The steps to Find and Change the WIFI MAC Address in macOS

A Step-by-Step Guide to Finding and Changing the MAC Addresses in macOS. in other words spoof the Mac address to fix / bypass wifi connection, this will fix the wifi connection.
In this article you will find the answers to the following:

– What is MAC address ?
– Why you may need to change the MAC address of a MacBook ?
– How to find MAC address in macOS ?
- How to change the MAC address of your MacBook ?
- How to spoof your Mac address ?

What is MAC address ?

The MAC (Media Access Control) address, also known as a hardware or physical address, is a unique identifier assigned to network interfaces on devices, such as computers, smartphones, and networked hardware. This address is used at the data link layer of network communication and is essential for devices to communicate within a local area network (LAN).

Why you may need to change the MAC address of a MacBook ?

Enhanced Privacy: Changing your MAC address can enhance your online privacy by making it more difficult for third parties to track your device on a network. This is particularly important in an age of increased digital surveillance.
MAC Address Blacklisting: If a user has been blacklisted on a Wi-Fi network due to policy violations or other reasons, changing the MAC address may provide a way to regain access to the network.
Network Security Testing: Ethical hackers and network administrators may use MAC address changes as a part of security testing, helping to identify vulnerabilities and weaknesses in a network’s security configuration.
Bypassing Access Control Lists: By altering the MAC address, users may be able to bypass access control lists on servers or routers. This can help in scenarios where access to specific networks or devices is restricted, and the user has a legitimate need to gain access.
Network Troubleshooting: In some cases, changing the MAC address can be a useful troubleshooting tool. It allows users to test network connectivity or diagnose network issues that may be MAC address-dependent.

It’s important to note that while changing MAC addresses can offer these advantages, it should always be done ethically and within the bounds of the law and network usage policies. Unauthorized or malicious use of MAC address changes can have legal and security consequences.

How to find MAC address in macOS ?

There are three methods that can be used to find the original MAC address of your device: –
1- Using menu Bar.
2- Using System preferences.
3- Using Terminal commands.

1- First method: Finding MAC address using menu bar
It is very simple, all what you have to do is to press alt (options) key on the keyboard and click on the wifi symbol in the menu bar while pressing. Now, you can see your WIFI Mac address as shown in the following image (1): –

2- Second method: Find the MAC address using System preferences
You can easily go to “System Preferences” then press on “Network“, Now navigate to the “Advanced” button, then press on “Hardware” where you will find the “MAC address” as shown in images (2, 3 and 4): –

image 2: press on network in system preferences

image 3: press on advanced button under network in system preferences

image 4: press on Hardware under network to find the MAC address

3- Third method: Find the MAC address using Terminal commands
Open “Terminal application” from “Launchpad” or search for it in “Spotlight search“.
once you open terminal, you can type “ifconfig ” to find your MAC address: –

image 5: type ifconfig in terminal to get your MAC address

How to change the MAC address of your MacBook ?

Here the simple steps to change / spoof the MAC address of your MacBook WIFI: –
First step: open terminal as described in previous steps, then type the following terminal command: –

openssl rand -hex 6 | sed ‘s/$..$/\1:/g; s/.$//’

you will be asked to type your password of macOS (you will see nothing while typing but when you press return you will get the command executed without error) as shown in the following image (6): –

image 6: use terminal command to generate a new MAC address

Now, you will see a generated serial number (6f: 81:53:ce:6f:e1) that can be used as the new MAC address of your device.

Second step: You have to remove the current connected wifi by opening “Network preferences” as described before, and select the wifi connection name and remove it by pressing the minus button as described in image (7):
– Don’t close the Wifi, only remove the network that you face problem to connect to it

image 7: just press minus button to remove that network

Third step: You can use the generated serial number to be used as a new MAC address.
In terminal, write the following command followed by the generated serial number in step one: –

sudo ifconfig en0 ether “generated serial number from first step”

As shown in the following image (8): –

image 8: just type your password and press enter

Once you type your password as shown in image 8, the MAC address will be changed and you can reconnect to the network and every thing will work correctly.

Don’t forget to leave a comment to mention any problem you faced and if the method worked perfectly.
Thanks and happy to hear your feedback