VPN broke my Mac's MAC address?

VPN
1

So basically my friend installed a VPN (Tailscale on the Mac App Store) and uninstalled it recently (dragged the app to the Trash can. I also got rid of the junk files it created as per their website. Now the MAC address used to connect to wifi networks is no longer the MAC address linked to my hardware. It seems like it isn’t the Rotate Wi-Fi Address setting as it has been turned off. Is there any way to make it back to the original?

Wi-Fi address my Mac uses to connect

Wi-Fi address of my hardware

Edit: the Wi-Fi address of my mac is the other on

Wi-Fi address is the wrong one

2

It’s unlikely that a VPN client would directly change your Mac’s hardware MAC address. However, here are a few potential reasons and solutions:

VPN Created a Virtual Network Adapter: Many VPN clients create a virtual network adapter when connected, which has its own randomly generated MAC address. This is normal behavior and doesn’t affect your physical WiFi adapter’s MAC address. To revert to the original MAC:

  • Ensure the VPN client is fully uninstalled and not running.
  • Reset your Mac’s network settings by going to System Preferences > Network and clicking the “-” minus button to remove any leftover virtual adapters.
  • Restart your Mac.

Your WiFi adapter should now use the original hardware MAC address again.

Randomized MAC Address Setting: macOS has a privacy feature that can randomize the MAC address used for WiFi connections. Check if this is enabled:

  • Go to System Preferences > Network.
  • Click the “Advanced” button in the bottom right.
  • Select the “Wi-Fi” tab.
  • Uncheck the “Randomize MAC Address” option if enabled.

This will revert to using your hardware MAC address.

Network Interface Reset: If the above doesn’t work, you can try resetting the network interface:

  • Open Terminal.
  • Run sudo ifconfig en0 lladdr replacing en0 with your WiFi interface name if different.
  • Enter your admin password when prompted.

This will reset the MAC address to the default hardware value.

If none of these work, you may need to contact Apple Support as a last resort, as the MAC address is hardcoded and not meant to change unexpectedly.