How to find the ethernet hardware address on your OSX Mac using the System Preferences

In order to communicate on a network, your computer has two important addresses. The first is an Internet Protocol or IP address. The IP addressed is used to communicate with other systems across the entire Internet. But there is another address, the hardware or Media Access Control (MAC) address which is used between computers on a local area network (LAN).

You might need to find your computer's ethernet hardware address (also known as a MAC address) in order to add it to a secured network or for troubleshooting purposes.

These instructions are specific to Apple Macintosh computers, and are based on the System Preferences menu found in the OSX 10.4 operating system. Other versions of the operating system may have slightly different names for different parts of the network configuration, but they should be relatively similar.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• An Apple Macintosh computer

1. Open Applications > System Preferences

2. 
    
   Select "Network"

   In the "Internet & Network" section, select "Network"

3. 
    
   Select the interface you're interested in.

   In the "Show" menu, select the interface whose address you're looking for.

4. 
    
   Select the "Ethernet" tab.

   Select the "Ethernet" tab.

5. 
    
   The hardware address is labeled "Ethernet ID"

   The hardware address is labeled "Ethernet ID"

Tips & Warnings

• You can also use the system profiler to find the MAC address.
• These instructions are specific to Apple Macintosh computers, and are based on the System Preferences menu found in the OSX 10.4 operating system. Other versions of the operating system may have slightly different names for different parts of the network configuration, but they should be relatively similar.