In this tutorial, we introduce 8 methods for obtaining a MAC Address in Windows, with 5 methods using the command line and 3 methods through non-command line methods. But before we examine the methods for obtaining a hardware address together, let’s first see what a hardware address, or MAC Address, is. READ More: How to Find Mac Address on macOS?
What is a MAC Address?
MAC Address, or Media Access Control Address, is a unique identifier or ID (in the world) assigned by the manufacturer to each network card. This unique identifier is 48 bits and is based on hexadecimal, displayed as follows:
44-B5-53-6F-7D-BAAs you know, IP addresses can be easily manipulated by users, but hardware addresses are always constant and even if manipulated, the original MAC Address will ultimately remain in place. If we have a computer’s MAC Address, we can identify the destination computer and its manufacturer. One way to identify network criminals is also through these hardware addresses.
Another interesting point is that one of the simplest ways to steal information in a network is by manipulating the physical address of a switch in a LAN. The general method is that you replace your MAC Address with the switch’s MAC Address in the network, and clients that send their packets to the physical address of the switch will now send their packets to your network card. These packets may contain information such as usernames and passwords of users within the network.
So whether you are a hacker, a target for a hacker, or someone looking for a criminal, you need to know the methods of obtaining a MAC Address to be able to hack or prevent yourself from being hacked or identify the hacker. Now that you are aware of the importance of physical addresses let’s proceed to the methods of obtaining a hardware address in Windows.
READ More: How to Get Mac Address Windows 10?
Method 1: Getting the MAC Address with the IPConfig command
Open the command line CMD and enter the following command:
Ipconfig /all
Method 2: Getting the MAC Address with the Getmac command
In the command line, type Getmac and press Enter:
Getmac
If you want to have clean and well-organized information about network cards and network connections on your computer, you can enter the following command in the command line:
getmac /v /fo list
Method 3: Obtaining the MAC Address with the ARP command
With this command, you can obtain the MAC Addresses of the computers or devices you have been in contact with. By typing the command ARP -a, a table will be displayed showing the IP addresses and MAC Addresses of the computers or devices you have been in contact with. For example:
If you are looking for the MAC address of a specific computer and cannot find it in the ARP table, first ping the IP (even if the firewall is on!) and then enter the ARP -a command as follows:
For example, I want to obtain the MAC address of a computer with IP 192.168.1.3, so I do the following:
Ping 192.168.1.3
ARP -a 192.168.1.3
Method 4: Obtaining the MAC Address with the NBTSTAT command
Unlike the ARP command, with the NBTSTAT command, you can obtain not only the MAC Addresses of other computers but also the MAC Addresses of your own computer. Simply provide the Computer Name or IP of the target computer or your own computer to the NBTSTAT command. Like this:
Nbtstat -a Hiva-PCOr
Nbtstat -a 192.168.1.3
Method 5: Obtaining the MAC Address using Windows PowerShell with get-netadapter
Open the powerful PowerShell command line and enter the following cmdlet to get beautiful information about network cards:
get-netadapter
As you can see, in addition to the MAC Address, you can even obtain the speed of each network card and Network Connection! (It’s really beautiful!)
Method 6: Obtaining the MAC Address using Device Manager
This method works for some network cards and usually for Ethernet network cards (not wireless). In Device Manager, under Network Adapters, find your network card and enter its Properties. In the Events tab, you can see the MAC Address of the network card in the Information section.
You can also select the Device Instance Path option in the Property section of the Details tab and see the MAC Address of the network card in the Value section.
Note: You can change your MAC Address in Device Manager. You can also make simple settings to turn on this computer via the network!
Method 7: Obtaining the MAC Address using Network and Sharing Center:
- Enter the Network and Sharing Center.
- Click on the desired Connection.
- Click on Details.
- See the MAC Address.
Method 8: Obtaining MAC Address using Registry
This method, like Device Manager, is not 100% accurate and is more suitable for changing the hardware address rather than finding the system’s hardware address.
To obtain the MAC Address using Registry, follow the steps below:
Press the Win+R button and type “Regedit” in it, and press Enter.
Navigate to the following path in the registry:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE >> SYSTEM >> CurrentControlSet
Control >> Class >> {4D36E972-E325-11CE-BFC1-08002BE10318}
Browse the folders 0000, 0001, and the rest in order until you find the profile related to your desired network card. Look for a key titled MAC or Network Address there. For VirtualBox software, this key is named MAC, and it contains the hardware address for Host-Only Connection type. However, in Windows 7, this key is named Network Address but is empty, and in Windows 8, this key does not exist. By creating or editing these keys, you can change the hardware address for network cards. If you are not aware of the complete process, refrain from making any changes to the registry. Also, the tutorial on “How to Find Mac Address Windows 11” may be helpful to you.
