How Can I Reliably Obtain a Machine's MAC Address in C# Across Different Platforms?

A Cross-Platform Solution for Retrieving MAC Addresses in C#

Getting a machine's MAC address consistently across different operating systems is tricky because of variations in command line outputs and language settings. This article presents a reliable, platform-independent method.

The Reliable Method: Using NetworkInterface

The most dependable approach uses the NetworkInterface class. This works consistently across Windows XP, Vista, 7, and beyond, in both 32-bit and 64-bit environments, regardless of the system's language.

Code Examples

Here are two ways to implement this:

Method 1:

<code class="language-csharp">var macAddr = 
    (
        from nic in NetworkInterface.GetAllNetworkInterfaces()
        where nic.OperationalStatus == OperationalStatus.Up
        select nic.GetPhysicalAddress().ToString()
    ).FirstOrDefault();</code>

Method 2 (More Concise):

<code class="language-csharp">string firstMacAddress = NetworkInterface
    .GetAllNetworkInterfaces()
    .Where(nic => nic.OperationalStatus == OperationalStatus.Up && nic.NetworkInterfaceType != NetworkInterfaceType.Loopback)
    .Select(nic => nic.GetPhysicalAddress().ToString())
    .FirstOrDefault();</code>

Both methods effectively retrieve the MAC address, making it readily available for use in various applications. The second method adds a check to exclude loopback interfaces.

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