UMass Amherst: Physics Department -

How to get your computer’s MAC Address

10-08

The MAC address is a number used by network adapters to uniquely identify themselves on a LAN; a MAC address is a 12-digit hexadecimal string and looks something like: 00:A0:23:C9:12:FF

Windows XP
Windows Vista
Mac OSX
UNIX

Windows XP:

Click on the Start Menu then select:
All Programs -> Accessories -> System Tools -> System Information
Click on the + sign to the left of Components
Click on the + sign to the left of Network
Click on Adapter
Scroll down to find your network adapter; note that many devices may be listed. It is important to find the correct device. The wireless network adapter is labeled wireless, but also look for something like the following example: Intel Pro10/100/1000 PCI Adapter.

Approximately 15 lines below the adapter name is the MAC Address. Most MAC addresses begin with the numbers 00: and the MAC address should contain 6 sets of HEX numbers for example: 00:A0:23:C9:12:FF

Windows Vista

at Start Menu
select All Programs
then Accesories
then System Tools
then System Information

in system Information, select components
then Network
then Adapter
Look for your hardware and/or wireless adapter, names simular to "ethernet controller or wireless controller"
within the listing of stats for the device find the MAC address.
It will look something like 00:06:5b:b1:a1:c3

UNIX

eth0 is typically the hardware adapter and with the
stats listed is HWaddr, which is the MAC address

Mac OSX

at the toolbar at the bottom of the screen click on the System Preference icon
or
Open Finder
click on Applications then double click on System Preferences
or
click on apple Icon in upper left corner
click on System Preferences

then
click on Network
in the Show pulldown menu select Build in Ethernet
for wireless choose Airport or Wireless Adaptor
in the center bar click on Ethernet
the Ethernet ID displaeyed is the MAC address