-click CMD.exe on the menu, and click Run as Administrator)
- At the prompt in the open command Window: Type getmac /v: The MAC address, labeled "Physical Address," will be displayed in the form xx-xx-xx-xx-xx-xx:
- It is also possible to determine the MAC address of a NIC with the ipconfig /all command. Which returns quite a bit of other information as well:
- When finished, type Exit then press enter to close the command window.
Note: Many systems have both wired and wireless network interfaces, and each network adapter has a unique MAC address. Be sure to note the addresses of all adapters in the system. Additionally, the MAC address is bound to the NIC; therefore, it changes if the network adapter is replaced.
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