What is a MAC address?

A MAC (Media Access Control) address is a unique hardware identifier assigned to network interfaces. It's 48 bits, typically shown as 6 pairs of hexadecimal digits.

Why format MAC addresses?

Different systems use different formats: Cisco uses dots (0000.1111.2222), Windows uses hyphens (00-11-22-33-44-55), and Unix uses colons (00:11:22:33:44:55).

What's the OUI in a MAC address?

The first 3 bytes (24 bits) are the Organizationally Unique Identifier (OUI), assigned to manufacturers by IEEE.

MAC Address Formatter

Convert MAC addresses between different formats.

Enter MAC Address

About MAC Addresses

A MAC address is a unique identifier assigned to a network interface controller (NIC). It consists of 48 bits, typically displayed as 12 hexadecimal digits. The first half (OUI) identifies the manufacturer, while the second half is assigned by the manufacturer.

📘 How It Works

Input Parsing

The tool accepts MAC addresses in any format with colons, hyphens, dots, or no separators.

Validation

Checks that the address contains exactly 12 hexadecimal characters (0-9, A-F).

Formatting

Outputs in multiple formats: colon-separated, hyphen-separated, Cisco dot notation, and plain.

💡 Common Use Cases

Network Configuration

Convert MAC addresses to the format required by your network equipment or software.

Access Control Lists

Format MAC addresses for router ACLs, switch port security, or WiFi whitelists.

Documentation

Standardize MAC address formats across network documentation and inventory.

Scripting

Clean and normalize MAC addresses from various sources for automation scripts.

Related Networking Tools Tools

Subnet Calculator → IP Converter → CIDR Calculator → Bandwidth Calculator →