How to find out the MAC address of a laptop with Windows 7, 8, XP

Each device that has access to the Network, at the time of production, receives a unique MAC address. When used, it is used to accurately identify the device within a specific local area network. At the same time under the device you should understand not the computer, but its network card or Wi-Fi adapter. In other words, a laptop can have different MAC addresses depending on how it is connected to the network: by cable or "by air". In this article we will tell you how to find out the MAC address of a laptop running on any version of Windows.

What does the MAC address look like?

To search for something, one must have an idea of the appearance of the object of searches. Therefore, when answering the question, how to find out the MAC address of a laptop, first we will understand how it looks. The length of the MAC address is 48 bytes or 6 bits, it is written in hexadecimal numbers . Simply put, this is a combination of six two-digit alphanumeric groups separated by colons or hyphens. The number of possible character combinations is almost 281.5 trillion. It is this number of absolutely unique addresses that can theoretically be assigned.

As we said at the beginning of the article, there is a MAC address for each network device. Most laptops are able to connect to the web in two ways:

• Using an Ethernet cable;
• Using the built-in Wi-Fi network adapter.

In addition to the most common options, it is possible to have a Bluetooth connection or use a USB modem. These devices are also networked, and accordingly, and they will have their own MAC-addresses. The main thing is to know the type of interface on which the current connection is made. This will help to correctly identify the address.

Common methods

Using the command line allows you to quickly view the network configuration of the computer without moving through the settings. This method works in the same way in all versions of Windows. Let's see how to find out the MAC address of the laptop, regardless of the version of the operating system installed on it. After opening the command line interface, you will need to enter the following line ipconfig / all.

The information that will be displayed as a result of this command will contain all the IP addresses that are used at the time of its input, and the MAC address of the device through which the connection is made. You will find it in the "Physical address" field.

The second common way is to view the general configuration of the system. You can enter it by typing the msinfo32 command in the Run dialog box .

A window will open that contains full information about all the components of your computer. How to learn the MAC address of a laptop without getting lost in this mass of information? In the left sector of the window, select "Components" - "Network" - "Adapter". Then you squander the information in search of the right one. It will be Ethernet, or Wi-Fi. The MAC address of the selected interface will be indicated in the list of its characteristics.

Windows XP

If you do not like working with the command line or command applets, you can always get this information in another way. Consider how to find out the MAC address of a laptop with XP using the connection settings. You can open them in this version of Windows as follows:

• In the system tray area, click on the icon with blinking monitors;
• In the settings panel go to the "network connections" section.

Having opened the window with the status of the current connection, you must go to the "Advanced" tab and click the "Details" button. The complete information about the current network is displayed, similar to the one that was obtained in the previous method. The upper line will contain information about the physical address of the device.

Windows 7 and 8

In these and subsequent versions of the OS, Microsoft has slightly changed the order of access to network settings. Now they are all collected in a single "Network Management Center" and are indicated in the tray with another icon. The control window now contains much more information. But we are only interested in how to find out the MAC address of the laptop. Windows 7 and 8 have almost the same settings, so the description for these OS will give a general.

After opening the network management window, you will see the active connection view area at the top. The necessary information is obtained in two clicks. Open the active connection and press the "Details" button. Look for the same "Physical address" line there.

Another way to get into network settings can be typing ncpa commands in the Run dialog box . Cpl

The opened connection area will be completely similar to the one used in Windows earlier versions. The only thing you do not have to do in this case is to understand the settings of the network management center.

Finally

Now you know how to learn the MAC address of the laptop. Windows 8, 10 or any other version will be installed on it - everything is not important to you. The described methods work equally for all versions of the NT family of operating systems. If you are thinking about the practical application of the acquired knowledge, you can try to include MAC address filtering on your router. By setting all home devices in the settings, you will get an additional level of security in your Wi-Fi network.