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Release and Renew an IPv4 Address in Windows

Last modified 9/20/2023

This article describes how to release and renew your IPv4 address in Windows using ipconfig.

Determine Your IPv4 Address

To determine your computer's IPv4 address, do the following:

  1. In the Windows Search Bar, type 'cmd' in the search field and then click Command Prompt.
    1a. Make sure you are using the Search Field from your Desktop and NOT a Google internet search engine Windows Search field
  2. Type ipconfig and press Enter.
  3. Locate the line labeled Ethernet adapter Local Area Connection. Or, if you want to release/renew the IPv4 address for another adapter (like a wireless adapter), look for that instead.
  4. Locate the line labeled IPv4 Address below Ethernet adapter Local Area Connection:.

Determine your IPv4 address and refer to the information below.

  • 10. (example: 10.1.1.2) — An IPv4 address that begins with 10. has full access to the campus network and the Internet.
  • 138.87. (example: 138.87.246.1) — An IPv4 address that begins with 138.87. has full access to the campus network and the Internet.
  • 172. (example: 172.254.1.2) — An IPv4 address that begins with 172. has restricted access to the campus network and cannot access the Internet.
  • 192.168. (example: 192.168.1.2) — An IPv4 address that begins with 192.168. is typically assigned by a personal router. Depending on your home or private network, you may or may not have access to the Internet.
  • 169.254. (example: 169.254.1.2) — If you have a 169.254. IPv4 address, it means your computer is unable to obtain a valid IPv4 address from the network. You may attempt to obtain a valid IPv4 address by releasing and renewing.
  • 0.0.0.0 — If your IPv4 address is 0.0.0.0, it means your computer currently has no IP address. You may attempt to obtain a valid IPv4 address by renewing.
  • Other (example: any other IPv4 address) — If you have another IPv4 address listed, it may be one you obtained from your Internet Service Provider (ISP). Or, it might be a static IPv4 address configured in your computer's network settings.

Release and Renew Your IPv4 Address

To release and renew your IPv4 address, do the following:

  1. Using Windows 8 or Windows 10, type cmd into the Search Field and then click on or choose to Open the Command Prompt.
  2. A command prompt window will appear.
  3. In the command prompt window, type ipconfig /release and press Enter (make sure there is a space between ipconfig and the forward slash / ).
  4. The IPv4 configuration information will refresh. You should see your IPv4 address change to "0.0.0.0".
  5. Type ipconfig /renew and press Enter (make sure there is a space between ipconfig and the forward slash / )
  6. Your computer will attempt to obtain a new IPv4 address from the network. This may take a few minutes.
  7. If this process is successful, you will see a new IPv4 address listed when the IPv4 configuration information refreshes.

There are a few reasons why your computer might fail to obtain a new IPv4 address.

  • Your computer may not be configured for DHCP.
  • There may be a physical problem (i.e. bad network port, bad ethernet cable, etc.).
  • Your network card may not be properly installed.
  • There may be a problem with the DHCP server.

How to Get Help


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