This wikiHow teaches you how to change the public and private IP addresses on a Windows computer. A public IP address is an address that your computer shares with other networks, while a private IP address is a computer-specific address for its own wireless network. Changing both addresses can resolve connection issues.
Step
Method 1 of 2: Public IP Address
Step 1. Disconnect the router and modem from the power source
Most internet service providers assign dynamic IPs which may change from time to time. By turning off the modem for a long period of time, you may be able to get a new IP address when the modem is restarted.
- You may need to check the current IP address before following this step.
- You can simply disconnect the router and modem cables from the wall socket.
Step 2. Turn off the computer's WiFi
With this step, the computer will not reconnect to the router when the router is turned on. To turn off WiFi:
-
Click
in the lower right corner of the screen.
- Click " Wi-Fi ” in the pop-up window.
Step 3. Wait for five minutes
Some internet service providers will assign a new IP address within a period of (at the earliest) five minutes. If that doesn't work, you can turn off your router overnight (or about eight hours).
Step 4. Reconnect the router to a power source
As long as you have a different device (e.g. a phone, game console, or another computer) connected to WiFi, the router and the second device will continue to use the old IP address.
Step 5. Re-enable WiFi on the computer
Most likely your public IP address will change if you turn on WiFi after other devices have connected to the router.
You may need to double-check the IP address to make sure it has changed
Step 6. Contact your internet service provider
Sometimes (but quite rarely), you have a static IP address assigned by your internet service provider. To change it, you need to contact its technical support service directly. Often, this address can only be changed once.
Step 7. Use a proxy network
This network will display a different IP address for your connection. Often, these addresses are imported from other countries or parts of the world. Reliable proxy and VPN (virtual private network) services usually require a monthly subscription to use.
Method 2 of 2: Private IP Address
Update Address
Step 1. Open the Start menu
It's in the lower-left corner of the screen. If you want to change your IP address to fix connection problems, updating the address is an easier process than changing the address manually.
Step 2. Type command prompt into the Start menu
After that, the computer will search for the Command Prompt program.
Step 3. Right click
"Command Prompt".
It's at the top of the Start window.
Step 4. Click Run as administrator
It's at the bottom of the drop-down menu.
If you are not an administrator on the computer you are currently using, you will not have this option and so will not be able to update the computer's IP address
Step 5. Click Yes when prompted
Once clicked, a Command Prompt window will open.
Step 6. Type ipconfig /release and press Enter key
This command serves to "forget" the IP address that is currently in use.
Step 7. Type ipconfig /renew and press Enter key
With this command, the IP address will be updated. This step alone is likely to resolve connection issues. However, this update process doesn't necessarily change your real IP address.
Change Address
Step 1. Open the Windows 10 settings menu
Click the Start menu button
and select "Settings"
(gear icon).
Step 2. Select the Network & Internet category
Step 3. Make sure the Status segment is selected
This segment is the first tab in the left pane of the window.
Step 4. Click the “Change connection properties” link
Step 5. Click Edit under the "IP assignment" section
Swipe to access this segment.
Step 6. Switch to manual IP assignment
Click the drop-down menu on the displayed dialog box and select "Manual".
Step 7. Touch the switch
"IPv4".
Several text boxes will appear after that.
Step 8. Fill in the text fields
The following is a function of these columns:
- ” IP address ” – Typically, the device's IP address is "192.168.1. X" (or a similar string of numbers), while "X" is a device-specific number. Change the value of X to any number (between 1-100). Make sure that you are not using the same IP address as the IP address of other devices connected in the network (eg the IP address of the mobile phone).
- ” Subnet prefix length ” – This option depends on your IP address, but is usually set as "255.255.255. X".
- ” Gateway ” – This option is the router's IP address.
- ” Preferred DNS ” – The desired DNS address (for example, "208.67.222.222" for OpenDNS servers or "8.8.8.8" for Google servers).
- ” Alternate DNS ” – Secondary DNS address (for example, "208.67.220,220" for OpenDNS servers or "8.8.4.4" for Google servers).
Step 9. Click Save
Now, your network settings will be saved and applied.
Tips
- You can change the public IP address when you are logged out of the game service (eg Steam), while the private IP address is changed when you want to fix website loading errors.
- Using a proxy server will not change the IP address by default, but it can change the IP address that is visible to others.
- You can also use a browser like Tor to hide the IP address. However, such browsers can be dangerous and usually have slower performance than usual.
