How to Find the MAC Address on an iPhone

This article explains how to find the Media Access Control (MAC) address on your iPhone.

Where Can I Find a MAC Address on an iPhone?

You can find the MAC address in two places, and both are within the settings app. If you’re connected to a Wi-Fi network, you can find the MAC address in your Wi-Fi settings by checking your current Wi-Fi network details. You can also find the MAC address of your iPhone listed in the general settings whether you’re currently connected to Wi-Fi or not.

How to Find the MAC Address of an iPhone in Wi-Fi Settings

If you’re connected to a Wi-Fi network, you can check your MAC address by opening your Wi-Fi settings. You’ll find it listed as the Wi-Fi address in the details of your current Wi-Fi network. 

Here’s how to find the MAC address of an iPhone through Wi-Fi settings:

1. Open Settings.
   

2. Tap Wi-Fi.
   

3. Tap the info (i) icon next to your current Wi-Fi network.
   

4. Your MAC address is listed in the Wi-Fi Address field.
   

   If the Private Address toggle is on, the Wi-Fi Address field will display a unique MAC address only used with the current Wi-Fi network. To see your phone’s actual MAC address, turn the Private Address toggle off.

How to Find the MAC Address of an iPhone in General Settings

You can also find the MAC address of your iPhone in the about section of the iPhone’s general settings menu. This option is available whether or not you’re connected to Wi-Fi.

Here’s how to find your iPhone MAC address in general settings:

1. Open Settings, and tap General.
   

2. Tap About.
   

3. Scroll down.
   

4. Your MAC address is listed in the Wi-Fi Address field.
   

   If you aren’t connected to Wi-Fi, the address you see will be your phone’s actual MAC address. If you’re connected to Wi-Fi and have the Private Address feature turned on, this field will display the unique MAC address that your phone only uses with the current network.

Is Wi-Fi Address Same as MAC Address on iPhone?

On an iPhone, Wi-Fi Address and MAC address mean the same thing. MAC addresses are unique numbers used to identify networked devices. Device manufacturers assign these numbers, and each device has a unique number. While there are ways to change a MAC address in some situations, MAC addresses are designed to be static and unique.

Apple uses the term Wi-Fi Address because your iPhone has a Private Address feature designed to improve security and privacy. While your phone does have a unique MAC address that never changes, turning the Private Address feature causes your phone to use a different address with each Wi-Fi network. That makes it more difficult for network administrators to track your movement across networks.

Since your iPhone can use more than one MAC address, it’s essential to pay attention to whether or not you have the Private Address feature turned on. If your network administrator asks for your MAC address, and you have Private Address turned on, make sure you are connected to the correct Wi-Fi network before checking your Wi-Fi address. Otherwise, you could end up giving them the wrong address.

If you have to provide a MAC address before connecting to a network that utilizes MAC filtering, you may have to provide your phone’s actual MAC address. In that case, you would have to disconnect from Wi-Fi altogether and check for your Wi-Fi address using the general settings method described above. You would then need to connect to the Wi-Fi network with Private Address disabled. For more information and to find out if you might be allowed to use Private Address on such a network, contact your network administrator.