How To Change MAC Address On Windows 10

Every machine has unique MAC address that provides it a permanent and unique identification on a network. In other words, your device is recognized or identified on a network through its unique Media Access Control address that we say as a MAC address. Moreover, the mac address is not restricted to a Windows machine. Every device that is connected to a network has its Mac address. It means that whether it’s your Android phone/TV, or your iPhone/Apple TV/MacBook or router and almost anything has a Mac address.

So if the Mac address is unique and preassigned, then why do we need to change it. If the Mac address is hardcoded with the device, then is it possible to change a Mac address? We know that these and other questions might be striking to your mind. But be assured that all these will be answered; the only thing you need to do as a reader is to continue your read till the end.

Also Read: How to Fix ‘Windows Has Detected An IP Address Conflict’

Why Change a Mac Address on Windows 10?

If you have a reason to change your Mac address, you can skip this paragraph and directly jump to the section to change Mac address on Windows 10. But if you are reading this article out of curiosity and learn something new, then stick to it.

Like an IP address, every device that tries to connect or register to a network must provide its Mac address. But unlike IP addresses that are dynamically assigned by a router, Mac addresses are unique and allocated at the hardware level. Moreover, it’s easy to change an IP address by changing your computer’s network proxy settings or simply using a VPN; however, a Mac address is unique and remains the same for a device’s total life span(unless you change it).  Now getting back to the question, why do you want to change a Mac address?

Frankly speaking, changing a Mac address or spoofing it to another is considered a malicious activity to get around with a network restriction. But not always, as it has legitimate reasons and testing the Mac filtering settings that you have applied to a network. Another reason is if you have to dump your old Windows machine to get a new Windows computer and access to the network is restricted based on your Mac address, then it is easy to change the Mac address of the new machine to the old and continue your access on the network, without messing up with complicated Mac rules.

So whatever reason you might have for changing a Mac address, here’s how to change it.

How to Change a Mac Address on Windows 10?

So if you have a reason to change, then go ahead. If you are testing it out of curiosity or inquisitiveness, we recommend writing the original/actual Mac address of your Windows 10 computer. This will also come in handy if you face any problem with your new Mac address and you need to revert to the older one.

Note: If you connect your Windows 10 computer simultaneously to both WiFi and Ethernet, it will possess two MAC Addresses, one for WiFi and the other for Ethernet. Moreover, if your network uses Mac Filtering, make sure to whitelist Mac’s new address on the network.

Now to get started first, let’s locate the original Mac address of our machine by following the steps below:

1. Click on the Windows Start button, and then from the menu, click on the gear icon to open Windows Settings.
2. On Windows Settings, click on Network & Internet.
3. Now select your Network from the left pane; it can be either WiFi or Ethernet. Once selected, click on the Network Name in the right pane.
4. The next screen that opens will show you the Mac address of your computer under the Properties section.
5. Copy the Mac address and write it down somewhere or paste it safely.

Now, after getting the Mac address of your Windows 10 computer, the next step is how to change it. So to change the Mac address on your Windows 10 computer, follow the instructions given below:

1. Right-click on the Windows Start button, and from the options, select Device Manager. Alternatively, press the Windows + R button to open the Run command box. In the run command box, type devmgmt. msc to open Device Manager.
2. On the Device Manager screen, locate Network Adapters and double click on it to expand.
3. Now right-click on your network adapter, and from the drop-down menu, select Properties.
4. On the Network adapter properties window, click on the Advanced tab. From the properties, select Network Address entry and enter the new Mac address(Mac address is the combination of alphabet and number without any space or hyphen) in the value field. Once entered, press the Ok button to save the changed Mac address of your computer.
5. Now restart your computer for the changes to take effect.

Now, next, we will learn how to confirm that the Mac address is changed on the Windows 10 computer.

How to Confirm if Mac Address is Changed

After changing your system’s MAC address, follow the steps given below to confirm if the new MAC address is assigned and working.

1. On the Windows Search, type Command Prompt and right-click on the top result displayed, and select Run as Administrator.
2. Now in the Command Prompt window, type ipconfig/all and press the Enter key.
3. After the command’s execution, you will find the New Mac address listed in front of the Physical Address entry under the Ethernet Adapter or Wireless Adapter section.

Please note that you cannot have two devices with the same MAC address active at the same time in a network.

Change Mac Address on Windows on 10 using Third-Party Software

Although the above-listed steps are not that much complicated, if you still find them hard to follow, you can use third-party software to change your Mac address. Technitium MAC Address Changer is one such utility that allows you to change the mac address effectively. And the best part is that it is free to use utility.

This tool can provide a new MAC address to your Network Interface Card, bypassing the original MAC address that is hardcoded by the manufacturer.

1. Once you start MAC address changer, first, it will list all available network adapters.
2. From the available list of available network adapters, select the one for which you want to change the MAC address.
3. Now select the Information tab. Here you will find the Change MAC Address field. Here enter the new Mac address and click on the Change Now button at the bottom left corner. You also have an option where the product helps you to get a random Mac address. All you need to do is click on the Random MAC Address button to fill a random Mac address by the product itself.
   

4. Now in the future, if you wish to revert the Mac address to the original, then you can do this by clicking on the Restore Original button.

Note: You can’t change the Mac address of Microsoft Network Bridge using Technitium MAC Address Changer.

Wrapping Up

So, guys, this is how you can easily change the Mac address on your Windows 10 computer. Moreover, you can now use the changed Mac address without any problems, unless you have used MAC filtering on your router. Anyways, if you have enabled Mac filtering, then you have just had to list that new Mac address on your Router, and you are good to go.

We hope that you love using the article. Do mention in the comment section below your reason for changing the Mac address in the comments section below.