Summary
A media access control (MAC) address is assigned to every single web-connected component in your home. These 12-digit IDs may be thought of as digital name tags that various electronic devices, such as laptops, smartphones, tablets, and smart TVs, use to communicate that they are “present” on our home Wi-Fi networks. MAC addresses are also essential to the process of ensuring that a gateway to the internet is both secure and dependable.
Will a MAC address be able to be changed? The answer is yes, and in this detailed article applicable to both macOS and Windows, we will demonstrate how to achieve that. It is important to bear in mind, however, that the majority of the time, you will not be required to alter the MAC identification connected to your device.
Let us discuss the art of spoofing
Spoofing is the term used to describe the process of changing your MAC address, particularly when you do it repeatedly. Certainly, the term “spoofing” is associated with a bad meaning. At the end of the day, it gives the impression that you are attempting to deceive someone. Changing your MAC address, on the other hand, is strongly recommended for a number of compelling reasons.
A lot of individuals do it in order to protect their privacy. Moving between different MAC addresses on a frequent basis makes it very difficult for networks to monitor your device and determine how you are using it. If you are utilizing time-out Wi-Fi, which only provides you with free Wi-Fi access for a certain amount of time (for example, one hour), you may continue to get free Wi-Fi by moving your address from time to time. This is something that is done by some organizations, such as airlines.
On the other hand, there are a few drawbacks associated with spoofing. The most significant one is that businesses often use security filters that restrict connectivity to their networks to just those devices that belong to specified employees. A spoofing of an address will result in the system no longer being able to identify you.
As a result of this, it is very necessary to make a note of your initial MAC address before you modify it! Moreover, this is the reason why faking a work device is often a poor idea. If at all feasible, you should save this approach for your own PCs that do not support bring-your-own-device policies.
The straightforward approach to altering your MAC address on Windows
MAC address changers are software applications that may be downloaded by potential users. They display everything you might ever want to know about all of the network connections on your computer once they are operational. This includes the original and active MAC addresses as well as the speed of the network.
Address changers come with a variety of choices, including the ability to change MAC addresses and the selection of certain rules that may be used to make the change random, make the change durable, restore the original settings, and so on. This is a delightfully simple answer that can be found in a single pop-up window. It is highly recommended that you make use of the Technitium Mac Address Changer, which has done an excellent job of staying up to date with Windows 11.
method for changing MAC address on Windows that is more advanced
There is a technique to change the URL manually on Windows, which you may use if you absolutely do not want to download any additional programs. In the event that you are unsure of where your Device Manager is located, you may search for it to find it. Once you are there, check for the option that reads Network Adaptors. You will be able to see all of the network interfaces on your own computer.
Select the one you wish to modify, then right-click on it and select Properties from the context menu. Click the Property option that says Network Address or MAC Address (or anything similar) on the box that appears. This will allow you to see the Advanced tab. The address will appear in the tiny Value box as a result of this action. You have the ability to change the MAC code to whatever you wish by clicking on this box; however, you must avoid using characters like colons and dashes in your code.
Altering the MAC address on the macOS server
There are several address changers that are created specifically for macOS, but if you just want to change your address once, the procedure of resetting it might be considered straightforward. First things first, you will need to verify and make a note of your MAC number. Click the Wi-Fi button while holding down the Option key on your keyboard. The Wi-Fi symbol should be located in the top right corner of your macOS. Your address should be positioned on the second line that appears in the drop-down box, and the word “address” will be written in gray letters to ensure that there is no misunderstanding.
If you go to Applications > Utilities > Terminal, you will be able to locate the Terminal application. Now is the time to put out a few instructions into the keyboard!
If you wish to provide a new set of numbers — maybe you want an address that is simple to remember — then you should use the Terminal and put in “sudo ifconfig en0 ether aa:bb:cc:dd:ee:ff.” You can replace the alphabet with the code that you want to use. In the event that this code does not function properly, you may try modifying your Ethernet or Wi-Fi connection by substituting “en1” for “en0” in the command. Following the same procedure as previously, clicking on your Wi-Fi will also display the appropriate selection for your device in the first line of the interface name section.
Enter the following command into the terminal: “openssl rand -hex 6 | sed’s/(..)/1:/g; s/.$//’ | xargs sudo ifconfig en0 ether” and then press the Enter key. If you want to set a totally random number instead, you can just paste it in. To reiterate, if this does not work, you should try changing the “en0” with the name of your particular interface. One way that you can help safeguard your privacy is by using a MAC address that is completely random.
Several words of advice
In the event that you choose to change or spoof your MAC address, the procedure has the potential to be challenging and complicated. The Media Access Control (MAC) addresses of your device are one-of-a-kind and are intended to include essential information about your device. When dealing with a configuration that is both exact and sophisticated, it is imperative that each and every number be accurate in order to correctly implement the modification.
You can have problems with the configuration of the network, the drivers, or the synchronization. We regret to inform you that there is no single answer; thus, you will be required to investigate and resolve each individual issue as it arises.
After you have made the change to your MAC address, it is essential to restart the router in order to ensure that the change is successful. If you are unable to access your router, you may restart your network connection by turning off the Wi-Fi on your device and then turning it back on. This will allow you to access your router again.
Altering your Media Access Control (MAC) address is a lengthy procedure that may take many tries before you get the desired result. Whenever you purchase a new device or provide access to guests, you will be required to either create a whitelist on your router or go through the process of doing so automatically.
