MAC Address Vendor Lookup
Identify the hardware manufacturer behind any MAC address. The first three bytes — the OUI — are registered to a company, and this tool looks them up for you.
About MAC vendor lookups
Every network interface has a 48-bit MAC address. The first half — three bytes, or six hex digits — is the Organisationally Unique Identifier (OUI). The IEEE assigns each OUI to a specific company, so those leading bytes reveal who built the network chip. This tool sends the address to the free public macvendors.com API, which returns the registered vendor as plain text.
How to read a MAC address
- First 3 bytes (OUI) — the manufacturer, e.g.
00:1A:2B. - Last 3 bytes — a serial-like value the vendor assigns to each interface.
- Second bit of byte 1 — if set, the MAC is locally administered (often random) rather than factory-assigned.
Phones and laptops now rotate random, locally-administered MAC addresses on each Wi-Fi network for privacy. Those are designed not to map to a real manufacturer, so an "unknown vendor" result is expected for them.
This tool relies on a third-party database, which is rate-limited and may not know every OUI — treat results as a strong hint, not a guarantee. Need to tidy up an address first? Use the MAC Address Formatter to switch between colon, hyphen and Cisco-dot styles, or generate test addresses with the Random MAC Generator.
Frequently asked questions
How does a MAC address reveal the manufacturer?
The first three bytes of a MAC address form the Organisationally Unique Identifier (OUI), which the IEEE assigns to hardware makers. Looking that OUI up in the IEEE registry returns the company that registered it, which is the device's manufacturer.
Why does my lookup say the vendor is unknown?
Some OUIs are unregistered, privately held, or the address may be randomised. Modern phones and laptops use random, locally-administered MACs for privacy on Wi-Fi, and those deliberately do not map to a real vendor.
What is a locally-administered or random MAC?
If the second-least-significant bit of the first byte is set, the MAC is locally administered rather than assigned by a manufacturer. Phones rotate these random MACs per network to prevent tracking, so a vendor lookup will not identify the real hardware.
Is there a rate limit on this tool?
Yes. It uses the free public macvendors.com API, which limits requests per second. If you look up many addresses quickly you may see a "rate limited" message — wait a few seconds and try again.
Want the theory? Read the guides → · Visit the zoo →