How to Release and Renew an IP Address

Whenever you have problems with the internet, there can be a variety of reasons. However, sometimes the fix is ??simply releasing and updating your IP address.

What does it mean to release and renew your IP address? This article will show you how this process works and how you can do it on Windows 10.

Why release and renew an IP address?

When your home router connects to the Internet, your Internet Service Provider (ISP) assigns an IP address to your router. It is the only device in your home that receives an IP address directly from your ISP. This is also the so-called “public IP address“.

Your router then assigns IP addresses to individual devices within the home network on its own subnet. They usually follow a standard convention like 192.168.0.X. X is assigned randomly, from 1 for the router itself to 255.

Each device can release and renew its assigned IP address.

• You can ask the router to release the assigned IP address and get a new one from the ISP.
• You can ask devices on your network to release their assigned IP address and get a new one from the router.

Releasing and renewing the IP address starts on the device itself, and the network manager (router or ISP) automatically assigns a new one.

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Why would anyone need this? There are several reasons for this.

• Sometimes when reconfiguring the router, the Internet connection of some connected devices is interrupted, and updating the IP address on these devices will solve the problem.
• Normal Internet Connection Problems on any computer can often be solved by updating the IP address.
• If a website or forum has blocked your router’s IP address, updating your router’s IP address will bypass the blocking.
• Releasing and updating your computer’s IP address can resolve many common minor glitches and issues.

Edit and renew the IP address on the router

Be aware that when you tell your router to release its IP address, it loses its internet connection. And because the router “forwards” this Internet connection to all devices connected to it, all those devices also lose their Internet connection.

To do this:

1. Log in to your router as an administrator using an administrator account and password.
2. Each router has its own menu system. Find the area that displays the Internet connection status. For example, on a Netgear router, select Advanced and then select Connection Status under Internet Port.

3. A window will open showing the current status of the router’s Internet connection.

4. At the bottom of this window, you will see the Cancel and Renew buttons. First select “Release” to return the router’s current IP address to your ISP. At this point, the router will no longer have an active Internet connection.
5. Click the Refresh button to get a new IP address for the router from your ISP. The new IP address appears in the window. Once you see this, it means that your router is back online.

On other router models, you may need to look in the WAN or Internet menu for the Internet connection status, where you will see the Release and Renew buttons.

If you cannot find them, please refer to your router’s manual or website for more information.

Note that if you are unable to update the router’s IP address, you can also reset your wireless router to factory default settings.

Edit and renew the IP address on Windows

Whether you are using Windows XP, 7, 8, or 10, the process for releasing or renewing an IP address is the same.

1. Start Command Prompt.
2. At the command line, enter ipconfig / release.

3. You will see a list of messages with disabled status. This is normal and means that your network adapter has lost its connection to the network.
4. Still at the command line, enter ipconfig / Renew.

This will force your network adapter to contact your router and request a new IP address. The router will respond by assigning an IP address to your computer.

Scroll down to the bottom of the message and you will see that your network adapter has now been assigned a new IP address.

Now that your computer has received a new IP address, you can reconnect to the Internet using your browser and browse the web as usual. If the Internet is not yet working, you may need to restart your computer.

Release and Renew IP Address on Mac

You can also free up and renew your IP address on macOS, but instead of using the command line, you can do this in your TCP / IP settings.

To do this:

1. Click the Apple Button and choose System Preferences.
2. Click the Network icon under Internet & Networking.

3. Select the TCP / IP tab in the Network window.
4. On the right side of the window, you will see the Renew DHCP Lease button. Choose it.

This will free up and renew your IP address in one step. Select OK to close the Network window. Also exit the System Preferences window.

You may need to restart your Mac to complete the release and renewal process.

Release and renew IP address on mobile

Getting a new IP address on Android isn’t easy. You need to force the phone to “forget” the current Wi-Fi network it is connected to. Once you do that, it will release the current connection (and IP address). The next time it connects, it will receive a new one.

To do this on Android:

1. Open the Android settings screen.
2. Click Connections.
3. Click Wi-Fi.
4. Click the gear icon to the right of the connected Wi-Fi network.
5. At the bottom of the screen, tap the Forget Trash icon.

This will interrupt the Wi-Fi connection with your router. When you reconnect by re-adding the Wi-Fi network and logging in with your Wi-Fi login credentials, your Android will get a new IP address.

To release and update the IP address on iPhone is even easier.

1. Start the Settings app.
2. Click Wi-Fi.
3. Tap the i icon to the right of the Wi-Fi network you are currently connected to.
4. Click Renew Lease. Click “Renew Issue” again in the pop-up window.

This will release and then update your iPhone’s Wi-Fi IP address.

As you can see, it is very easy to update the IP address of your computer or mobile device on a Wi-Fi network. This is often the first thing you should try when you are having network or internet connection issues.

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