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How do I find all MAC addresses on my Network?

Published in Network MAC Addresses 2 mins read

You can find all MAC addresses on your network using built-in operating system tools. Here's how:

Finding MAC Addresses

Method 1: Using Network Connection Details

This method is good for finding the MAC address of your own network adapter.

  1. Click on your network connection (e.g., Ethernet or Wi-Fi).
  2. Click on Details.
  3. You will see the MAC address listed as "Physical Address".

Method 2: Using the Terminal (Command Line)

This method allows you to view MAC addresses of other devices on your network.

  1. Open Terminal: On macOS, you can find it in Applications -> Utilities.

  2. Type the command arp -a and press Enter: This command lists devices on your local network and their associated MAC addresses.

    • The arp -a command utilizes the Address Resolution Protocol (ARP) to discover devices on your local network. ARP translates IP addresses to MAC addresses.
    • The output shows the IP address and corresponding MAC address for each device that your computer has communicated with recently.

Example Output from arp -a Command:

? (192.168.1.1) at 00:11:22:33:44:55 on en0 ifscope [ethernet]
? (192.168.1.100) at AA:BB:CC:DD:EE:FF on en0 ifscope [ethernet]
? (192.168.1.254) at FF:EE:DD:CC:BB:AA on en0 ifscope [ethernet]

In this example:

  • 192.168.1.1, 192.168.1.100, and 192.168.1.254 are IP addresses.
  • 00:11:22:33:44:55, AA:BB:CC:DD:EE:FF, and FF:EE:DD:CC:BB:AA are the corresponding MAC addresses.
  • en0 is the network interface.

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