How do I disable Random MAC Addresses for Ethernet Adapters

Question

I thought that Random MAC addresses were a security feature for WiFI, so why is my Ethernet using them?

For WiFI Adapters, you can go to Settings -> Network & Internet and Click on Properties of the WiFi Adapter and turn this off, but there is no such option in Properties for the Ethernet Adapter.

Answer 1

Hi John Beckmann,

The behavior you're observing on your Ethernet adapter is indeed by design in modern versions of Windows, starting with Windows 11. While the graphical setting is not exposed for Ethernet in the Settings app, the feature is enabled globally to ensure a consistent security posture across all network adapters when the device does not have a line-of-sight to a domain controller.

To disable this for your Ethernet adapter, you will need to use a local Group Policy edit. Navigate to Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Network > TCP/IP Settings and locate the policy named "Turn off random MAC addresses for Ethernet." Enable this policy, and then run gpupdate /force from an elevated command prompt for the change to take effect.

Alternatively, you can achieve the same result via a registry edit by creating a DWORD named NetworkSkipRandomMacOnEthernet under HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\StorageSense\Parameters\Upload and setting its value to 1.

I hope this clarifies the situation and provides you with the necessary steps. If this solution works for you, please don't forget to hit "accept answer" 😊.