Can You Change MAC Address Permanently? Truth Revealed

How to Change MAC Address on Windows and Mac You can change your MAC address on Windows using Device Manager and on Mac using Terminal commands. A Media Access Control (MAC) address is a permanent, 12-character physical identifier assigned to your device’s network hardware by the manufacturer. Changing (or “spoofing”) this address temporarily alters how your device identifies itself to routers, boosting your online privacy on public Wi-Fi networks and assisting network administrators with troubleshooting. How to Find Your Current MAC Address

Before changing your address, record your original physical ID for reference. On Windows Press the Windows Key, type cmd, and press Enter. Type ipconfig /all and press Enter.

Locate your active network card (e.g., Wireless or Ethernet) and look for the Physical Address.

Hold down the Option key and click the Wi-Fi icon in the top menu bar.

Identify your Interface Name (usually en0 or en1) and the current Address. How to Change Your MAC Address on Windows

Windows allows you to easily modify your hardware address through built-in system management tools.

[Start Menu] ➔ [Device Manager] ➔ [Network Adapters] ➔ [Properties] ➔ [Advanced Tab]

Right-click the Start Menu button and select Device Manager.

Click the arrow next to Network adapters to expand the section.

Right-click your active adapter (e.g., Intel Wireless or Realtek Ethernet) and select Properties. Navigate to the Advanced tab.

Under the Property list, scroll down and select Network Address or Locally Administered Address.

Click the Value radio button and enter a new 12-digit hexadecimal address without dashes, spaces, or colons (e.g., 021122334455).

Click OK. Restart your computer or toggle your Wi-Fi off and back on to apply changes.

Note: For many modern Windows drivers, the second digit of your new MAC address must be 2, 6, A, or E to satisfy local administration constraints. How to Change Your MAC Address on Mac

macOS handles hardware spoofing using the command line via the Terminal app. Changes on a Mac remain active until you reboot your computer. How To Change MAC Address on Windows 11 Computers