IPCONFIG
Displays all current TCP/IP network configuration values and
refreshes Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) and Domain
Name System (DNS) settings. Used without parameters, ipconfig
displays IPv6 addresses or the IPv4 address, subnet mask, and
default gateway for all adapters.
Syntax
ipconfig [/all] [/renew[Adapter]] [/release
[Adapter]] [/flushdns] [/displaydns] [/registerdns]
[/showclassidAdapter] [/setclassidAdapter
[ClassID]]
Parameters
/all
Displays the full TCP/IP configuration for all
adapters. Without this parameter, ipconfig
displays only IPv6 addresses or the IPv4 address,
subnet mask, and default gateway values for each
adapter. Adapters can represent physical interfaces,
such as installed network adapters, or logical
interfaces, such as dial-up connections.
/renew[ Adapter]
Renews DHCP configuration for all adapters (if an
adapter is not specified) or for a specific adapter
if the Adapter parameter is included. This
parameter is available only on computers with
adapters that are configured to obtain an IP address
automatically. To specify an adapter name, type the
adapter name that appears when you use ipconfig
without parameters.
/release[ Adapter]
Sends a DHCPRELEASE message to the DHCP server to
release the current DHCP configuration and discard
the IP address configuration for either all adapters
(if an adapter is not specified) or for a specific
adapter if the Adapter parameter is included.
This parameter disables TCP/IP for adapters
configured to obtain an IP address automatically. To
specify an adapter name, type the adapter name that
appears when you use ipconfig without
parameters.
/flushdns
Flushes and resets the contents of the DNS client
resolver cache. During DNS troubleshooting, you can
use this procedure to discard negative cache entries
from the cache, as well as any other entries that
have been added dynamically.
/displaydns
Displays the contents of the DNS client resolver
cache, which includes both entries preloaded from
the local Hosts file and any recently obtained
resource records for name queries resolved by the
computer. The DNS Client service uses this
information to resolve frequently queried names
quickly, before querying its configured DNS servers.
/registerdns
Initiates manual dynamic registration for the DNS
names and IP addresses that are configured at a
computer. You can use this parameter to troubleshoot
a failed DNS name registration or resolve a dynamic
update problem between a client and the DNS server
without rebooting the client computer. The DNS
settings in the advanced properties of the TCP/IP
protocol determine which names are registered in
DNS.
/showclassidAdapter
Displays the DHCP class ID for a specified adapter.
To see the DHCP class ID for all adapters, use the
asterisk (*) wildcard character in place of
Adapter. This parameter is available only on
computers with adapters that are configured to
obtain an IP address automatically.
/setclassidAdapter[ ClassID]
Configures the DHCP class ID for a specified
adapter. To set the DHCP class ID for all adapters,
use the asterisk (*) wildcard character in
place of Adapter. This parameter is available
only on computers with adapters that are configured
to obtain an IP address automatically. If a DHCP
class ID is not specified, the current class ID is
removed.
/?
Displays help at the command prompt.
Remarks
- The ipconfig command is the command-line equivalent to the winipcfg command, which is available in Windows Millinnium Edition, Windows 98, and Windows 95. Although Windows XP and the Windows Server 2003 family do not include a graphical equivalent to the winipcfg command, you can use Network Connections to view and renew an IP address. To do this, open Network Connections, Right-click a network connection, click Status, and then click the Support tab.
- This command is most useful on computers that are configured to obtain an IP address automatically. This enables users to determine which TCP/IP configuration values have been configured by DHCP, Automatic Private IP Addressing (APIPA), or an alternate configuration.
- If the Adapter name contains any spaces, use quotation marks around the adapter name (that is, "Adapter Name").
- For adapter names, ipconfig supports the use of the asterisk (*) wildcard character to specify either adapters with names that begin with a specified string or adapters with names that contain a specified string. For example, Local* matches all adapters that start with the string Local and *Con* matches all adapters that contain the string Con.
- This command is available only if the Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) protocol is installed as a component in the properties of a network adapter in Network Connections.
Examples
To display the basic TCP/IP configuration for all adapters,
type:
ipconfig
To display the full TCP/IP configuration for all adapters, type:
ipconfig /all
To renew a DHCP-assigned IP address configuration for only the Local Area Connection adapter, type:
ipconfig /renew "Local Area Connection"
To flush the DNS resolver cache when troubleshooting DNS name resolution problems, type:
ipconfig /flushdns
To display the DHCP class ID for all adapters with names that start with Local, type:
ipconfig /showclassid Local*
To set the DHCP class ID for the Local Area Connection adapter to TEST, type:
ipconfig /setclassid "Local Area Connection" TEST
Formatting legend
| Format | Meaning |
| Italic | Information that the user must supply |
| Bold | Elements that the user must type exactly as shown |
| Ellipsis (...) | Parameter that can be repeated several times in a command line |
| Between brackets ([]) | Optional items |
| Between braces ({}); choices separated by pipe (|). Example: {even|odd} | Set of choices from which the user must choose only one |
| Courier font | Code or program output |