How do I find my device's MAC address? (macOS)

Question

I have been asked to find the MAC address of my Apple computer for wireless configuration. Where do I look to find it, and what's a MAC address, anyway?

What is a MAC address?

The Media Access Control address (MAC address; no relation to Apple or Macintosh computers) is a unique identifier for computing devices on a network. A MAC address is somewhat like a serial number.

• Every device that has an Internet connection must have a unique MAC Address. Modern computers will have two MAC Addresses: one wireless local area network (Wireless LAN) adapter and one Ethernet adapter.
• MAC address is synonymous with Ethernet Hardware Address, Hardware Address, Physical Address, and Burned-in Address.

Solution

Here is the step-by-step for finding your MAC address on macOS.

1. Select the Wi-Fi Icon at the top of the screen. When the drop-down menu appears, select Open Network Preferences...
   
2. In the Network window select the adapter that the computer is connected through to the network, Wi-Fi or Ethernet. Then click on Advanced.
   
3. Once the advanced adapter settings have opened, select Hardware.
   
4. At the top of the settings shown under the Hardware tab, the MAC Address is visible.