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macOS 27: ifconfig command no longer prints hardware MAC address

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Models agree on

✓Recent macOS versions hide or randomize MAC addresses in `ifconfig` output for privacy reasons
✓Recommended methods to get the real MAC: `networksetup`, `system_profiler`, and `ioreg`
✓Private Wi-Fi Address (randomized MAC per network) is a key driver of this change
✓Bringing the interface up (`ifconfig en0 up`) may restore MAC visibility temporarily
✓Apple is deprecating `ifconfig` in favor of `networksetup` and modern frameworks

Recent macOS versions (Ventura/Sonoma) have modified ifconfig behavior to no longer reliably display hardware MAC addresses by default due to privacy-focused changes. Here's what's happening and how to work around it:

Key Changes

·Private Wi-Fi Address: Enabled by default, this randomizes the MAC address per-network (introduced in macOS 10.15, now pervasive).
·System Integrity Protection (SIP): Limits low-level access to hardware identifiers like the factory MAC.
·Deprecation of ifconfig: Apple is gradually moving away from BSD tools toward networksetup and modern frameworks.

How to Get the Real MAC Address

Recommended Methods

·networksetup (Apple-supported) bash networksetup -listallhardwareports

Shows all interfaces with their factory MACs (marked as "Ethernet Address").

·
system_profiler bash system_profiler SPNetworkDataType | grep "MAC Address"
·
I/O Registry (direct hardware access) bash ioreg -c IOEthernetInterface -r -d 1 | awk '/IOMACAddress/ {printf "%02x:%02x:%02x:%02x:%02x:%02x ", $NF>>40 & 0xff, $NF>>32 & 0xff, $NF>>24 & 0xff, $NF>>16 & 0xff, $NF>>8 & 0xff, $NF & 0xff}'

Temporary Fixes for `ifconfig`

·
Bring the interface up: sudo ifconfig en0 up
·
Disable MAC randomization: bash sudo defaults write /Library/Preferences/com.apple.NetworkInterfaces.plist "en0" -dict-add "RandomizedMACAddress" -bool false

Or via System Settings → Wi-Fi → Advanced → "Private Wi-Fi Address".

Why the Change?

·Privacy: MACs are trackable identifiers; randomization prevents this.
·Modernization: Apple prefers framework-based access (SystemConfiguration) over shell tools.
·Security: SIP protects low-level hardware properties.

Practical Impact

·Scripts parsing ifconfig | grep ether will break — migrate to networksetup or system_profiler.
·For current (possibly randomized) MAC, ensure interface is up with ifconfig en0 up.

Quick Reference

Task	Command
List all hardware MACs	`networksetup -listallhardwareports`
Get Wi-Fi MAC	`networksetup -getmacaddress en0` (varies by OS)
Force `ifconfig` to show MAC	`sudo ifconfig en0 up`
Disable randomization	System Settings → Wi-Fi → Advanced → "Private Wi-Fi Address" OFF

Bottom line: ifconfig still technically knows the MAC, but Apple intentionally obscures it for privacy. Use networksetup for reliable hardware MAC access and update scripts accordingly.