Date First Published: 6th March 2022
Topic: Computer Networking
Subtopic: Network Identifiers
Article Type: Computer Terms & Definitions
Difficulty: MediumDifficulty Level: 6/10
Learn more about what a MAC address is in this article.
A MAC address is completely unrelated to an Apple Macintosh computer and must not be confused.
Short for a Media Access Control Address, a MAC address is a hardware identification number that allows each device on a network to be uniquely identified. It is not the same as an IP address, as this is a string of four unique numbers, separated by full stops that are assigned to a network or a server. MAC addresses look like '01:F3:E4:2D:A9:B3'.
It is impossible for MAC addresses to be permanently changed as they are built into every network card, such as an Ethernet or Wi-Fi card and are on the hardware of the device.
Unlike IP addresses which change when connecting to a different network, such as a public network in a shop or an airport and do not 'come with' people, MAC addresses always 'come with' people, regardless of their location. However, the MAC address can be changed on Windows by modifying the registry, although the modification to the MAC address will reset if the registry entry is deleted and the computer is restarted.
MAC addresses are made up of six two-digit hexadecimal numbers. Because hexadecimal numbers are used, only these digits can be used: '0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, A, B, C, D, E, F'. Every device has its own unique MAC address. In most cases, it is unnecessary for people to memorise the MAC address of their device as it is normally automatically recognised by networks.
The unique MAC address of an iOS device can be viewed by going into 'Settings' > 'General' > 'About' and the 'Wi-Fi' address property means the MAC address. On Windows, it can be viewed by opening command prompt as administrator and typing 'ipconfig/all' without the quotes. The 'Physical Address' property is the MAC address.
| TCP/IP Protocol | Application layer | BGP• DHCP • DNS • FTP • HTTP • IMAP • LDAP • MGCP • NNTP • NTP • OSPF • POP • PTP • ONC/RPC • RTP • RTSP • RIP • SIP • SMTP • SNMP • SSH • Telnet • XMPP | Transport layer | TCP • UDP • DCCP • SCTP • RSVP • QUIC | Internet layer | IP • ICMP • NDP • ECN • IGMP. | Link layer | Tunnels • PPP • MAC |
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