Every network adapter on your Windows 11 PC has a MAC address, a unique identifier used to communicate with devices on the same local network. You may need to find it when setting up a router, configuring network access controls, troubleshooting connectivity problems, or registering a device with a network administrator.

Windows 11 26H2 gives you several ways to find a MAC address. The quickest option is usually the Settings app, but Command Prompt, PowerShell, Control Panel, and System Information can provide the same information and, in some cases, more details.

There is also an important privacy feature to be aware of: Wi-Fi random hardware addresses. If this option is enabled, the MAC address Windows uses on a particular Wi-Fi network may be different from the adapter’s permanent hardware address.

This guide explains how to find the MAC address of your Wi-Fi, Ethernet, and other network adapters in Windows 11 26H2, including how to check the address Windows is actually using on a Wi-Fi network.

What Is a MAC Address?

A MAC address, short for Media Access Control address, is an identifier associated with a network interface.

It is normally represented as six pairs of hexadecimal characters, for example:

A4-5E-60-12-34-56

or:

A4:5E:60:12:34:56

A computer can have multiple MAC addresses because each network interface has its own address.

For example, a Windows 11 PC might have separate MAC addresses for:

• Wi-Fi
• Ethernet
• Bluetooth
• Virtual network adapters
• VPN or virtualization interfaces

So there isn’t necessarily a single MAC address for the entire computer.

Method 1: Find Your MAC Address in Windows 11 Settings

The Settings app is the easiest method for most Windows 11 users.

You can check either your Wi-Fi or Ethernet adapter.

Find the Wi-Fi MAC address

1. Open Settings

Press:

Windows + I

to open the Windows 11 Settings app.

2. Open Network & internet

Select:

Network & internet

from the left-hand navigation pane.

3. Select Wi-Fi

Click:

Wi-Fi

to open your wireless network settings.

4. Open the Wi-Fi properties

Select the relevant Wi-Fi connection or its properties.

Depending on the current Windows 11 26H2 interface and whether you’re connected to a network, you may see the hardware information associated with the adapter.

Look for:

Physical address (MAC)

The value displayed there is the MAC address Windows reports for the network adapter.

Find the Ethernet MAC address

If your PC is connected using a wired network connection:

1- Open Settings.

2- Select Network & internet.

3- Select Ethernet.

4- Open the Ethernet connection or its hardware properties.

5- Find Physical address (MAC).

The address will normally contain 12 hexadecimal characters.

Important: Check for a Random Wi-Fi MAC Address

Windows 11 includes a privacy feature called random hardware addresses.

When enabled, Windows can use a randomized MAC address instead of the adapter’s factory-assigned address when connecting to Wi-Fi networks.

This means the MAC address you’re looking for can depend on what you need it for.

For example, a router may identify your PC using the randomized address currently associated with that Wi-Fi network rather than the physical address printed on the wireless adapter.

To check this setting, go to:

Settings > Network & internet > Wi-Fi

Look for the Random hardware addresses setting.

Windows can offer options for using randomized addresses, depending on your Windows version and device configuration.

Why this matters

If you’re giving your MAC address to a network administrator for Wi-Fi access control, make sure you provide the address Windows is actually using for that network.

If a router has MAC filtering enabled, entering the wrong address can prevent your computer from connecting even though the physical adapter is working correctly.

Method 2: Find the MAC Address Using Command Prompt

Command Prompt is one of the fastest ways to find MAC addresses on Windows 11.

It also has the advantage of showing information for multiple network adapters at once.

1. Open Command Prompt

Open Windows Search and type:

Command Prompt

Select the application from the search results.

You don’t normally need administrator privileges just to view network adapter information.

2. Run ipconfig /all

Enter:

ipconfig /all

Press Enter.

Windows will display detailed information about your network interfaces.

Look for sections such as:

Wireless LAN adapter Wi-Fi

or:

Ethernet adapter Ethernet

Within the relevant adapter section, find:

Physical Address

For example:

Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : A4-5E-60-12-34-56

That value is the adapter’s MAC address.

Find only the MAC address information

If you have many network adapters and don’t want to scroll through the entire output, you can filter the result:

ipconfig /all | findstr /I "Physical"

This displays the physical-address entries reported by ipconfig.

Keep in mind that this may return multiple addresses if your computer has several network interfaces.

Method 3: Use the getmac Command

Windows also includes a dedicated command for retrieving MAC addresses.

Open Command Prompt and run:

getmac

Windows will return the MAC addresses associated with network adapters.

For more information about each connection, use:

getmac /v

The /v option provides more detailed information, including the connection name and adapter information.

This is particularly useful when your PC has several network interfaces and you need to determine which MAC address belongs to which adapter.

Method 4: Find Your MAC Address With PowerShell

PowerShell provides an easy way to list network adapters and their MAC addresses.

1. Open PowerShell

Open Windows Search and type:

PowerShell

You can also open Windows Terminal and launch a PowerShell tab.

2. Run Get-NetAdapter

Enter:

Get-NetAdapter

Press Enter.

PowerShell displays a table containing your network adapters.

Look for the:

MacAddress

column.

A typical result might look like:

Name        InterfaceDescription             MacAddress
----        --------------------             ----------
Wi-Fi       Intel(R) Wi-Fi Adapter          A4-5E-60-12-34-56
Ethernet    Realtek PCIe GbE Controller     18-C0-4D-78-90-12

This method is especially useful for advanced users because PowerShell can also filter and manipulate the adapter information.

Display only adapter names and MAC addresses

You can use:

Get-NetAdapter | Select-Object Name, MacAddress

This produces a cleaner list.

Method 5: Find a MAC Address Using Control Panel

The classic Control Panel interface is still available in Windows 11 26H2, although Microsoft continues moving many networking functions into Settings.

You can use it to view the MAC address associated with a network connection.

1. Open Control Panel

Search for:

Control Panel

in Windows Search.

Open the application.

2. Open Network and Sharing Center

Select:

Network and Internet > Network and Sharing Center

3. Open the adapter settings

Select:

Change adapter settings

from the left side of the window.

Windows will open the classic Network Connections panel.

4. Open the adapter status

Right-click the network adapter you want to inspect and select:

Status

For example, you might select the Wi-Fi or Ethernet adapter.

5. Open Details

In the connection status window, select:

Details

The Network Connection Details window will display information about the connection.

Look for:

Physical Address

That is the MAC address associated with the adapter.

Faster way to open Network Connections

You don’t need to go through Control Panel.

Press:

Windows + R

Enter:

ncpa.cpl

Press Enter.

The Network Connections window will open immediately.

Method 6: Find the MAC Address With System Information

Windows 11 also includes the System Information utility, which provides detailed information about installed hardware and network adapters.

This method is useful if you’re already troubleshooting hardware or want to see information about several adapters.

1. Open System Information

Press:

Windows + R

Type:

msinfo32

Press Enter.

2. Open the Network section

In System Information, expand:

Components > Network

Then select:

Adapter

3. Locate the network adapter

The right-hand pane will display information about the network adapters detected by Windows.

Find:

MAC Address

The corresponding value is the MAC address reported for that adapter.

How to Find the MAC Address of Every Network Adapter

If you want a complete list rather than checking adapters individually, PowerShell is particularly convenient.

Run:

Get-NetAdapter | Select-Object Name, Status, MacAddress

You’ll get a list showing the adapter name, its current status, and MAC address.

For example:

Name        Status       MacAddress
----        ------       ----------
Wi-Fi       Up           A4-5E-60-12-34-56
Ethernet    Disconnected 18-C0-4D-78-90-12

This can be more useful than ipconfig /all when you only want the basic adapter information.

How to Find the MAC Addresses of Other Devices on Your Network

If your goal is to identify other devices connected to your local network, Windows can use the ARP table.

Open Command Prompt and run:

arp -a

Windows will display entries containing IP addresses and corresponding physical addresses.

For example:

Internet Address      Physical Address      Type
192.168.1.1           00-11-22-33-44-55     dynamic
192.168.1.25          A4-5E-60-12-34-56     dynamic

The Physical Address column contains the MAC address.

What arp -a does—and doesn’t do

It’s important to understand that arp -a does not necessarily show every device currently connected to your network.

It displays entries that exist in your computer’s ARP cache.

A device may therefore be missing from the list if Windows has not recently communicated with it or doesn’t currently have an ARP entry for it.

For a complete list of devices connected to your router, the router’s administration interface is generally a better source.

Why Your MAC Address May Change on Wi-Fi

If you notice that your Wi-Fi MAC address appears different from one network to another, this may be completely normal.

Windows 11 can use random hardware addresses to improve privacy.

Instead of exposing the same hardware address to every Wi-Fi network, Windows can generate a different address.

This makes it more difficult for networks to use a device’s MAC address as a persistent identifier.

As a result, you may encounter situations where:

• Your Wi-Fi adapter has a permanent hardware MAC address.
• Windows uses a randomized address for a particular Wi-Fi network.
• Your router sees the randomized address.
• Another network sees a different randomized address.

This is why it’s important to determine which address a network actually expects before configuring MAC filtering or device access rules.

MAC Address vs. IP Address: What’s the Difference?

MAC addresses and IP addresses serve different purposes.

A MAC address generally identifies a network interface at the local network level, while an IP address is used for network addressing and routing.

Why Would You Need Your MAC Address?

There are several legitimate reasons for looking up your MAC address.

Router configuration

Some routers allow administrators to assign fixed IP addresses or access rules based on a device’s MAC address.

MAC filtering

A router can use MAC addresses to allow or block specific network interfaces.

Network troubleshooting

Technical support may ask for your MAC address when diagnosing connectivity or authentication problems.

Corporate or school networks

Administrators may require the MAC address of a computer before allowing it to connect to a managed network.

DHCP reservations

A router can associate a particular MAC address with a specific local IP address.

Device identification

When managing a home network, MAC addresses can help distinguish one network adapter from another.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I find my MAC address in Windows 11 26H2?

Go to Settings > Network & internet, select Wi-Fi or Ethernet, and open the relevant hardware or connection properties. Look for Physical address (MAC).

You can also run ipconfig /all from Command Prompt.

What command shows the MAC address in Windows 11?

The simplest commands are:

ipconfig /all

or:

getmac /v

PowerShell users can run:

Get-NetAdapter

Is the MAC address the same as the physical address?

In Windows networking tools, Physical Address generally refers to the MAC address of the network adapter.

Does every PC have only one MAC address?

No. A computer can have several network interfaces, and each interface can have its own MAC address.

A PC might have separate addresses for Wi-Fi, Ethernet, Bluetooth, and virtual network adapters.

Can a MAC address change?

Yes. Network software can sometimes change or override the address, and Windows 11 can use randomized hardware addresses for Wi-Fi privacy.

Can I find another device’s MAC address?

If the device is on your local network and your PC has an ARP entry for it, arp -a may show its IP address and MAC address.

However, the ARP table isn’t guaranteed to contain every device connected to the network.

Is it safe to share my MAC address?

A MAC address is generally less sensitive than an IP address or password, but you should still avoid posting network information publicly unless necessary. For troubleshooting, share it only with people or organizations you trust.

Final Thoughts

Finding a MAC address in Windows 11 26H2 is straightforward, and you have several options depending on how much information you need.

For the simplest graphical approach, use Settings > Network & internet and check the hardware properties for your Wi-Fi or Ethernet adapter.

If you prefer the command line, ipconfig /all and getmac /v provide quick results, while PowerShell’s Get-NetAdapter offers a clean way to list multiple adapters.

One detail is especially important on modern Windows 11 systems: your Wi-Fi adapter’s permanent MAC address may not be the same address a particular wireless network sees. If randomized hardware addresses are enabled, check the Wi-Fi privacy settings before configuring router MAC filtering, DHCP reservations, or network access controls.

With these methods, you can quickly identify the correct MAC address for virtually any network adapter on your Windows 11 26H2 PC.