Windows 10 has a feature that allows users to use random hardware MAC addresses when connecting to a Wi-Fi network. This can come in handy, especially when connecting to public Wi-Fi or networks that are not trusted. Before your computer connects to a Wi-Fi network, it sends a request to join. The request your computer sends will include the unique physical hardware address (MAC) of your machine. This unique number can be used to track your computer location and activities. If you want to add some layer of security to prevent tracking your computer MAC addresses and stop tracking you, you can enable random hardware MAC addresses if your computer supports it. Use random hardware addresses to make it harder for people to track your location when you connect to different Wi-Fi networks. These settings can apply to all Wi-Fi networks or can be applied to a single Wi-Fi network you’re connecting to. To get started with enabling or disabling random hardware addresses, follow the steps below:
Turn on all Wi-Fi
If you want to turn off random MAC addresses for all new connections, go to Start –> Settings –> Network & Internet. When Network & Internet page opens, select Wi-Fi on the left menu, then switch the button to On to use random hardware addresses as shown in the image below. That should apply globally for all new Wi-Fi networks you join.
Turn on specific Wi-Fi
If you only want it to apply to a specific network, simply choose the network you want it to apply to. To turn it on for a specific Wi-Fi network, go to Start –> Settings –> Network & Internet. When Network & Internet page opens, select Wi-Fi on the left, then choose to Manage known networks. Next, select the Wi-Fi network from the list and click Properties as shown in the image below. Then turn on random hardware addresses for the specific Wi-Fi network as shown in the image below. You can select On to enable all the time or choose Change daily to replace the MAC addresses daily. When you’re done, closeout and finish. That should do it! Conclusion: This post showed you how to turn on or off random hardware addresses when using Windows 10. If you find any error above, please use the comment form below to report.
