Whether you work on a wired network or a wireless network, your computer must have a NIC (Network Interface Card) to communicate over the network. It is a hardware component that turns data into an electrical signal so that it can be transmitted over the network and make it possible for your computer to connect to a network. And every NIC has a hardware address that is known as a MAC (Media Access Control) they are unique and cannot be changed. Let’s understand what is the use of MAC addresses in networking. How to find mac address on your Windows computer?
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What is a MAC (Media Access Control) address?
The MAC address is also known as the Media Access Control address, is a unique identifier assigned to a NIC (Network Interface Controller/Card). MAC Address is also known as the Physical Address of a network device, which provides a Secure way to find senders or receivers in the network, prevents unwanted network access, helps you track the device on the network and more.
Example of a MAC Address
MAC addresses are 12-digit alphanumeric values expressed in hexadecimal numbers. The address itself is 48 bits long or 6 bytes (bits and bytes are binary values; there are 8 bits in a byte), and it’s often hard-coded by the network card manufacturer.
An example of MAC addresses is 00-1A-2B-3C-4D-56.
Here you can see the MAC address containing 6 outlets and is divided into two parts.
The first six hexadecimal digits (the first 24 bits) are known as the Organizationally Unique Identifier (OUI), which is assigned to the manufacturer by the IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers). This OUI identifies the company that produced the NIC.
For instance, the OUI 00-1A-2B is registered to Ayecom Technology Co., Ltd.
The remaining six digits (the last 24 bits) are assigned by the manufacturer to uniquely identify the specific NIC or device. This ensures that every NIC produced by the same manufacturer has a unique MAC address, preventing conflicts on the network.
How MAC Address work?
MAC addresses are used at the data link layer (Layer 2) of the OSI model to facilitate communication within a local network segment. When devices communicate within a local network (LAN), the MAC address ensures that data reaches the correct destination. Here’s how it works:
- When a computer wants to send data to another device on the same network, it first uses the ARP (Address Resolution Protocol) to find the MAC address of that device.
- Once the MAC address is known, data packets are encapsulated in Ethernet frames containing both source and destination MAC addresses.
- The network switch or router uses these MAC addresses to forward data to the correct device.
Example:
Imagine two computers on the same Wi-Fi network:
- Computer A MAC Address: 00:14:22:68:1C:7A
- Computer B MAC Address: 00:25:9C:CF:1C:AC
When Computer A sends a message to Computer B, the router/switch identifies Computer B’s MAC address and ensures the data is delivered specifically to that device no other device will receive it.
Types of MAC addresses
There are three types of MAC addresses: Unicast, Multicast, and Broadcast.
| Type | Description | Example |
| Unicast MAC Address | Identifies a single unique network device (most common). | 00:1A:2B:3C:4D:5E |
| Multicast MAC Address | Used to send data to a group of devices simultaneously. | 01:00:5E:00:00:FB |
| Broadcast MAC Address | Used to send data to all devices on a network. | FF:FF:FF:FF:FF:FF |
- Unicast: This type identifies a single specific network interface. The least significant bit (LSB) of the first octet is set to 0, indicating a unicast address. The MAC address of a device’s own NIC is a unicast address.
- A multicast MAC address represents a group of devices. The IEEE has reserved the Organizationally Unique Identifier (OUI) 01-00-5E (first 3-bytes or 24 bits) for the multicast MAC addresses. These are used for applications like video streaming or online gaming, where data is sent to multiple recipients simultaneously. The remaining 24 bits are set by the network application or device that wants to send data in the group.
- The broadcast MAC address represents all devices in the network. The IEEE has reserved the address FFFF.FFFF.FFFF as the broadcast MAC address. Any device that wants to send data to all devices of the network can use this address as the destination MAC address.
How to Find Your MAC Address in Windows 11
You can easily check your MAC address using Command Prompt or the Settings app.
Method 1: Using Command Prompt
- Open the command prompt as administrator,
- Type the command ipconfig /all and press the Enter key,
- This will display the computer’s IP address and other information, such as the address of its default gateway
- And to find out the physical address of the wired or wireless adapter, scroll down and look for the values next to “Physical Address,”. This will be your MAC address.
Method 2: Using Windows Settings
- Go to Settings > Network & Internet > Wi-Fi.
- Click your connected network name.
- Scroll down to see the Physical (MAC) address listed.
Method 3: Using the Network Connection Settings:
- Press Windows key + R, type ncpa.cpl and click ok,
- This will open the network configuration window,
- locate your active network adapter, double click on it to open its properties,
- Next, click on details, and locate the physical address in the Network Connection Details window.
Can You Change a MAC Address?
Ya, we have already discussed the MAC address is “burned-in” to the physical device at the manufacturer’s end. But it’s fairly simple to change your MAC address by “spoofing” it as another MAC address.
- Press Windows key + R, type devmgmt.msc and click ok
- This will open the device manager and display all installed device driver lists.
- locate and expand Network adapters, right-click on the installed network driver (for example, Realtek PCIe GBE family controller) select properties,
- Move to the Advanced tab, under the property section, scroll down, and locate the network address.
- Next, go to value, and type MAC address you like, click ok and restart your PC.
- Now again run the ipconfig /all command and check the MAC address changes
IP Address vs MAC Address
An IP address is a logical, and often temporary, address for global identification on the Internet, while a MAC address is a unique, physical, and permanent hardware address for local network identification. An IP address changes depending on the network a device connects to, whereas a MAC address is hard-coded into the device and does not change.
Your device uses ARP (Address Resolution Protocol) to discover the MAC address associated with an IP address on your local network.
- IP Address stands for Internet Protocol Address, where a MAC Address stands for Media Access Control Address
- IP Address is either a 4-byte (32-bit) IPv4 or a 16-byte (128-bit) IPv6 address, whereas a MAC Address is a six-byte (48-bit) hexadecimal address.
- The IP addresses are associated with TCP/IP (networking software), and MAC addresses are linked to the hardware of network adapters.
- IP addresses are provided by an ISP (Internet service provider), whereas MAC addresses are provided by chipmaker manufacturers.
- The IP Address operates in the network layer of the OSI model, where the MAC Address operates in the data link layer.
Read detail article on What is the Difference Between MAC address and IP address?
FAQs: What is MAC address in networking
Q1. What does MAC stand for in networking?
MAC stands for Media Access Control, a sublayer of the Data Link Layer in the OSI model.
Q2. Can two devices have the same MAC address?
In theory, no. Each MAC address should be unique, but duplicates can occur due to spoofing or manufacturing errors.
Q3. Is the MAC address the same as an IP address?
No. The MAC address is hardware-based and permanent, while the IP address is software-based and can change.
Q4. Why would someone change their MAC address?
Users may change it for privacy, testing, or bypassing certain network restrictions, though it should be done ethically.
Q5. How many characters does a MAC address have?
A MAC address contains 12 hexadecimal characters (6 pairs), representing 48 bits.
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