Editing Ip link set / `ifconfig (section)

=== Using ifconfig ===

You can change the MAC address manually using `ifconfig`.

* `eth0` = '''Wired Ethernet interface''' (commonly used on Linux)  
* `wlan0` = '''Wireless interface (Wi-Fi)''' (used on Linux)  
* `en0` = '''Wi-Fi interface on macOS''' (typically the active wireless adapter)

<syntaxhighlight lang="bash">
# Change MAC for wired connection (Linux - eth0)
ifconfig eth0 down
ifconfig eth0 hw ether 00:11:22:33:44:55
ifconfig eth0 up

# Change MAC for wireless connection (Linux - wlan0)
ifconfig wlan0 down
ifconfig wlan0 hw ether 66:77:88:99:AA:BB
ifconfig wlan0 up

# Change MAC for wireless connection on macOS (en0)
sudo ifconfig en0 ether 66:77:88:99:AA:BB
</syntaxhighlight>

On macOS, it is usually not necessary to bring the interface down and up when changing the MAC address using `ifconfig`.  
The new address takes effect immediately. If connectivity issues occur, the following alternative method can be used:

<syntaxhighlight lang="bash">
sudo ifconfig en0 down
sudo ifconfig en0 ether 66:77:88:99:AA:BB
sudo ifconfig en0 up
</syntaxhighlight>

These commands assign a temporary MAC address.  
The original MAC will return after reboot unless persistence is configured via network settings or launch scripts.