MAC Address Formats Explained: Colons, Hyphens and Dots
The same MAC address can be written several ways, which causes mismatches in lists. This guide explains the common formats and how to normalise them.
What is the MAC Address Formatter?
MAC addresses turn up in several styles: colon-separated, hyphen-separated, dot-separated, or with no separators at all, and in mixed case. This tool strips the separators, checks that exactly twelve hex digits remain, and rewrites the address as six upper-case pairs joined by colons. It does not check whether the address belongs to a real device or manufacturer; it only fixes the format.
How to use it
- Paste or type a MAC address in any common style.
- Press Format MAC address.
- Copy the normalised colon-separated result.
Worked example
aa-bb-cc-dd-ee-ff formats to AA:BB:CC:DD:EE:FF.
How do I write a MAC address in standard form?
Use six upper-case hex pairs joined by colons, for example AA:BB:CC:DD:EE:FF.
Frequently asked questions
Which input styles are accepted?
Colon-separated, hyphen-separated, dot-separated and plain twelve-digit forms are all accepted, in any letter case.
What if my input has the wrong number of digits?
The tool reports an error, since a valid MAC address must contain exactly twelve hex digits. Check for a missing or extra pair.