What a randomized MAC address is and why it's happening

Your Mac has a MAC address — a unique identifier that your router uses to recognize your device on the network. Starting with macOS 12 (Monterey), Apple began randomizing this address by default when your Mac connects to a new Wi-Fi network. This means your router sees a different identifier each time you connect, which makes it harder for websites and networks to track your device across locations.

The problem is that randomization can break things. Your router may not recognize your Mac as the same device, which can prevent port forwarding from working, stop your printer from connecting, interfere with local file sharing, or cause your smart home devices to lose connection to your Mac. If you're setting up a home network and need your Mac to have a stable, consistent identity on that network, you need to turn off randomization.

Randomization happens per-network, not globally. Your Mac can have a randomized address on your neighbor's Wi-Fi and a fixed address on your home network at the same time. You control this separately for each network you connect to.

Key Takeaways

  • MAC address randomization is turned on by default in macOS 12 and later, and it changes your device's network identity each time you connect to a Wi-Fi network.
  • You disable randomization in System Settings under Wi-Fi, by selecting your network and unchecking the "Randomize MAC Address" option.
  • Turning off randomization is safe on your home network because you control who has access to it, but you may want to keep it on for public Wi-Fi networks.
  • If your Mac has already connected to your network with a randomized address, your router may still see the old identifier — you may need to forget the network and reconnect to get a fresh MAC address.

How to disable MAC address randomization on your home network

Open System Settings and go to Wi-Fi. Click the information icon (the small circle with an "i") next to your home network name. Scroll down until you see "Randomize MAC Address" — it will have a toggle switch next to it. Click the toggle to turn it off.

Your Mac will now use the same MAC address every time it connects to that network. The change takes effect when ready, but your router may not recognize it as the same device right away. If you have port forwarding rules, printer connections, or other network settings tied to your old randomized address, those may stop working until you update them with your new fixed MAC address.

To find out what your new MAC address is, go back to that same Wi-Fi settings screen and look for "MAC Address" listed above the randomization toggle. It will be a string of six pairs of letters and numbers separated by colons, like AA:BB:CC:DD:EE:FF. Write this down or take a screenshot — you may need it to set up port forwarding or other network rules on your router.

When you need to forget and reconnect to your network

If your Mac has already connected to your home network with randomization turned on, your router has stored the randomized MAC address in its memory. straightforward turning off randomization in System Settings will not automatically tell your router to forget the old address and recognize the new one.

To force your Mac to present a fresh MAC address, you need to forget the network first. In System Settings, go to Wi-Fi and click "Manage Known Networks." Find your home network in the list and click the minus sign to remove it. Then click "Done."

Now reconnect to your home network by selecting it from the Wi-Fi menu and entering your password. Your Mac will connect with randomization turned off and will present its fixed MAC address to your router. Your router should now see this as a new device and assign it a new IP address. You can then update any port forwarding rules or other network settings that depend on your MAC address.

Updating your router settings after disabling randomization

Once your Mac has a fixed MAC address, you may need to update settings on your router. If you have port forwarding rules — for example, to allow remote access to a file server or to forward traffic to a specific device — those rules are tied to a MAC address. Log into your router's admin panel (usually at 192.168.1.1 or 192.168.0.1, or through your router's app) and find the port forwarding section.

Delete any old rules that reference your Mac's randomized address, then create new rules using the fixed MAC address you just found in System Settings. The exact steps vary by router model, but most routers have a "Port Forwarding" or "Advanced" section where you can enter a MAC address and specify which ports to forward to it.

If you have a printer, smart home hub, or other device that connects directly to your Mac over the network, you may need to re-add your Mac to that device's network settings. Some devices cache the MAC address of connected machines and will not recognize your Mac if that address changes. Removing your Mac from the device's settings and re-adding it will usually fix this.

Keeping randomization on for public and untrusted networks

You do not need to disable randomization on every network. On your home network, where you control the router and trust the other devices, turning it off is safe and necessary for network features to work properly. On public Wi-Fi networks — coffee shops, airports, hotels — leaving randomization on is a good idea because it prevents the network operator and other users from tracking your device across visits.

The default setting in macOS is to randomize on all networks except your home network, which your Mac recognizes as a trusted network after you connect to it a few times. If you want to check whether randomization is on or off for a specific network, go to System Settings, Wi-Fi, and click the information icon next to that network's name. The "Randomize MAC Address" toggle will show you the current setting for that network only.

Troubleshooting after you disable randomization

If you have turned off randomization and your Mac still cannot connect to your printer, access shared files, or use port forwarding, the problem may not be the MAC address itself. Check that your router is not blocking your Mac's traffic. Some routers have a "MAC filter" feature that only allows specific devices to connect — if this is turned on, your Mac's new fixed address may not be on the allowed list.

Log into your router's admin panel and look for MAC filtering or access control settings. If it is turned on, add your Mac's fixed MAC address to the allowed devices list. You can also try restarting your router and your Mac — sometimes a router will not recognize a device with a new MAC address until both devices have rebooted.

If you are still having trouble, try forgetting the network again and reconnecting. Sometimes the router's DHCP server (the system that assigns IP addresses) gets confused when a MAC address changes. Forgetting and reconnecting forces your Mac to request a fresh IP address from the router, which often clears up connection problems.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will disabling MAC address randomization make my Mac less find?

On your home network, no — you control the router and the devices connected to it, so there is no privacy risk. On public networks, randomization does provide some protection against tracking, which is why macOS keeps it on by default for those networks. You only need to disable it on networks where you need your device to have a stable identity.

Can I disable randomization for all networks at once?

No. macOS requires you to disable randomization separately for each network. This is intentional — it prevents you from accidentally leaving randomization off on a public network. You can disable it for your home network and leave it on everywhere else.

What if I do not know my router's admin password?

You can still disable MAC address randomization on your Mac without logging into your router. However, if you need to set up port forwarding or MAC filtering, you will need the router's admin password. Most routers have a reset button that will restore the default password, but this will erase all your custom settings. Check your router's manual or the manufacturer's website for the default password.

Does disabling randomization affect my Wi-Fi speed or performance?

No. MAC address randomization has no effect on speed or performance. It only changes how your router identifies your device. Disabling it will not make your connection faster or slower.

Can I re-enable randomization later if I change my mind?

Yes. Go back to System Settings, Wi-Fi, click the information icon next to your network, and toggle "Randomize MAC Address" back on. Your Mac will start using a randomized address the next time you connect to that network.