Guide to release and renew the IP address on Windows PC, Mac, Android and iPhone
A solution to always try, which often works and allows you to reconnect your PC to the internet correctly when there is a network error (often highlighted by an exclamation mark on the network icon on the Windows desktop) it is that of renewing the IP address. It may be, in fact, that the computer or smartphone (on smartphones this is a problem that occurs very rarely) has an incorrect IP configuration and that the address assigned automatically is not valid to connect to the internet or LAN.
What does it mean to release and renew your IP address?
When the home router connects to the Internet, the Internet service provider (for example Fastweb) assigns an IP address to the router. This is the only home (or office) device that receives an IP address directly from the network provider. This IP address is the public IP address. The router then assigns IP addresses to the devices connected in the home network, creating its own subnet. Usually, the IPs assigned by the router follow a standard convention and use a type of IP that is always the same 192.168.0.X. The X is randomly assigned, from 1 for the router itself, up to 255. Each device, computer, and the smartphone has the ability to release an IP address within the range configured by the router.
With the procedure for releasing and renewing an IP address, the previous assignment is reset on the PC or smartphone to make a new one. in fact, you change IP on the device.
This IP renewal can be done if reconfiguring a router interrupts the Internet connection of some connected devices or to solve generic Internet connection problems on any computer.
If a website or forum has blocked the router’s Internet IP address, renewing the router’s IP address will circumvent that block.
IP renewal on the router
Renewing the IP of the router can be done if it is not static (this depends on the provider, but usually it is not) and if the provider allows it. Also keep in mind that when you renew and change IP on the router, all devices are disconnected from the network.
To renew and release the router IP it is necessary to access the router management console via a web browser. Enter the IP of the router on the address bar (for example 192.168.1.1), press Enter and then type the administrator name and password. If you do not know the password, consult the router manual or try with the default login and password for the router brand.
Even if each router has its own menu system, in all of them there should be a section on the status of the internet connection (or a WAN or Internet menu) with buttons to release and renew the IP.
If renewing the router’s IP address doesn’t work, you could try resetting the router. First, however, it is better to search the Internet for information on the feasibility of this operation for your connection and for the router used.
Release and renew the IP address on Windows
Whichever version of Windows you use (Windows 10, Windows 7 or 8), the process for releasing or renewing an IP address (changing the internal IP is always possible) is always the same:
- Start the command prompt (search for command prompt from the Start menu, right-click on it and run it as administrator).
- At the command prompt, type ipconfig / release
- After running the release command, type and run the command ipconfig / renew which is the command to reassign a new IP to the computer.
If there were problems with internet browsing, the computer should resume surfing the internet with the new IP address normally.
If the internet still doesn’t work, you may need to restart your computer or you may need to do a full network reset. In this regard, we have seen specific guides:
- How to use the ipconfig command to restore the internet
- Resolve invalid IP configuration over Wi-fi network
- If your PC is not connected to the internet, how to restore the network and web browsing
Release and renew the IP address on Mac
On macOS, you can change and renew the IP in the TCP / IP settings:
- Press the Apple button to open System Preferences.
- Open the Network section.
- Select the TCP / IP tab in the Network window.
- On the right side of the window, press button Renew DHCP Lease. This will release and renew the IP address on the Mac in one step.
Release and renew the IP address on a smartphone
First of all, in another article, we have seen how to reset the network on Android and iPhone. Below we see the procedure to release and renew the IP on these mobile phones.
To renew IP on Android
Getting a new IP address on an Android smartphone or tablet is not that simple. The way to do this is by forcing the phone to “forget” the current Wi-Fi network to which it is connected. Once done, the next time the phone connects to the wifi network, it will automatically receive a new IP address.
The procedure is as follows:
- Open Android settings.
- Tap on Connections.
- Tap on Wifi.
- Press the gear icon to the right of the Wi-Fi network with the status Connected.
- At the bottom of the screen, touch the icon forget. This will break the Wi-Fi connection with the router. When you reconnect to the wifi network, after re-entering your login credentials, Android will receive a new IP address.
To release and renew an IP address on an iPhone
The process of changing IP on the iPhone is very simple, just open Settings, go to the Wifi section and then touch the i icon on the right side of the network to which it is currently connected. You can then touch the key for renew the lease.
Conclusions
The topic Network is very complex and in this article we never referred to DHCP, the service responsible for automatically assigning an IP address to a computer. I, therefore, refer to another article for the Guide to DHCP and manual or automatic assignment of an IP address.
If you are curious about how IPs are assigned in our network, you can use a program to scan the network and find all connected computers