How to Change Your MAC Address on Windows, Mac, Linux, and Android

Changing Your MAC Address: Is It Safe? What You Need to Know for 2025

So what is a MAC (Media Access Control) AddressIt's basically a unique ID assigned to your network interface controller (NIC). It helps your device communicate with others on the network. But there are times when you might want to change your MAC address, perhaps for added privacy or to troubleshoot network issues. This whole process is called MAC address spoofing.

In this guide, we'll walk you through the steps to change the MAC address on Windows, Mac, Linux, and Android devices.

Why bother changing your MAC address?

Before we get into the nitty-gritty, let's talk about why You may want to change your MAC address:

• Privacy: Having a static MAC address can allow others to monitor your device. Changing it can give you a bit more privacy, especially on public Wi-Fi.
• Avoid restrictions: Some networks may limit what you can do based on your MAC address. Changing it may help you circumvent these limits.
• Troubleshoot network issues: Sometimes network devices can conflict because they have the same MAC address. Changing yours can help clear this up.
• Testing and security: If you're into network security or just want to try things out, you can play with MAC addresses for that reason.

Change your MAC address in Windows

In Windows, you can change your MAC address through Device Manager, but keep in mind that this may not work for all network cards.

Here's how:

• Turn on Device Manager:
• Hit Windows + X and choose Device administrator of the list.

• Locate your network adapter:
• Expand the Network adapters and find the network card (Wi-Fi or Ethernet) whose MAC you want to change.

• Open adapter properties:
• Right click on your network adapter and press Properties.

• Go to the Advanced tab:
• In the Properties window, select the Advanced tab.

• Change the MAC address:

• Look for an option called Network address o Locally administered address.
• Select it and enter your new MAC address in the value field. Remember that it must be 12 hexadecimal digits (such as 00:1A:2B:3C:4D:5E).

• Apply changes:

• To strike AGREE so that the changes are sustained.
• You may need to restart your network adapter or computer for the changes to take effect.

Problem solving:

• If you can't find the option to change the MAC address, your network adapter may not support it. In that case, consider using third-party tools such as Technitium MAC Address Changer.

Change your MAC address in macOS

If you want to change your MAC address on a Mac, you'll need to use the Terminal as macOS doesn't have a straightforward GUI for this.

Here's how:

• Open Terminal:
• Press Command + Space to open Spotlight, type Bus Terminaland press Enter.

• Check your current MAC address:

To find your current MAC address, type this command:

ifconfig en0 | grep ether

• Here, en0 is typically the primary network interface (either Wi-Fi or Ethernet). If you're changing a different adapter, simply change en0 to something like uno1 or another number.

Disable the network interface:

Hello! Before changing your MAC address, be sure to disable the network interface by entering this:

sudo ifconfig en0 down

• Change the MAC address:

To change your MAC address, simply type this command, but remember to change

XX: XX: XX: XX: XX: XX with the new MAC address you want:

sudo ifconfig en0 ether XX:XX:XX:XX:XX:XX

• Turn the network interface back on:

After changing the MAC address, you'll want to bring the network interface back up:

sudo ifconfig en0 up

• Check your change:

If you want to verify that the MAC address has been updated, simply type this:

ifconfig en0 | grep ether

Change MAC address in Linux

With Linux, you have more flexibility when it comes to network configuration. Changing your MAC address can be easily done using

ifconfig o IP.

Steps:

• Ignition terminal:
• Use your access method to open the terminal (such as Ctrl + Alt + T).
• Check your current MAC address:

To see what your current MAC address is, you can run:

ifconfig eth0 | grep ether

• Don't forget to replace eth0 with the name of your actual network interface (such as wlan0 for Wi-Fi).
• Disable the network interface:

Next, shut down the network interface with:

sudo ifconfig eth0 down

• Change the MAC address:

Now it's time to change the MAC address:

sudo ifconfig eth0 hw ether XX:XX:XX:XX:XX:XX

• Re-enable the network interface:

Turn the network interface back on:

sudo ifconfig eth0 up

• Verify the change:
• Use the ifconfig command once again to confirm that the MAC address has been changed.

Using the IP Domain:

You can also do it with the IP domain:

sudo ip link set dev eth0 address XX:XX:XX:XX:XX:XX

sudo ip link configure dev eth0 up

Change MAC address on Android

If you're using Android, changing your MAC address usually means you'll need to root your device or use third-party apps. Just a heads up, rooting can void your warranty and increase your device's vulnerability, so be careful.

Steps (rooted device):

• Get a MAC address spoofing app:
• Apps like Change My MAC or Mac Address Changer are available on the Google Play Store for rooted devices.
• Grant root permissions:
• Open the app and grant it the root permissions it needs.
• Change the MAC address:
• Within the app, choose the network interface you want to change (usually Wi-Fi) and enter a new MAC address.
• Apply changes:
• Press the Change MAC button and your new MAC address will take effect.

Steps (non-rooted device):

For non-rooted devices, you may not be able to change the MAC address directly. But you can try turning on your developer options and using Private DNS or vpn to mask your MAC address.