Solved: Error starting “XAMPP” stack: Cannot calculate MAC Address
- Cause of the error
- How to fix this
- Conclusion
Are you getting this error?
Error starting “XAMPP” stack: Cannot calculate MAC Address

Cause of the error
However this MAC OS Big Sur 11.3 update has caused many issues including that the developers aren’t able to work on the local environment.
How to Fix this
There are multiple solutions to this problem, it depends on the stack you are using. We will be posting all solutions that worked in different scenarios.
Please note that any of these solutions might work for you but make sure to take backup of your data before trying them out
Solution 1: Update Bitnami HyperKit
Hyper Kit
But you don’t need to worry as they have temporarily launched a hyper kit file to solve this issue.
Note: Please note that this hyperkit is in testing mode so make sure to take a backup of existing projects & data inside the bitnami folder
Following are the steps to solve this problem:
Step 1:
To solve this issue, open the terminal & run this command. This will create a backup of your current files.
cp -rp ~/.bitnami ~/.bitnami.back

Step 2:
Download the new hyperkit library using the following command
cd /tmp
curl -LJO "https://downloads.bitnami.com/files/hyperkit/hyperkit-testing-20210430"

Step 3:
Make sure that the md hash is matching by running the following command
md5 /tmp/hyperkit-testing-20210430
MD5 (/tmp/hyperkit-testing-20210430) = 37495adde6a3279dd7265904b85c3dc9
Note: Do not continue with the next step if the md5 checksum doesn’t match
Step 4:
Replace your current hyperkit binary with the downloaded one
mv /tmp/hyperkit-testing-20210430 ~/.bitnami/stackman/helpers/hyperkit
chmod +x ~/.bitnami/stackman/helpers/hyperkit
Step:5
Start the Bitnami OS X VM again and ensure you can access your application.
Note: If you get a security warning regarding the new hyperkit binary not being signed, go to Security under System Preferences and allow its execution. Restart the OS X VM if necessary.
Here is a link to the steps shared by bitnami team on their support forum question
Solution 2: Delete Stackman Folder
rm -rf ~/.bitnami/stackman

Solution 3: Reinstall XAMPP
If none of your solutions are working then try re-installing the xampp on your local machine. Make sure to save the data in your local machine before re-installing so you don’t lose your data.
How to install XAMPP on your Mac
We have explained step by step instructions on how to install XAMPP on your mac.
Here’s the Article Link https://pookidevs.com/how-to-install-xampp-on-mac-step-by-step-instructions/
Conclusion
We hope this article helped you. Feel free to contact us if you need any help regarding this topic.
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This works! Thanks so much!