If you are looking for easy methods to change a MAC address in Windows, this guide can help. The steps described here involve editing the Windows registry. Before you do so, make a backup copy first. Lets proceed with the simplest, most direct way to change a MAC address.
How to Change a MAC address in Windows 2000 and Windows XP
This method works for those with a Network Interface Card (NIC).
Step 1
Click Start and go to Settings->Control Panel. Double click Network and Dial-up Connections. After right clicking NIC with the MAC address you want to modify, choose properties. Click “Configure” at the General tab. Go to the “Property” section and you will find “Locally Administered Address” or “Network Address”. Click it.
Step 2
At the “Value”, enter the new MAC address. Don’t use “ ” when putting in the numbers.
Step 3
Head to the command prompt and enter “net config rdr” or “ipconfig /all”. Either one will verify the change that took place.
How to Modify the MAC Address in Windows 7 and Windows Vista
This method requires making changes to the Windows registry.
Step 1
Open the Windows Registry Editor.
Step 2
Go to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Class
Step 3
Open a Command Prompt and enter getmac. The MAC Address of Network Interfaces will appear. This list will include the virtual ones.
Step 4
At the Transport Name, copy the GUID. It will look like this: \Device\Tcip_{XXXXXXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXXXXXXXXXX}. The GUID portion will be highlighted.
Step 5
Head back to the Registry Editor. After hitting Ctrl + F, the search window will be displayed. Paste the GUID in the search box. At the LookAt and Data, remove the tick for Values and Keys. Click Find.
Step 6
You will be taken to something like this:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Class\XXXXXXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXXXXXX\00##
A string value called NetCfgInstanceId is going to be highlighted. This has your GUID.
Step 7
At the right hand pane, right click an empty space. Choose New -> String Value.
Step 8
Name the new String Value as NetworkAddress. Double click this string and type in the new MAC address. The address has to be hexadecimal, 12 characters and with no hyphens. An example is 00AA22BB44CC.
Step 9
Exit the Registry Editor.
Step 10
Restart your network device to see the changes. You can do these two ways. One, restart your computer or number two, disable and then enable your network device in the Control Panel (at the Network and Sharing Center). Go to the Command Prompt and type getmac. You will see the new address you entered.
How to back up the Windows Registry
Click Start and type “regedt32” at the Run command. After clicking “HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE on Local Machine” sub-window, click the “HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE” root key. Now you just have to click “Registry -> Save Subtree As”. Keep this file in a safe spot. In case you make a mistake when editing the registry, just copy this file back to your system.
If you are still looking for easy methods to change your MAC address, you can download tools online. There are many programs that allow you to modify the NIC with easy to use tools. This software is ideal for those who are uncomfortable about making changes to the registry.
Some of these applications are Mac Makeup, Change MAC, Technitium MAC Address Changer and many more. By using any of these programs or the methods stated above, you will be able to institute changes easily.
