How to Change Your IP Address on a Computer or Phone

May 2024 · 5 minute read

Your computer, like every device that connects to the internet, has an IP (Internet Protocol) address. It's a series of numbers interspersed with decimal points (for example, "198.169.0.101"), and acts like a home address that identifies where other devices can find your computer. 

It's rare that you need to know your computer's IP address, but should you need it, it's easy to find (for details, see our articles on how to find the IP address for Windows or the IP address on a Mac).

Here's everything to know about changing both your local and public IP addresses.

Why change your IP address?

Most people will rarely ever need to change their IP address. It's a mundane part of your computer's setup, and websites request and see it dozens (if not hundreds) of times each day.

Even so, there might be reasons to occasionally change your public or local IP address. The most common include:

Your IP address is determined by your location and ISP. CASEZY/Getty Images

Should I change my public or local IP address?

This is probably the most important question you'll want to answer before changing your IP. Luckily, it's pretty easy to answer.

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How to change your public IP address

No matter what kind of computer you have — Windows or Mac — it's pretty easy to change your public IP address.

Your public IP address is usually set by your internet service provider (ISP), and you can't choose it yourself. However, you can "coax" it to change in any of several different ways:

If all else fails, contact your ISP and ask them to change your IP address. They might not be able to do it, but there's no harm in asking.

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How to change your local IP address in Windows

1. Click the Start button and then click "Settings."

2. Click "Network & Internet."

You can change your local IP address in Settings. Dave Johnson/Insider

3. In the navigation pane on the left, click "Wi-Fi" and then click the name of your Wi-Fi network. If you're connected with an Ethernet cable, select "Ethernet."

Select your network to change the IP address. Dave Johnson/Insider

4. On the details page for your Wi-Fi network, scroll down to the IP settings section and click "Edit." With Ethernet, click "Properties."

5. Finally, in the Edit IP settings dialog box, click "Automatic (DHCP)" and choose "Manual." Then turn on IPv4 by swiping the button to the right and enter the details of the new IP address. Click "Save."

Change the IP setting from automatic to manual. Dave Johnson/Insider

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How to change your local IP address on a Mac

1. In the Apple menu, click "System Preferences."

2. Click "Network."

Open the network settings in System Preferences. Dave Johnson/Insider

3. In the pane on the left, select the network you're connected to, and then click "Advanced" at the bottom right of the window. 

After selecting your network, go to the Advanced settings. Dave Johnson/Insider

4. Click the "TCP/IP" tab at the top. 

5. In the Configure using IPv4 section, click "Using DHCP" and then choose "Manually."

You need to switch from DHCP (which is the automatic mode) to select the IP address manually. Dave Johnson/Insider

6. Finally, enter the details of the new IP address. Click "OK."

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How to change the local IP address on a mobile device

Like any internet-connected device, your phone has its own IP address. If you have a compelling reason to, you can change your IP address for your phone as well.

For both iPhone and Android, you can customize the IP address from the Wi-Fi settings page. For step-by-step details on how to do this, see our articles "How to change the IP address on your iPhone" and "How to change the IP address on an Android phone."

Your phone's internet works just the same as your laptop's. Kittichai Boonpong;EyeEm/Getty Images

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