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How to change MAC address in Microsoft Network bridge?
How do I change the MAC address of a network adapter?
How do I change MAC address in Windows 10?
How do I change a network address in Windows 10?
How do I add a new MAC address?
How do I create a network bridge?
Go through the numbered subkeys until you find one that matches your network adapter configuration. Modify the value named NetworkAddress to reflect the desired MAC address, but without hyphens/colons, if you want 00-B3-A0-03-00-1F, set the value to 00B3A003001F.
- Overview
- Before you begin
- How to create a Network Bridge on Windows 10
- How to regain internet access after setting up a bridge connection
- How to add more network adapters to a bridge connection
- How to remove a bridge connection from your computer
- Network Bridge or Internet Connection Sharing?
- Windows 10 resources
- Get the Windows Central Newsletter
How-to
When there aren't ports available on the router and Wi-Fi connectivity isn't possible, then use Network Bridge on Windows 10 to join other PCs to the network.
Network Bridge is a feature that has been part of Windows for a long time. A bridge allows you to connect two or more network segments together allowing devices to join the network when it's not possible to connect them directly to a router or switch.
For example, on an Xbox 360 without a wireless adapter, an Xbox One that no longer connects to Wi-Fi, or when a computer is far away from the router, you can use Network Bridge to share your computer's connection (e.g., Ethernet or Wireless) with these devices to allow access the network. Once devices connect using a bridge, they will appear as if they were physically connected to the router.
Before you start setting up a bridge connection on Windows 10, you will need at least two network adapters. One that is connected to the internet and a second adapter that will be used to connect another computer.
Additionally, as a result of setting up a bridge on Windows 10 (or on previous versions of the operating system), the primary network adapter on the host computer will lose internet connectivity.
To regain access to the internet, you will need to set a static IP address to your computer manually. The first thing you want to do is to save to a text file the current IP address information assigned by the DHCP server on your local network.
To get the IP address information from your computer follow these steps:
•Use the Windows key + X keyboard shortcut to open the Power User menu and select Command Prompt.
•Type the following command and press Enter:ipconfig /all
•Use the Windows key + X to open the Power User menu and select Network Connections.
•Select both, the network adapter that connects to the internet and the adapter you want to use in the bridge connection.
•Right-click the selection and click Bridge Connections.
At this point, the device connected to the bridge port should have access to the network and internet with the IP address information coming from the router, but the computer hosting the bridge won't be able to access the internet unless you have a third network adapter that is also connected to the network or a static IP address .
To regain access to the internet from the host computer do the following:
•Use the Windows key + X to open the Power User menu and select Network Connections.
•Right-click the bridge adapter and select Properties.
•Select the network adapter that connects to the internet.
•Select Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4).
•Click Properties.
You're not limited only to offer bridge connectivity to a single network adapter. At any time, you can add multiple adapters.
•Right-click the network adapter and select Add to Bridge.
When you no longer need a bridge connection, select one or all the participating network adapters, and select Remove from Bridge.
At this point, the bridge adapter should disappear from Network Connections, but if it doesn't, simply reboot your computer.
The last thing left to do is to remove the IP address static settings and let your PC once again get this information automatically from the router.
•Right-click the network adapter and select Properties.
•Select Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4).
•Click Properties.
It's important to note that Network Bridge is very similar to the Internet Connection Sharing (ICS) feature, but they're not the same.
When you use Internet Connection Sharing (ICS), you will convert your computer into a router, which uses a built-in DHCP server to assign IP addresses to computers participating in ICS. It also offers Network Address Translation (NAT) that allows multiple devices to connect to the network using the ICS host as the middle man.
On the other hand, Network Bridge doesn't turn the host computer into a router and you won't get Network Address Translation. It only provides a medium (bridge) in which other devices can connect directly to the network and obtain the same IP address scheme every other computer connected to the network is using.
Which feature you should use? The answer to the question is: "depends". Both features offer similar benefits. If your local network already includes a router connected to the internet and you want a seamless network integration where all devices share the same network addressing scheme, then you should consider using Network Bridge.
If you need a router-like feature, and you want to keep the network segments separated while taking advantage of the security benefits of Network Address Translation, then you'll be better suited using Internet Connection Sharing.
In theory, a bridge connection is more efficient, because the host is only a pass-through, and all the routing process will occur in the local router and not on the host computer.
For more tips, coverage, and answers on Windows 10, you can visit the following resources:
•Windows 10 on Windows Central – All you need to know
•Windows 10 help, tips, and tricks
•Windows 10 forums on Windows Central
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Feb 2, 2018 · You can change a Mac address of a device in Device Manager. Right-click the network adapter > Properties > Advanced Tab Search for Network Address in the settings List.
Sep 29, 2023 · Use netsh bridge commands to create and manage a network bridge of at least two network adapters. The network bridge shares the network connectivity and resources of one network adapter with the other.
Jan 4, 2020 · If you check your MAC address now it should be the same as the NetworkAddress value in your registry. If it isn't, try choosing a different value or disable and enable your network adapter using a different method.
Go to Network and Sharing Center. Click Manage Network Connections OR Change Adapter Settings. Right-click on the adapter and choose Properties. On the General or Networking tab, click the Configure button. Click on the Advanced tab. Click on the Locally Administered Address property or the Network Address property.
Oct 30, 2018 · I couldn't find good documentation on how to set the MAC address of the NIC Team, so I'm making an assumption that I do the following: NICTeam > Properties > Configure > Advanced > MAC Address > Value... and set it to whatever 12 hex characters I want (000012345678). Is this correct?
