How to Find your IP Address on Windows 11

It is often necessary to know the IP address of a computer that you are working on. For instance, if you are configuring a port forward or DHCP reservation pointing at a computer, then you must first figure out the IP address that the port forward or DHCP reservation will point at.

Windows 11 includes many user interface improvements, and one of them is showing your current IP address.

There are a few different ways to find your IP address in Windows 11. We'll discuss the two easiest methods:

• Using the new Windows 11 Control Panel
• Using the command prompt

While many people prefer a graphical user experience, or GUI, it is sometimes easier to get the same job done using the trusty command line interface, or CLI.

The CLI, or command prompt is the best way to find your IP address in Windows 11. Even though there is a GUI method, there are a few things that only the CLI shows.

The command prompt or CLI is the recommended way of determining your current IP address and default gateway, because the other method does not show your current subnet mask.

To fire up a command prompt, start by clicking the Windows button, or pressing the WinKey on your keyboard.

Once the start menu pops, begin typing the phrase 'cmd'. As soon as you see the Command Prompt entry press the Enter key.

'cmd' is short for "Command Prompt". If you do it right, you should see a black and white window pop up.

Now run the command 'ipconfig' and press enter.

You can now see your IPv4 Address, Subnet Mask, and Default Gateway.

Sometimes you need more information than ipconfig provides. If this is the case then you can use the all command line switch to show more information.

In the same command prompt from above, run the command ipconfig /all to see all adapter information.

As you can see, there can be a lot of information listed. One of the important things that is listed with the all switch is the Physical Address. This is the network cards MAC Address and is frequently used as the target in a DHCP reservation.

Windows 11 has a new control panel experience that can show you your computer's IP address. This method is a great way to find your IP address and gateway, but it does not show your subnet mask, which you need for many networking tasks.

If you need your subnet mask then use the command prompt method above.

Start by clicking the Windows start button, or simply press the WinKey on your keyboard. The start menu should pop up. Then type in the word 'settings'. As soon as you see the 'Settings' app show up you can press the Enter key to load it.

Once you are in the Settings app, look for Network & Internet on the left. Choose that tab.

On the Network & Internet page, find the entry near the bottom called Advanced network settings and click it.

In the Advanced network settings page click Hardware and connection properties.

You should see a long list of information about your network connection, including IPv4 address and IPv4 default gateway.

When you connect a computer to your network, it automatically gets an IP address through your router's built in DHCP Service. This enables your computer to work with zero configuration on your network. For many users this is all that they need to set up.

If you want to do any advanced networking configuration, such as port forwarding, then you need to know what IP address was assigned to your computer.

Now that you have your Windows 11 IP address you can also setup a static IP address or create a DHCP reservation in your router.