What is a MAC address?
MAC (Media Access Control) is a unique 48-bit (6-byte) identifier burned into every network interface (network card, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth) at manufacturing time. It's represented as 6 pairs of hexadecimal digits, usually separated by colons or hyphens (e.g. 00:1A:2B:3C:4D:5E).
How to use it
To validate, paste a MAC address into the field (with or without separators) and click Validate. To generate a random address safe for testing, leave the field blank and click Generate — the generated address has the "local" bit set, avoiding any collision with real manufacturer addresses.
Frequently asked questions
Is it safe to use a randomly generated MAC on a real device?
For testing and simulations, yes — this tool generates addresses with the "locally administered" bit set, signaling they don't belong to any real manufacturer, avoiding conflicts. For production use, check your operating system's documentation.
What are the first 3 bytes of a MAC (OUI)?
The first 3 bytes form the OUI (Organizationally Unique Identifier), registered with the IEEE and assigned to each hardware manufacturer — in many cases you can identify a device's manufacturer from these 3 bytes.