Public Wi-Fi and privacy

Private Wi-Fi address on a Mac

A private Wi-Fi address replaces the hardware MAC address of the Mac on a network. It helps to reduce tracking by network operators.

Applies to: The Off, Fixed and Rotating options are in macOS 15 Sequoia and later.Checked: 29 October 2026

Symptoms

Rotating address. Apple says that a rotating address changes every 2 weeks. The network then sees a new device.
MAC address filtering or reservations. A router that allows only known addresses does not know the private address.
Forgetting the network. Apple says that forgetting a network also clears its private address, with some exceptions.
Network policy. Apple says that some organizations must update their network security to work with private addresses.

Choose Fixed for your home network. The router then sees one address that does not change.
Keep Rotating for public networks. It reduces tracking on the network and across networks.
Choose Off only when the network needs the hardware address.
Before you choose Off, install the latest software updates and try again. Apple recommends this.
If you manage the router, do not use MAC address filtering. Apple says that MAC addresses can be copied.

Which option does the Mac select by default?

Apple says that the Mac selects Fixed on networks with WPA2 or stronger security, and Rotating on networks with weak or no security.

Is the private address a privacy guarantee?

No. It reduces tracking by Wi-Fi network operators. Other tracking methods still work.

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