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Choose When to Use a Stable Wi-Fi MAC on Managed Macs

Use an Intune macOS Wi‑Fi profile to require a physical MAC address for a network that depends on static identification, and verify deployment and behavior before widening the assignment.
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To make a managed Mac use its physical Wi‑Fi MAC address on a specific network, create or edit an Intune macOS Wi‑Fi device configuration profile and set Disable MAC address randomization to Yes. Use this only where a requirement such as network access control (NAC) depends on a stable address: doing so reduces the privacy protection provided by randomized addresses.

What the Intune setting does

Microsoft’s Wi‑Fi profile setting controls whether the device randomizes its address for the configured network. Microsoft documents three outcomes:

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  • Yes: disables randomization, so the Mac presents its actual Wi‑Fi MAC address.
  • No: enables randomization.
  • Not configured: the profile does not change the setting.

Use the setting in the Wi‑Fi profile for the network that needs a stable address, rather than treating it as a general recommendation to turn off privacy features across all networks.

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When to disable randomization—and what it costs

A stable physical MAC address can be necessary for NAC or another network workflow that identifies clients by static MAC address. Randomized addresses are intended to make devices harder to track; disabling them makes it easier for a network operator or other observer to associate activity with the same device over time. Microsoft advises disabling randomization only when necessary, such as for NAC support.

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Apple describes this feature as Private Wi‑Fi Address. On macOS Sequoia 15 and later, Apple provides per-network modes called Off, Fixed, and Rotating. These are distinct choices: Fixed is not the same as turning the feature off. Apple also says an MDM-defined network profile can turn Private Wi‑Fi Address off for enrolled devices. See Apple’s guidance on private Wi‑Fi addresses and Apple Platform Security’s explanation of Wi‑Fi privacy.

Configure the Intune Wi‑Fi profile

  1. Create or edit a macOS Wi‑Fi device configuration profile in the Intune admin center. Configure the network details and authentication method your organization requires. Microsoft’s macOS Wi‑Fi settings documentation covers basic and enterprise profile settings and deployment to managed Apple devices.
  2. Find “Disable MAC address randomization” in the profile’s Wi‑Fi settings and select Yes for the network that requires the physical address. Microsoft’s Intune feature announcement says this control is available for macOS Wi‑Fi profiles.
  3. Assign the profile to the intended managed Mac group. Keep the assignment scoped to devices that need this network behavior.
  4. Check deployment status for the profile and target devices in your tenant. Do not assume the configuration took effect until Intune reports its deployment state and you have verified behavior on a representative Mac.
  5. Test against the intended network before expanding the assignment. Confirm that the network recognizes the expected physical address and that any NAC or other dependent workflow functions as intended.

Check support for your macOS and Intune profile surface

The official Microsoft sources do not establish one consistent minimum macOS version for the setting across every Intune surface. The Wi‑Fi settings page’s applicability text lists iOS and iPadOS versions, while Microsoft’s feature announcement identifies macOS Wi‑Fi profile support. Separately, the Microsoft Graph beta macOSWiFiConfiguration reference describes the physical-MAC property as applying to macOS 15 and later and gives it a default of false. Because that schema is for a beta API and the documentation differs by surface, confirm that the option appears and behaves as expected in your tenant and on your target macOS versions before relying on a universal version boundary.

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