Windows Command Prompt, also known as CMD, is a versatile and powerful tool that can be used to configure and manage network settings. Among its many features is the ability to set IP addresses and DNS settings for your network interfaces using the “netsh” command. In this article, we’ll explore how to use the “netsh interface ip set address” and “netsh interface ip set dns” commands in CMD or PowerShell to configure your network settings in Windows 11 or 10.
Also see: How to Check IP Address in Windows 11
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Introduction to “Netsh Interface IP” command
Netsh, short for “network shell,” is a command-line utility available in Windows operating systems that allows you to configure and manage network settings. It provides a convenient way to interact with Windows networking components, including IP addresses and DNS settings. The netsh interface ip command can be used to manage IP addresses, while netsh interface ip set dns is used for DNS configuration.
Related concern: What is Netsh.exe & its Popup and Crashing issues in Windows 11
Advantages of using command line
While graphical user interfaces are more user-friendly and can be accessed by clicking through the network adapter’s properties, using the command line to configure IP addresses and DNS settings offers several advantages:
- Speed: Command-line operations are generally faster and more efficient than GUI operations, allowing you to make changes quickly without navigating through multiple windows and dialog boxes.
- Automation: CMD commands can be scripted, making it easier to automate network configuration tasks and apply settings to multiple computers simultaneously.
- Remote management: Using command-line tools enables you to remotely manage network settings on other machines within the network.
- Troubleshooting: The command line provides more detailed output, which can be helpful in diagnosing and resolving network issues.
Pro tip: How to Find The IP Address of a Website in Windows 10 / 11
Setting a Static IP Address using “Netsh interface ip”
Configuring a static IP address can be useful when you need to assign a specific IP address to a device or when setting up a server. Here’s how to set a static IP address using CMD:
Step 1: Open Command Prompt as an administrator
Press Win key to open the Start menu and type cmd or Command Prompt in the search box. Right-click on the Command Prompt result and select Run as administrator from the context menu. You can also use Windows PowerShell to run Netsh commands.
Step 2: View the list of network interfaces
Run the following command to display the network interfaces on your computer:
netsh interface ipv4 show interfaces
Identify the network interface you want to configure (e.g., Local Area Connection, Wi-Fi) and note its index number.
Step 3: Set the static IP address, subnet mask, and gateway
Use the following command template, replacing <index>, <ip_address>, <subnet_mask>, and <gateway> with the appropriate values:
netsh interface ipv4 set address name=<index> source=static address=<ip_address> mask=<subnet_mask> gateway=<gateway>
For example, to set the IP address to 192.168.1.10, subnet mask to 255.255.255.0, and gateway to 192.168.1.1 for the interface with index number 3, use the command:
netsh interface ipv4 set address name=3 source=static address=192.168.1.10 mask=255.255.255.0 gateway=192.168.1.1
Step 4: Verify the changes
To verify that the static IP address has been successfully applied, run the ipconfig command:
ipconfig
Check the output to confirm that the IP address, subnet mask, and gateway match the values you provided.
Related issue: Windows 11 Ethernet “Unidentified Network” (How to Fix)
Setting a Dynamic IP Address
Dynamic IP addresses are assigned by a DHCP server and can change over time. This configuration is suitable for most home and office networks. Here’s how to configure a network interface to use DHCP:
Step 1: Open Command Prompt as an administrator
Follow the same procedure as mentioned earlier.
Step 2: View the list of network interfaces
Run the netsh interface ipv4 show interfaces command to display the network interfaces and note the index number of the interface you want to configure.
Step 3: Set the network interface to use DHCP
Use the following command template, replacing <index> with the appropriate value:
netsh interface ipv4 set address name=<index> source=dhcp
For example, to set the interface with index number 3 to use DHCP, use the command:
netsh interface ipv4 set address name=3 source=dhcp
Step 4: Verify the changes
Run the ipconfig command and check the output to ensure that the network interface is now configured to obtain an IP address automatically.
Additional resource: Find MAC Address on Windows 11/10 with or without CMD
Configuring DNS Settings using Netsh
DNS settings determine how your computer translates domain names into IP addresses. Here’s how to configure DNS settings for a network interface using CMD:
See also: Change DNS to Google or Cloudflare in Windows 11/10
Step 1: Open Command Prompt as an administrator
Follow the same procedure as mentioned earlier.
Step 2: View the list of network interfaces
Run the netsh interface ipv4 show interfaces command to display the network interfaces and note the index number of the interface you want to configure.
Step 3: Set the primary DNS server
Use the following command template, replacing <index> and <primary_dns> with the appropriate values:
netsh interface ipv4 set dns name=<index> static <primary_dns> primary
For example, to set the primary DNS server to 8.8.8.8 for the interface with index number 3, use the command:
netsh interface ipv4 set dns name=3 static 8.8.8.8 primary
Step 4: Set a secondary DNS server (optional)
To set a secondary DNS server, use the following command template, replacing <index> and <secondary_dns> with the appropriate values:
netsh interface ipv4 add dns name=<index> addr=<secondary_dns> index=2
For example, to set the secondary DNS server to 8.8.4.4 for the interface with index number 3, use the command:
netsh interface ipv4 add dns name=3 addr=8.8.4.4 index=2
Step 5: Verify the changes
Run the ipconfig /all command and check the output to ensure that the DNS servers are set correctly for the specified network interface.
Resetting DNS Settings to Default
To restore the default DNS settings, which allows your computer to obtain DNS server addresses automatically, follow these steps:
Step 1: Open Command Prompt as an administrator
Follow the same procedure as mentioned earlier.
Step 2: View the list of network interfaces
Run the netsh interface ipv4 show interfaces command to display the network interfaces and note the index number of the interface you want to reset.
Step 3: Reset the DNS settings
Use the following command template, replacing <index> with the appropriate value:
netsh interface ipv4 set dns name=<index> source=dhcp
For example, to reset the DNS settings for the interface with index number 3, use the command:
netsh interface ipv4 set dns name=3 source=dhcp
Step 4: Verify the changes
Run the ipconfig /all command and check the output to ensure that the network interface is now configured to obtain DNS server addresses automatically.
Summary
In this article, we’ve covered how to use the “netsh interface ip set address” and “netsh interface ip set dns” commands in Command Prompt to change the IP addresses and DNS settings for your network interfaces in Windows 11/10. With these commands, you can easily manage your network settings and troubleshoot connectivity issues, while taking advantage of the speed, automation, and remote management capabilities offered by the command line.
