---
title: "Find devices on your network from a Mac: arp and dns-sd · Kilobat Guides"
url: "https://kilobat.app/guides/find-devices-on-network"
description: "List the devices your Mac sees on the local network with arp and dns-sd in Terminal, find a printer or NAS, and know the limits of each method."
---

Local network

# Find the devices on your local network from a Mac

macOS has two built-in ways to see other devices: the ARP table and Bonjour. Neither one is a full scan of the network.

Applies to: All current macOS versions. Local Network privacy settings are in macOS 15 Sequoia and later. · Checked: 29 October 2026

## Symptoms

- You need the IP address of a printer, NAS or other device.
- You want to know which devices are on your network.
- An app cannot find a device on the local network.

## Likely causes

- **The ARP table holds only recent devices.** The Mac lists a device only after it has exchanged traffic with it.
- **Bonjour shows only devices that advertise services.** Devices that do not advertise a service do not appear.
- **Local Network access is off for an app.** On macOS 15 Sequoia and later, an app needs permission to find devices on the local network.
- **Client isolation on the network.** Some guest and public networks stop devices from seeing each other.

## How to check

1. Show the ARP table. It lists IP addresses and hardware (MAC) addresses that the Mac knows now.

   ```
   arp -a
   ```
2. To skip name lookups, add `-n`.

   ```
   arp -a -n
   ```
3. Browse for devices that advertise a service with Bonjour. This example finds printers. Press Control-C to stop.

   ```
   dns-sd -B _ipp._tcp
   ```
4. Browse for devices that share files over SMB.

   ```
   dns-sd -B _smb._tcp
   ```
5. If one app cannot find devices, open System Settings > Privacy & Security > Local Network. Look for the app in the list.

## How to fix it

1. If the app is off in Local Network, turn it on. See [An app cannot find devices on the local network](https://kilobat.app/guides/local-network-permission).
2. If you are on a guest network, connect to the main network to reach your devices.
3. To add a device to the ARP table, ping its address first. Then run `arp -a` again.

   ```
   ping -c 2 192.168.1.20
   ```
4. Give important devices a fixed address in your router settings. Then you can always find them.

## With Kilobat

1. Kilobat lists the devices that the Mac recently talked to, from the ARP neighbor cache. It is not a full scan.

   ```
   kilobat devices
   ```
2. To include Bonjour services, add `--bonjour`.

   ```
   kilobat devices --bonjour
   ```
3. To give a device a name that Kilobat remembers, use its hardware address.

   ```
   kilobat devices name aa:bb:cc:dd:ee:ff "Printer"
   ```
4. To wake a device that supports Wake-on-LAN, send a wake packet. Kilobat cannot confirm that it woke.

   ```
   kilobat wake aa:bb:cc:dd:ee:ff
   ```
5. The Devices tab in the dashboard needs Pro.

## Questions

**Why does arp -a not show all my devices?**

The table lists only devices that recently exchanged traffic with the Mac. A device that is asleep or silent does not appear.

**Do these commands need an administrator password?**

No. `arp -a` and `dns-sd -B` work for any user. Deleting ARP entries needs an administrator.

## Sources

- arp(8), man page installed with macOS 27.2
- dns-sd(1), man page installed with macOS 27.2
- [Apple Support: Control access to your local network on Mac](https://support.apple.com/guide/mac-help/control-access-to-your-local-network-on-mac-mchla4f49138/mac)

Sources checked on 29 October 2026. Man pages are the ones installed with macOS; open one with `man <name>` in Terminal.

## Related guides

- [An app cannot find devices on the local network](https://kilobat.app/guides/local-network-permission): macOS 15 Sequoia and later ask before an app connects to devices on your local network.
- [The macOS firewall blocks incoming connections](https://kilobat.app/guides/macos-firewall-incoming): The macOS firewall controls connections that other computers start to your Mac.
- [Mac has a self-assigned IP address](https://kilobat.app/guides/self-assigned-ip-address): If the Mac gets no answer from a DHCP server, it gives itself a link-local address from 169.254.0.0/16.
- [IP address conflict on a Mac](https://kilobat.app/guides/ip-address-conflict-mac): Two devices on one network cannot use the same IP address.