How to Find Your Gateway Address on Any Device

Your gateway address is the IP address of the router or modem that connects your local network to the internet. Every device on your network routes outbound traffic through it — and knowing that address is essential for troubleshooting connection issues, configuring static IPs, setting up port forwarding, or accessing your router's admin panel.

Here's how to find it across every major platform.

What Is a Gateway Address, Exactly?

When your device sends data to a website or service, it doesn't go directly there. It first passes through your default gateway — typically your home router or a network gateway assigned by your ISP or IT department. That gateway then forwards the traffic to the wider internet.

The gateway address is an IPv4 address (most commonly in the format 192.168.1.1 or 192.168.0.1, though this varies by router brand and network configuration). On corporate or institutional networks, the gateway may follow a completely different numbering scheme.

Your device learns this address automatically via DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol) when it connects to a network. You're not usually required to know it — until you do.

How to Find Your Gateway Address on Windows 🖥️

Option 1: Command Prompt

1. Press Windows + R, type cmd, and hit Enter
2. Type ipconfig and press Enter
3. Look for the network adapter you're using (Wi-Fi or Ethernet)
4. Find the line labeled Default Gateway

The address listed there is your gateway.

Option 2: Network Settings (GUI)

1. Open Settings → Network & Internet
2. Click your active connection (Wi-Fi or Ethernet)
3. Scroll to Properties or click Hardware properties
4. Look for IPv4 DNS server and Default gateway in the listed details

Windows 10 and Windows 11 both surface this information, though the exact menu path differs slightly between versions.

How to Find Your Gateway Address on macOS

Option 1: Terminal

1. Open Terminal (via Spotlight or Applications → Utilities)
2. Type netstat -nr | grep default and press Enter
3. The IP address next to "default" in the output is your gateway

Option 2: System Settings

1. Go to System Settings → Network (or System Preferences → Network on older macOS versions)
2. Select your active connection
3. Click Details (or Advanced on older versions) → TCP/IP tab
4. Your Router address is your gateway

How to Find Your Gateway Address on Linux

Open a terminal and run either:

ip route | grep default 

or

route -n 

The address shown next to default or in the Gateway column is what you're looking for. This works across most major distributions including Ubuntu, Debian, Fedora, and Arch-based systems.

How to Find Your Gateway Address on iPhone or iPad 📱

1. Open Settings → Wi-Fi
2. Tap the ⓘ icon next to your connected network
3. Scroll down to the IPv4 Address section
4. The Router field displays your gateway address

Note: iOS only shows this for Wi-Fi connections. If you're on cellular data, your gateway is managed by your mobile carrier and isn't directly accessible from device settings.

How to Find Your Gateway Address on Android

Android's interface varies by manufacturer, but the general path is:

1. Go to Settings → Network & Internet → Wi-Fi
2. Tap your connected network
3. Look for Advanced or tap a gear/pencil icon to expand details
4. Find the Gateway field

On some Android skins (Samsung One UI, for example), you may need to tap View more or switch from DHCP to Static temporarily just to see the populated fields — though you don't need to save any changes.

How to Find It Directly From Your Router

If you can't access device settings or want to confirm the gateway address independently, you can often find it printed on your router itself — on a label on the bottom or back. Common default gateway addresses by brand:

These are defaults — if your router has been reconfigured, the actual address may differ. The device-level methods above will always return the current, accurate address.

Why the Same Method Might Give Different Results

Several variables affect what gateway address you see and what it means:

• Network type — home networks, corporate VPNs, public Wi-Fi, and mobile hotspots each assign gateways differently
• Multiple adapters — if your device has both Wi-Fi and a wired Ethernet connection active, each may show a different gateway
• VPN software — an active VPN often replaces your default gateway with one from the VPN provider's network, which is expected behavior
• IPv6 — some networks run dual-stack configurations, showing both an IPv4 and IPv6 gateway; which one matters depends on what you're trying to do

What you find on a home network will likely be a simple router address. What you find on a work laptop connected to a corporate network — or through a managed VPN — may look quite different and behave differently in terms of what you can actually access or configure.

Understanding which network you're on, and what level of access you have to that network's gateway, shapes what you can actually do with that address once you have it.