Random MAC Address Generator

Generate valid MAC addresses for network testing and development — choose your separator format and quantity.

Generated MAC Address

How to Use the MAC Address Generator

Create valid MAC addresses for network testing in seconds.

  1. Choose separator between colon (:), hyphen (-), or no separator.
  2. Select case for the hexadecimal characters (uppercase or lowercase).
  3. Set quantity from 1 to 100 MAC addresses to generate.
  4. Click Generate to create random MAC addresses.
  5. Copy the results for use in your network testing, virtualization, or development.

What is a MAC Address?

A Media Access Control (MAC) address is a unique hardware identifier assigned to network interface controllers (NICs) for communications on a network segment. MAC addresses are 48-bit identifiers typically displayed as six groups of two hexadecimal digits.

The first three octets (24 bits) represent the Organizationally Unique Identifier (OUI), which identifies the manufacturer of the network hardware. The last three octets (24 bits) are assigned by the manufacturer and should be unique to each device.

MAC addresses operate at the Data Link Layer (Layer 2) of the OSI model and are used for local network communication, device identification, and network access control.

MAC Address Formats

FormatExampleCommon Usage
Colon notation01:23:45:67:89:ABLinux, Unix, Cisco IOS
Hyphen notation01-23-45-67-89-ABWindows, Microsoft products
No separator0123456789ABProgramming, databases
Dotted quad0123.4567.89ABCisco networking equipment

Common Use Cases

Virtual Machine Testing: Assign unique MAC addresses to virtual machines in VMware, VirtualBox, or other hypervisors.

Network Simulation: Create test network topologies with multiple virtual devices, each requiring a unique MAC address.

Development & Testing: Test network applications, MAC filtering rules, and device authentication without real hardware.

Database Population: Generate test data for network inventory databases and asset management systems.

Security Testing: Test MAC-based access control lists (ACLs) and network security policies.

Important: Test Data Only

These MAC addresses are randomly generated for testing purposes. While they follow valid MAC address format, they are not registered to any specific manufacturer. Do not use these addresses to spoof real network devices or engage in unauthorized network access.

For production environments, always use MAC addresses assigned by the hardware manufacturer or properly configured virtual MAC addresses following your organization's policies.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are these valid MAC addresses?
Yes, they follow the valid 48-bit MAC address format. However, they are randomly generated and not registered to real manufacturers, so they're for testing purposes only.
Can I use these for real network devices?
No. These are for testing and development only. Real network devices should use manufacturer-assigned MAC addresses or properly configured virtual MACs following network policies.
What's the difference between unicast and multicast MAC addresses?
The least significant bit of the first octet determines this: 0 for unicast (individual device), 1 for multicast (group of devices). Our generator creates unicast addresses by default.
Can MAC addresses be duplicated on a network?
While theoretically possible with random generation, MAC address collisions on the same network segment cause serious connectivity issues. Always ensure uniqueness in your test environment.
Which separator format should I use?
Use colon (:) for Linux/Unix systems, hyphen (-) for Windows, and no separator for programming and databases. The format doesn't affect functionality, only display.
Are the generated addresses stored or logged?
No. All generation happens locally in your browser. Nothing is transmitted to our servers or stored anywhere.