How to Change Your IP Address on Windows (Local & Public)

Every time your Windows PC goes online, it uses two different kinds of IP addresses: a public IP that websites and services can see, and a local IP used inside your home or office network. Sometimes you might want to change one or both for example, to fix network problems, get a new IP from your internet provider, or appear to be browsing from another region. In this guide, you’ll learn how to find your current IP addresses and change them safely on Windows 10 and Windows 11.

Public vs local IP address – what’s the difference?

Before you change anything, let’s first understand the basics of IP addresses on your Windows PC.

Wikipedia describes an IP address (Internet Protocol address) as a unique set of numbers that identifies your device on a network, like a phone number or home address for your PC. Your computer actually uses two kinds of IP addresses:

Public IP address
This is the address assigned to you by your internet service provider (ISP). It’s how websites, apps, and online services see you on the internet. When you search “what is my IP address” on Google, this is the IP you’ll see, along with a rough location and your ISP name.

Knowing your public IP is useful when troubleshooting connection issues, setting up remote access, or checking which country websites think you’re in.

Local IP address (private IP)
This is the address your device uses inside your home or office network. Your router gives each device (PC, phone, printer, etc.) its own local IP, usually something like 192.168.0.10 or 192.168.1.50. This IP is not directly visible to websites; it’s used only within your local network. You can check it using the ipconfig /all command.

Your local IP matters when you share files on your network, use remote desktop, or configure port forwarding.

In this article, we’ll cover both: how to find and change your public IP and how to find and change your local IP on Windows.

How to find your IP address on Windows 11 and 10

You can quickly check both your public and local IP addresses.

How to find your public IP address (quick method)

The easiest way to see your public IP is through your browser:

1. Open Microsoft Edge, Chrome, or any browser.
2. Go to Google and type: what is my IP address.
3. Google (or any “what is my IP” website) will show:
   • Your public IP address.
   • Your approximate location (city/region).
   • Your internet provider (ISP) name.

This is the IP that websites and online services see when you connect.

How to find your local IP address on Windows

To see the local IP address assigned to your Windows PC on your home or office network:

1. Press Windows key + S, type cmd.
2. Right‑click Command Prompt and select Run as administrator.
3. In the Command Prompt window, type: ipconfig and press Enter.
4. Look for your active network adapter (for example, “Wi‑Fi” or “Ethernet adapter”).
5. Under that adapter, find the line called IPv4 Address.

The value next to IPv4 Address is your local IP address on your current network.

On a Mac, you can see your local IP under System Settings/Preferences > Network > [Your connection] > Details/Advanced, but this article focuses on Windows.

If you don’t see any IPv4 address under your active adapter, your PC might not be connected properly to the network check your Ethernet cable or Wi‑Fi connection first.

How to change your public IP address

Your public IP is controlled by your ISP, but there are a few practical ways to change it.

Simple ways to get a new public IP from your ISP

These methods don’t require extra software — they just ask your ISP to give you a different IP.

Method 1: Restart your router/modem

1. Turn off your router/modem.
2. Wait 30–60 seconds.
3. Turn it back on and wait for it to reconnect.
4. Visit “what is my IP address” again and check if the IP has changed.

Many ISPs use dynamic IP addresses, so restarting the router can assign you a new one.

Note: Some providers still give you the same IP even after a restart, so this method doesn’t guarantee a new public IP in every case.

Method 2: Switch to another network or mobile hotspot

If you connect your PC to a different network, you will have a different public IP:

• Use your phone’s mobile hotspot and connect your PC to it.
• Connect to another trusted Wi‑Fi network (office, second router, etc.).

Each network has its own external IP from its ISP, so your public IP will change accordingly.

Change your public IP with a VPN

Another effective way to change your public IP (and appear to be browsing from another region) is to use a VPN (Virtual Private Network).

A VPN routes your internet traffic through a remote server, so:

• Websites and online services see the VPN server’s IP address, not your real one.
• You can choose which country or city your IP appears to come from.

Basic steps (the process is similar to most VPN apps):

1. Choose and install a VPN app on your Windows PC.
2. Open the app and sign in.
3. Pick a server location (e.g., US, UK, or another country/region).
4. Click Connect.
5. Visit “what is my IP address” again — you should now see a different IP, matching the VPN server’s location.

If you’re mainly interested in privacy, anonymity, and bypassing geo‑blocks, we explain VPNs, proxies, Tor, and Smart DNS in much more detail here: How to Hide Your IP Address in 2026.

Using a proxy to change your IP in the browser (optional)

A web proxy sits between your browser and the websites you visit:

• You open the proxy website, enter the URL you want to visit, and the proxy forwards the request.
• The destination website sees the proxy server’s IP, not your real one.

This can be useful for quick tests, but:

• Free web proxies are often slow or unstable.
• They usually only affect the browser traffic, not your entire PC.
• They are not ideal for streaming or large downloads.

For most users who want a consistent way to change public IP and location, a VPN is the better long‑term option.

How to change your local IP address in Windows

Your local IP address is what your router uses to identify your PC on your home or office network. You can let Windows/your router assign a new one automatically or set it manually.

Let Windows/router assign a new local IP (DHCP)

Most routers use DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol) to automatically assign local IP addresses to devices.

Method 1: Restart your PC and router

1. Restart your Windows PC.
2. Restart your router.
3. When everything comes back online, run ipconfig again in Command Prompt.
4. Check if the IPv4 Address has changed.

Method 2: Use ipconfig /release and /renew

You can explicitly ask Windows to drop its current local IP and request a new one.

1. Press Windows key + S, type cmd.
2. Right‑click Command Prompt and choose Run as administrator.
3. Type the following commands one by one and press Enter after each: ipconfig /release then ipconfig /renew
4. Once the command completes, type: ipconfig and press Enter to confirm your new IPv4 Address.

If your router has available addresses in its DHCP range, your PC should receive a new local IP.

This normally changes only your local IP address inside your network. Your public IP, assigned to the router by your ISP, will usually remain the same unless the router or the connection is restarted, or you use a VPN.

Manually change your local IP address via Control Panel

You can also manually assign a different local IP address to your Windows PC.

Note: Make sure the IP address you choose is on the same subnet as your router and not already in use by another device to avoid IP conflicts.

Follow these steps:

1. Press Windows key + R, type ncpa.cpl and click OK to open the Network Connections window.
2. Find your active network adapter (for example, Wi‑Fi or Ethernet).
3. Right‑click the adapter and select Properties.
4. Scroll and double‑click Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4).
5. Here you have two options:
   • Obtain an IP address automatically
     Windows will get an IP from your router (DHCP). Use this if you don’t need a fixed address.
   • Use the following IP address
     Enter the details for your new local IP manually:
     • IP address (for example, 192.168.1.50)
     • Subnet mask (typically 255.255.255.0 on home networks)
     • Default gateway (your router’s IP, often 192.168.1.1 or 192.168.0.1)
     • Preferred DNS server (you can use your router IP or public DNS like 8.8.8.8)
6. Click OK, then Close, and restart your connection if needed.

When should you use each method?

Here’s a quick summary of when each approach makes sense:

• Restart router / reconnect to network: Use this when you just want a different public IP from your ISP and don’t need to appear in another country.
• VPN (Virtual Private Network): Use this when you want a different public IP address in another region, or when you want to hide your real IP address from websites and your ISP. It’s the most flexible option for changing your visible IP and location.
• Change local IP (DHCP or manual): Use this when you have IP Address conflicts or network issues on your LAN, or when you need your PC to have a specific address on your home/office network.
• Static IP address
  Use a static IP when you want your Windows PC to always have the same local IP for things like file sharing, port forwarding (games, servers), or remote desktop.
  For that, see: How to Set a Static IP Address in Windows 11 and 10

Is changing or hiding your IP address legal?

Changing or hiding your IP address is generally legal. Using proxies, VPN services, public Wi‑Fi, and even Tor is legal in most countries.

What matters is what you do after changing your IP:

• Activities that are illegal without a VPN are still illegal with one.
• This article is for educational purposes only always follow local laws and the terms of the services you use.

With the methods above, you can safely find and change your IP address on Windows, whether to resolve network issues, get a new IP from your ISP, or use a VPN when you need a different public IP and location.

Frequently Asked Questions

Robeg

I am Robeg founder of this blog. My qualification. completed Bachelor of Arts (BA) and Microsoft Certified Professional (MCP). With a strong background in computer applications love write articles on Microsoft Windows (11, 10, etc.) Cybersecurity, WordPress and more.

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