Finding Your MAC Address

At some point, the Helpdesk may ask you for the "MAC address" or "physical address" of your device. This has nothing to do with whether or not it is a Macintosh computer. It refers to a unique identifier of your network card, which is the component that allows you to connect to the network, either wired or wireless. If your device can connect to both wired and wireless networks (example: most laptops), it will have different MAC addresses for each connection type.

What does a MAC address look like?

It should be a series of alphanumeric pairs (technically, two-digit hexadecimal numbers) separated by either a dash or a colon, like this:

• 0a:1b:2c:3d:4e:5f:60
• 0a-1b-2c-3d-4e-5f-60

Finding the MAC address on your device

• For Windows and Mac computers, iOS, Android, and Linux devices, refer to Netgear's How do I find my device's MAC address.
• For Game Consoles and other devices, see Northwestern's handy article Finding the MAC address on different devices.

What if my device isn't listed?

Fear not!  A quick Google search of [make and model] plus "MAC address" will usually reveal instructions. If you need help, please contact the Helpdesk for assistance.