Control the private (randomised) Wi-Fi address per network — via Apple Support

Hidden settinglow riskmacOS 15 Sequoia and later

Since macOS Sequoia, your Mac uses a private MAC address on each Wi-Fi network so it's harder to track. You can make it rotate every two weeks on public Wi-Fi, or turn it off on your home network if your router's device list or parental controls rely on a stable address.

Takes effect right away

How to do it

  1. Open System Settings > Wi-Fi and click Details next to the network.
  2. Set Private Wi-Fi Address to Off, Fixed (default on WPA2 or better) or Rotating (changes every 2 weeks; default on open or weak networks).
These rules only apply while Private Wi-Fi Address is set to Fixed or Rotating. Forgetting a network normally also forgets its private address, so the Mac shows up as a 'new device' when it rejoins. The exception: if you forget the same network again less than 24 hours after you last forgot it, the address is kept.

Sources

Source reviewed
2026-11-02
Link checked
2026-11-02
Tested hands-on
Not by Oddbyte.Me

Oddbyte.Me hasn't tried this on every macOS version, so keep the undo handy.

private wi-fi addressmac addressrandomizationprivacyroutersequoia

More in Networking

Flush the DNS cache — via Marc Abramowitz

Commandlow riskAdmin

If a website moved to a new server, or you changed DNS settings and some sites still won't load, your Mac may be holding on to old address lookups. Flushing the DNS cache makes it look them up fresh. It's a troubleshooting step, not a speed boost.

Run Apple's built-in internet speed test — via SS64

Commandlow risk

macOS has its own speed test in Terminal. Besides download and upload speed, it measures 'responsiveness' (round trips per minute while the line is busy), which explains why video calls stutter on a connection that looks fast.