How to Change Your IP Address on a Computer (Windows & Mac)

Your IP address is how the internet knows where to send data — it's your computer's digital mailing address. Whether you're troubleshooting a network conflict, working around a geo-restriction, or just curious about how it works, changing your IP address is more straightforward than most people expect. The method you use, however, depends heavily on which type of IP address you're dealing with and why you want to change it.

Two Very Different IP Addresses: Public vs. Private

Before touching any settings, it helps to understand what you're actually changing.

Your public IP address is assigned by your Internet Service Provider (ISP). It's what websites, apps, and external servers see when you connect to the internet. You don't control this directly from your computer — it lives at the router/ISP level.

Your private (local) IP address is assigned by your router to your device within your home or office network. This is the address that shows up in your network settings — something like 192.168.1.x or 10.0.0.x. This one is directly configurable from your computer.

Most people searching this question want to change one or the other — and the steps are completely different.

How to Change Your Private IP Address

On Windows

Windows lets you manually set a static IP address or release and renew a dynamic IP address assigned by DHCP (your router automatically handing out addresses).

Option 1 — Release and Renew via Command Prompt:

1. Open Command Prompt as Administrator
2. Type ipconfig /release and press Enter
3. Then type ipconfig /renew and press Enter

This asks your router to assign a new dynamic IP. You may or may not get a different address depending on your router's lease settings.

Option 2 — Set a Static IP Manually:

1. Go to Settings → Network & Internet → Ethernet (or Wi-Fi)
2. Click your connection → Edit under IP settings
3. Switch from Automatic (DHCP) to Manual
4. Enter your chosen IP address, subnet mask, and gateway

If you're setting a static IP, make sure the address you choose is outside your router's DHCP range to avoid conflicts. Your router's admin panel (usually accessed at 192.168.1.1 or 192.168.0.1) will show you what range it's handing out automatically.

On macOS

1. Open System Settings → Network
2. Select your active connection (Wi-Fi or Ethernet)
3. Click Details → navigate to the TCP/IP tab
4. Change Configure IPv4 from Using DHCP to Manually
5. Enter your preferred IP address, subnet mask, and router address

To simply renew your DHCP lease without going manual, click Renew DHCP Lease on the same screen.

How to Change Your Public IP Address 🌐

This is the address websites see — and changing it requires a different approach entirely.

Method 1 — Restart your router: Many ISPs assign dynamic public IPs that change when your router reconnects. Unplugging your router for several minutes (sometimes up to an hour) may result in a new public IP on reconnect. This isn't guaranteed — some ISPs hold the same IP for extended periods, and others assign static public IPs by default.

Method 2 — Use a VPN (Virtual Private Network): A VPN routes your traffic through a server in another location, masking your real public IP with the VPN server's address. This is the most reliable way to change what websites see. VPN services vary significantly in speed, privacy policy, server locations, and cost — factors that matter a lot depending on your intended use.

Method 3 — Use a proxy server: Similar concept to a VPN but typically limited to browser traffic and without the same encryption layer. Proxies are lighter-weight but offer less comprehensive coverage.

Method 4 — Contact your ISP: If you need a genuinely different static public IP — for hosting a server, for instance — your ISP can sometimes provide one, often for a fee.

Key Variables That Affect Your Approach

What Could Go Wrong

Setting a private IP manually without checking your router's DHCP range can create IP conflicts — two devices claiming the same address, which knocks one or both offline. If you go static, document the settings you used and keep them consistent.

On the public IP side, some services flag frequent IP changes as suspicious activity (streaming platforms, banking apps). 🔒 Using a VPN for those services may trigger additional verification steps.

IPv4 vs. IPv6: A Quick Note

Most home networks still route traffic over IPv4 (the 192.168.x.x style addresses above), but IPv6 adoption is growing. IPv6 addresses look different — much longer, using hexadecimal notation — and are configured separately. If your ISP or router assigns IPv6 addresses, you may need to adjust those settings independently to fully control your network identity.

The right method ultimately comes down to which IP you're targeting, why you need it changed, and how your specific network and ISP are configured — details that vary considerably from one setup to the next.