There are many different situations in which it is important know what the MAC address of our PC is. For example, in the event that we have lost our computer, or that it has been stolen, even just to recover information. And also to be able to recognize our PC among a long list of connected devices. We are going to deal with this matter in this article.
But before getting into the matter, we are going to have to first explain what the MAC address is and what it is for. Later we will try to explain how to execute this action in Windows 10.
It is also necessary to explain that the acronym MAC has nothing to do with Apple Mac computers. Although it is also true that, just like a PC, a Mac also has a MAC address. To avoid confusion, in many cases they refer to it with the alternative names for "hardware address" or "physical address". This is precisely how it is mentioned in the Windows 10 menus.
What is the MAC address?
MAC is the acronym for Media Access Control, the unique identifier that the manufacturer assigns to a particular piece of network hardware, such as an Ethernet card, router, printer, or wireless card.
Usually, a MAC address is made up of 48 bits, which are almost always represented by hexadecimal digits. Each hexadecimal is equivalent to four binaries (48:4=12), so the final address ends up taking the form of 12 digits grouped in six pairs separated by colons. On some occasions, this separation is shown by a hyphen or simply by an empty space.
As shown in the image above, the first half of the bits in a MAC address (that is, the first three pairs) correspond to the number manufacturer identifier; on the other hand, the second half are the product or device identifier.
MAC addresses are usually fixed, although it is possible to modify them to make them more visible (this helps in cases where we handle many MAC addresses) or also to avoid blocking.
What is the MAC address for?
Before knowing what the MAC address of my PC is, it is also important to know what it will be useful for us to know this information. Among the most important uses that we can mention, we highlight the following:
Identify and filter specific devices
Since the MAC address is a unique number, one of its main uses is to identify specific devices. For example, it can be used to configure a filter on the router, so that it only accepts connections with devices that have previously authorized MAC addresses.
It will also be a very practical solution so that an IP address that uses a virtual private network can automatically recognize MAC address from a device without having to sign in.
Recover of information
Another very interesting utility of MAC addresses is the possibility that they offer us to recover lost information. In this case, they work like a kind of backup. With the help of external software, a PC can be scanned to find encrypted files. A method that works even after deleting or scanning the computer.
Locating lost or stolen devices
Finally, it must be said that the MAC address can also be used to find out the location of any device on a virtual map. This makes it easier to recover it if we have forgotten it or it has been stolen.
How to know the MAC address of my PC in Windows 10
But let's move on to the methods to find out what the MAC address of a computer is. There are two main ways to do this: through the Command Prompt (cmd) or through the Control Panel, within the Network Connection Settings section. We analyze both below:
From the Command Prompt
This is the simplest and most direct method, which is why it is the one we recommend. It requires a series of steps or manual actions. They are the following:
- To start, we click Home and select the program Symbol of the system (cmd). You can also do this using the key combination Windows + R.
- In the box that opens we write "ipconfig / all» and press Enter.
- In the list of specifications of our equipment that is displayed, we select "Wi-Fi Wireless LAN Adapter".
- Finally, we enter the section "Physical address", which corresponds exactly to the MAC address.
From the Windows Network Center
This is a slightly more laborious method, although it also has some advantages and, of course, it is very efficient if what we want is to find our MAC address easily. This is what needs to be done:
- First of all, we go to the Start menu of our PC. *
- In the taskbar, we write "Network and Internet" and click on the icon for this option.
- Let's go to the window Center network and sharing, after which we click on our network connection.
- Next, we click on the button «Details» to view the details of the network connection.
- The next screen that opens contains all the information concerning our network. The section that interests us is that of “physical address”. As we said before, that is just another name for the MAC address.
(*) Another way to start this method is to go directly to the Control Panel and select the option "Networks and Internet", after which you just have to go to the link of "Center network and sharing".
Get MAC address on Android
To find out what the MAC address of an Android device is, that is, a mobile phone or a tablet that works with this operating system, the steps are these:
- First we enter the menu Configuration.
- Then click on the icon WiFi and select the option Advanced settings.
- Finally, the MAC address will be displayed at the bottom of the screen.
Conclusion
For any Windows user it is something very useful sFind out what our MAC address is, either to facilitate the location of a device or to reinforce the security of a network. The method we recommend is the one that uses the Command Prompt (cmd), which is much simpler.