MAC address lookup
Paste a MAC address to find the company its block is registered to, using the IEEE registry (58,371 blocks). It also tells you when an address is randomized, multicast or broadcast. Free, with no account.
MAC address lookup
Vendor data: IEEE Registration Authority public listing, copied October 20, 2026. Looked up in your browser.
What a MAC address tells you
A MAC address is the 48-bit hardware address of a network card, written as 12 hex digits such as AC-DE-48-00-00-80. The IEEE Registration Authority assigns the first part to a company: a 24-bit prefix (an OUI, or MA-L block), or a smaller 28-bit (MA-M) or 36-bit (MA-S) block. The company numbers the rest of the address itself.
Two bits in the first byte change what the address means. If the lowest bit is set, it's a multicast (group) address that names a set of devices, and FF-FF-FF-FF-FF-FF is the broadcast address for every device on the segment. If the second-lowest bit is set, the address is locally administered: software assigned it, not the manufacturer.
Why a phone's MAC address shows no vendor
Phones, and some laptops, now hide their hardware address on Wi-Fi. iPhones and iPads use a private Wi-Fi address by default (since iOS 14; Macs since macOS 15), Android randomizes the MAC by default (since Android 10), and Windows has a Random hardware addresses setting. Android sets the locally administered bit on these addresses, and Apple says its private addresses have a second hex digit of 2, 6, A or E, so there's usually no vendor to find.
How to find a MAC address
| System | Where | Look for |
|---|---|---|
| Windows (Command Prompt) | ipconfig /all | Physical Address |
| Windows (Command Prompt) | getmac /v | Physical Address |
| Windows (PowerShell) | Get-NetAdapter | MacAddress |
| Linux | ip link | link/ether |
| macOS | System Settings > Network > your connection > Details > Hardware | MAC address |
| iPhone | Settings > General > About | Wi-Fi Address |
| Android | Settings > About phone (varies by maker) | Wi-Fi MAC address |
On a phone using a private address, the address each Wi-Fi network sees can differ from the one in About. Windows commands print MAC addresses with hyphens, Linux and macOS with colons, and Cisco IOS switches in dotted groups of four (acde.4800.0080).
MAC addresses on the A+ exam
CompTIA A+ Core 1 (220-1201) objective 2.5 lists the network interface card's physical media access control (MAC) address, and objective 2.4 lists DHCP reservations: a router hands the same IP address to a device every time by recognizing its MAC address. See the MAC address and DHCP reservation glossary entries.
Practice it: in the free Reserve the Printer's Address lab, you sign in to a simulated office router and reserve an IP address for a printer by its MAC address.
MAC address lookup: FAQ
What is an OUI?
An Organizationally Unique Identifier: the first 24 bits (6 hex digits) of a MAC address, which the IEEE Registration Authority assigns to a company. IEEE also sells smaller blocks: MA-M (28-bit) and MA-S (36-bit) prefixes.
Why does my MAC address show no vendor?
Usually because it's randomized. Phones and computers use locally administered addresses for privacy, and those aren't in the IEEE registry. If the second hex digit is 2, 6, A or E, the address is locally administered.
Can you find a device's location from its MAC address?
Not from the address alone. A MAC address names the network card's vendor, not where the device is, and it isn't sent past your router with your traffic. Location services do keep maps of Wi-Fi access points' addresses, but a vendor lookup can't do that.
Is this lookup private?
Yes. The lookup runs in your browser. It loads a small file named after the first three hex digits of the address, so the full address is never sent anywhere.
How current is the vendor list?
It's a copy of the IEEE Registration Authority's public listings from October 20, 2026. Blocks assigned since then won't show yet.
Use MAC addresses on a router screen
Reserve a printer's IP address by its MAC in a free A+ lab simulation, then try the other free labs.
Vendor data from the IEEE Registration Authority public listings (MA-L, MA-M, MA-S and IAB), copied October 20, 2026. ExamWizardz isn't affiliated with or endorsed by IEEE. The registered company may not be the device's actual maker.