How to Change Your Computer's MAC Address

A MAC address is a unique identifier for a device's network interface, a kind of "passport number" for Wi-Fi, Ethernet, or other network adapters. It is assigned to the hardware by the manufacturer and used to identify devices within local networks – by routers, access points, and other network equipment.

A single computer can have multiple MAC addresses: one for Wi-Fi, one for wired connection (Ethernet), Bluetooth, and other interfaces.

Changing (spoofing) a MAC address can be used in different situations:

• Bypassing network restrictions — for example, if the network has a limit on the number of connected devices.
• Increasing privacy when connecting to different networks.
• Testing and configuring network equipment.
• Diagnosing network problems or checking the operation of MAC address filtering.

Changing a MAC address may violate the usage rules of the network, provider, or organization. In some cases, this can lead to access blocking, network conflicts, or other connection problems.

How to Find Your Computer's MAC Address

You can find the MAC address using standard system tools. Below are the methods for the main operating systems. Keep in mind that the address will be different for Wi-Fi and wired connections, so check the correct interface.

Windows

Method 1: Via the Command Prompt:

1. Press Win + R, enter cmd, and press Enter.
2. Enter the command: ipconfig /all.
3. Find the necessary adapter (Ethernet or Wi-Fi).
4. The "Physical Address" line is the MAC address.

Method 2: Via the Graphical Interface:

1. Open "Settings".
2. Go to the "Network & Internet" section.
3. Select Wi-Fi (or "Ethernet" if connected by cable).
4. Click "Hardware properties".
5. The "Physical address (MAC)" line displays the device's MAC address.

macOS

Method 1: Via "Terminal": Open Terminal and enter: ifconfig en0 | grep ether or networksetup -getmacaddress en0. en0 is usually Wi-Fi, but the interface name may be different.

Method 2: Via System Settings:

1. Open "System Preferences" → "Network".
2. Select the connection (Wi-Fi or Ethernet).
3. Click "Advanced".
4. Go to the "Hardware" tab – the MAC address is displayed there.

Linux

Via "Terminal," you can use one of the commands: ifconfig eth0 | grep HWaddr or the more modern variant ip link show eth0. The designation eth0 is an example of a network interface name. In your system, it may be called wlan0, enp3s0, or something else. The MAC address will be indicated in the command output after the link/ether line.

How to Change Your MAC Address

Below are the main ways to change the MAC address in different operating systems. Keep in mind that the software value of the address is changed, and not all adapters support this function.

Windows

Method 1: Via Device Manager:

1. Press Win + X → "Device Manager".
2. Expand the "Network adapters" section.
3. Select the desired adapter → "Properties".
4. Go to the "Advanced" tab.
5. Find the "Network Address" or "Locally Administered Address" parameter.
6. Enter the new MAC address (12 characters without hyphens).
7. Confirm the changes and restart the adapter.

Note: Some network cards do not have this parameter because the driver does not support changing the MAC address.

Method 2: Via the Registry (use if the first method is not available; it is recommended to create a system restore point first):

1. Press Win + R → regedit.
2. Navigate to the section: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Class\{4d36e972-e325-11ce-bfc1-08002be10318}.
3. Inside are folders "0000", "0001", "0002"... – open each and find the desired adapter by the DriverDesc parameter.
4. Create a string parameter named NetworkAddress.
5. Enter the new MAC address (without separators).
6. Restart the computer or disable and enable the adapter.

If these methods do not work or you need to do everything faster, you can use special programs to change the MAC address.

• TMAC (Technitium MAC Address Changer) is one of the most popular programs. It shows a list of network adapters, allows you to set a new MAC address manually or generate a random one, and automatically applies the changes without manually editing the registry and adapter properties.
• SMAC MAC Address Changer is a program with a graphical interface for spoofing the MAC address of network cards, focused on quick changes without manual system configuration.

Advantages of third-party software:

• Easier and clearer way to change the MAC address.
• Time savings compared to manual configuration.
• Convenient for users without experience working with the registry.

The disadvantages of third-party software is that an additional program is installed in the system, which may work unstable or conflict with the network card drivers. Sometimes the Internet may disappear after changing the MAC, and you will have to return the settings back. Such utilities require administrator rights, and when downloading from unofficial sites, there is a risk of getting a version with malicious code. Also, not all programs support all models of network adapters, so the change may simply not apply.

macOS

Via Terminal:

• Open the Terminal application.
• Run the commands:

sudo ifconfig en0 down

sudo ifconfig en0 ether XX:XX:XX:XX:XX:XX (new address)

sudo ifconfig en0 up

• Replace en0 with the name of the desired network interface.

If the command does not work, you can temporarily disable Wi-Fi and repeat the MAC address change:

sudo networksetup -setairportpower en0 off

sudo ifconfig en0 ether XX:XX:XX:XX:XX:XX (new address)

sudo networksetup -setairportpower en0 on

After restarting, the MAC address usually reverts to the original. To make the spoofing permanent, use an autostart script that executes these commands when the system starts.

For macOS, there are third-party utilities with a graphical interface. They allow you to select a network interface, set a new MAC address, save profiles, and quickly switch between them without manually entering commands.

• LinkLiar is an application for macOS with a graphical interface designed to spoof MAC addresses of network interfaces and manage profiles.
• SpoofMAC is a tool for macOS that simplifies changing the MAC address through commands, eliminating the need to manually enter long parameters.
• Macchanger is a command-line utility, originally popular in Linux, but also used in macOS through additional tools, allows you to set or generate a MAC address.

Linux

The MAC address in Linux is most often changed via the "Terminal". First, you need to disable the network interface, then set the new MAC address, and then enable the interface again:

sudo ifconfig eth0 down

sudo ifconfig eth0 hw ether XX:XX:XX:XX:XX:XX

sudo ifconfig eth0 up

eth0 is an example of an interface name. In your system, it may be called differently, for example, wlan0, enp3s0, etc.

A more modern way for Linux is to use the ip utility, which replaced ifconfig. First, the network interface must be disabled with the command sudo ip link set dev eth0 down. After that, a new MAC address is set with the command sudo ip link set dev eth0 address XX:XX:XX:XX:XX:XX, where you specify the desired address instead of XX:XX:XX:XX:XX:XX. Then the interface is turned on again with the command sudo ip link set dev eth0 up.

eth0 is an example of an interface name. In your system, it may be called differently, for example, wlan0, enp3s0, etc.

How to Verify the MAC Address Change

After changing the MAC address, it is important to make sure that the new address has actually been applied. The verification is performed in the same ways as when determining the current MAC address.

In Windows, open a command prompt and enter: ipconfig /all. Press Enter. In the list of network adapters, find the desired connection (Wi-Fi or Ethernet). The "Physical Address" line displays the MAC address of the device.

In macOS, open "Terminal" and run the command ifconfig en0 | grep ether or networksetup -getmacaddress en0 (replace en0 with the name of your interface). The output will show the current MAC address.

In Linux, you can use the command ip link show eth0 or ifconfig eth0, where eth0 is an example of the interface name. The new MAC address is displayed next to the link/ether line.

If the address has not changed, try disabling and re-enabling the network adapter or restarting the computer. In some cases, restarting the router helps – this updates the network tables and eliminates possible conflicts.

If the task is related to increasing anonymity, for example, when working with multiple accounts, changing only the MAC address is usually not enough. In such cases, a specialized anti-detect browser, such as Linken Sphere, is used, which replaces not only network parameters, but also the characteristics of the device within the profile.

Possible problems

When changing the MAC address, errors can occur, especially if the adapter or system does not fully support this function.

If the MAC address change is not applied. Check if your network adapter supports software MAC change – some models simply do not have this capability. Make sure the address is entered without errors: it must consist of 12 hexadecimal characters (numbers and letters A–F). Try restarting the network adapter or restarting the computer. In Windows, updating the network card driver sometimes helps.

If the Internet is gone after changing the MAC. Disable and re-enable the network adapter or restart the device. If the connection has not been restored, return the original MAC address. In some networks, access is tied to a specific MAC, so changing it may block the connection. You can also restart the router to update the network tables.

Common mistakes when changing the MAC address. Most often, users enter the address in the wrong format, forget to restart the interface after changing it, or change the MAC of the wrong adapter (for example, Ethernet instead of Wi-Fi). Another common problem is trying to set a MAC that is already used in the network, which causes conflicts and unstable connections.

Conclusion

The MAC address is a network interface identifier that is used to identify devices on a local network. You can identify and change it using standard system tools or with the help of special tools, and the result must always be checked. Changing the MAC address can be useful when testing a network, diagnosing problems, or for increasing the level of privacy, but this setting is not supported by all adapters and may work differently in different networks.

It is important to take into account the rules of the network used. Failure to comply with these requirements can lead to connection problems or access restrictions.