The ipconfig command is used to display TCP/IP information from all network adapters on your computer. The most common reason to use ipconfig is to find IP Address information on your Windows computer.
Ipconfig can also be used for basic network troubleshooting such as releasing and renewing DCHP and DNS settings.
In this guide, you will learn how to use the Windows ipconfig command and its most useful command options.
Ipconfig Syntax
You can view the full command syntax by typing ipconfig /? and pressing enter.
Here are the most popular ipconfig parameters.
/all: Display full configuration information.
/displaydns: Display the contents of the DNS Resolver Cache.
/flushdns: Flush the DNS resolver cashe.
/registerdns: Refreshes all DHCP leases and re-registers DNS names
/release: Release the IPv4 address for the specified adapter.
/renew: Renew the IPv4 address for the specified adapter.
How To Use ipconfig Command (Examples)
Ipconfig command is very easy to use. The command can be run from the windows command prompt or PowerShell. In the search box type “command prompt” and click on the command prompt app.
1. Use the ipconfig command to get basic TCP/IP configuration
The ipconfig with no parameters will get the basic TCP/IP configuration for all network adapters.
ipconfig
You can see above the command displays the IP Address, Subnet Mask, and Default gateway on my computer, It will display these details for all network adapters.
2. Use ipconfig /all to Display Full TCP/IP Configuration
To view all network adapter configuration details you need to use the /all option.
ipconfig /all
You can see above the /all option includes the following additional details.
- Physical Address
- DHCP Enabled
- Autoconfiguration Enabled
- Lease Obtained
- Lease Expired
- DHCP Server
- DNS Servers
- Primary Wins Server
- NetBIOS over Tcpip
When troubleshooting network problems these additional details are helpful.
3. Use ipconfig /displaydns to View the DNS Client Resolver Cache
When you connect to a website or your computer communicates with another device DNS is used to resolve the IP address to the hostname. These host names will get cached on your local computer. To view the local DNS cache use this command.
ipconfig /displaydns
4. Use ipconfig /flushdns Command to Clear the DNS Cache
There are times when the DNS cache will have an old entry. This can cause networking problems and you will need to remove the bad entry. This is done with the /flushdns parameter.
ipconfig /flushdns
5. Manually Register DNS Records With ipconfig /registerdns Command
Sometimes a client fails to register or update its DNS record. This command will initiate a dynamic DNS update between the client and DNS server.
ipconfig /registerdns6. Release DHCP Address With ipconfig /release
This command sends a DHCPRELEASE message to the DHCP server to release the current DHCP configuration. This will release the network adapter configuration if it is configured for DHCP.
ipconfig /release7. Renew DHCP configuration with ipconfig /renew
Renews DHCP configuration for all adapters
ipconfig /renewAs you can see the ipconfig command is very easy to use. This command can quickly get the IP address information from your computer and display additional TCP/IP details.