Each device that has access to the Network, at the time of production, receives a unique MAC address. During operation, it is used to accurately identify the device within a specific local network. At the same time, a device should not be understood as a computer, but its network card or Wi-Fi adapter. In other words, a laptop can have different MAC addresses, depending on how it is connected to the network: cable or “over the air”. In this article, we will talk about how to find out the MAC address of a laptop running on any version of Windows.
What does the MAC address look like?
In order to search for something, one must have an idea of the appearance of the subject of searches. Therefore, when answering the question of how to find out the MAC address of a laptop, we first look at how it looks. The length of the MAC address is 48 bytes or 6 bits, it is written in hexadecimal notation . Simply put, this is a combination of six two-digit alphanumeric groups, separated by colons or hyphens. The number of possible combinations of characters is almost 281.5 trillion. It is precisely this number of absolutely unique addresses that can theoretically be assigned.
As we said at the beginning of the article, each network device has a MAC address. Most laptops can connect to the network in two ways:
- using an Ethernet cable;
- Using the built-in Wi-Fi network adapter.
In addition to the most common options, a Bluetooth connection or the use of a USB modem is also possible. These devices are also networked and, accordingly, they will have their own MAC addresses. The main thing is to know the type of interface through which the current connection is made. This will help to determine the address correctly.
General methods
Using the command line allows you to quickly view the network configuration of the computer without moving through the settings. This method works the same in all versions of Windows. Let's see how to find the MAC address of the laptop, regardless of the version of the operating system installed on it. Having opened the command line interface, you will need to enter the following line ipconfig / all.
The information that appears as a result of this command will contain all the IP addresses that are used at the time of its entry, and the MAC address of the device through which the connection is made. You will find it in the "Physical Address" field.
The second general way is to view the general system configuration. You can enter it by typing the msinfo32 command in the Run dialog box .
A window opens containing complete information about all the components of your computer. How to find out the MAC address of a laptop without getting lost in this mass of information? In the left sector of the window, select “Components” - “Network” - “Adapter”. Next, scroll through the information in search of the right one. It will be Ethernet, or Wi-Fi. The MAC address of the selected interface will be indicated in the list of its characteristics.
Windows XP
If you do not like working with the command line or command applets, there is always the opportunity to get this information in another way. Let's see how to find out the MAC address of a XP laptop using the connection settings. You can open them in this version of Windows as follows:
- in the system tray area, click on the icon with flashing monitors;
- go to the “network connections” section in the settings panel.
Having opened the window with the status of the current connection, go to the "Advanced" tab and click the "Details" button. Full information about the current network is displayed, similar to that obtained in the previous method. The top line will contain the physical address of the device.
Windows 7 and 8
In these and subsequent versions of the OS, Microsoft has slightly changed the order of access to network settings. Now they are all assembled into a single “Network Management Center” and indicated in the tray by another icon. The control window now contains much more information. But we are only interested in how to find out the MAC address of the laptop. Windows 7 and 8 have almost the same settings, so we’ll give a general description for these OSs.
Opening the network management window, you will see the active connection viewing area at the top. Obtaining the necessary information is performed in two clicks. Open an active connection and click the "Details" button. Look there all the same line "Physical address".
Another way to get into network settings may be to enter the ncpa command in the Run dialog box . cpl
The connection area that opens will be completely similar to the one used by earlier versions of Windows. The only thing you do not have to do in this case is to understand the settings of the network control center.
Finally
Now you know how to find out the MAC address of a laptop. Windows 8, 10 or any other version will be installed on it - everything is not important for you. The described methods work the same for all versions of the NT family of operating systems. If you are thinking about the practical application of this knowledge, you can try to enable MAC address filtering on your router. Having registered all the home devices in the settings, you will get an additional level of security in your Wi-Fi network.