Buzz
Today, Mytour will show you how to change your public IP address on your computer by performing a power-cycle with your router. If you wish to change your private IP address (the one assigned to your computer when connected to a local network), you'll need to execute a Command Prompt command on Windows or access the network settings on a Mac computer.
Steps
Change Your Public IP Address
Find the current IP address of the device. To verify if the IP address has been successfully changed, you'll first need to know the current IP address of the device.
Turn off the device. This could be the computer, phone, or tablet that you want to change the IP address for.
Unplug the modem and router from the Internet and power source. This essentially resets the Wi-Fi connection.
- If the modem and router are integrated into one device, simply unplug all the cables from it.
Wait for 5 minutes. This is the ideal time for your Internet service provider to assign a new public IP address to you.
Plug the modem back in. The device will begin to light up. All lights on the modem should be on or blinking before you proceed.
Reconnect the router. After a few minutes, the lights on the router will start blinking and then stay steady.
Turn on the device. Once restarted, the device will connect to the Internet, though you may need to manually select and connect to a network.
Open the web browser. We will use a commonly used web browser to check the IP address.
Type "What is my IP address" into the browser. If the IP address shown is different from the previous one, you’ve succeeded.
- If the IP address hasn't changed, you may need to power off the router for a longer time. Try leaving the router off overnight and turning it on again the next morning.
Change Private IP Address on Windows
⊞ Win- On Windows 8, move the mouse pointer to the top right corner of the screen and click the magnifying glass icon.
Type "Command Prompt" in the Start menu search bar. The search results will appear in the Start window.
Click on Run as administrator (Launch as administrator). This option is located near the bottom of the dropdown menu.
Click on Yes when prompted to confirm you want to open the Command Prompt.
Type ipconfig and press ↵ Enter. This command will display your computer's current IP address information.
Check the current IP address. The IP address will appear on the right side of the "IPv4" value; this string of numbers corresponds to the current device on the local network.
Type the command ipconfig /release and press ↵ Enter. This will release the IP address.
Enter ipconfig /renew and hit ↵ Enter. This command will assign a new IP address to the device.
Observe the new IP address appearing next to the "IPv4" value. If the number is different from the previous one, it means you have successfully released and renewed the internal IP address of the device.
- This process only works if the computer is connected to the network via Ethernet to other devices. You will not be able to change the public IP address using this method.
Change the private IP address on a Mac
Click on System Preferences (System Settings). This option is located in the Apple dropdown menu.
Click on Network (Network). The Network window will open.
Select the active connection in the left pane of the Network window.
Click on Advanced (Advanced). This option is located at the bottom right corner of the window.
Click on the TCP/IP tab near the top of the Advanced window.
Look at the "IPv4 Address" value. This is the current IP address of the Mac computer.
Click on Renew DHCP Lease (Renew DHCP Lease). This option is located to the right of the IP address area. The current IP address of the device will be refreshed.
Check the new IP address located next to the "IPv4" value. If this number differs from the previous one, it means you have successfully released and renewed the internal IP address of the device.
- This process works only if the computer is connected to other devices via Ethernet. You will not be able to change the public IP address using this method.
Advice
- If you're still unable to change the IP address as desired, consider using a Virtual Private Network (VPN).
Warning
- Changing your IP address to access restricted content may violate laws in certain countries.
