How to Change My IP Address: A Step-by-Step Guide
Follow practical steps to change your local IP address, renew the address from your router, or present a different public IP to websites.
Changing Local vs. Public IP Addresses
When people ask how to change their IP address, they may mean two different things. Changing the local IP affects how your device appears inside your home or office network—for example, switching from 192.168.1.20 to 192.168.1.50. Changing the public IP affects what websites and internet services see when you connect.
Local changes are controlled by your router and operating system’s network settings. Public IP changes depend on your ISP’s policies or whether you use tools like VPNs or mobile hotspots.
How to Change Your Local IP Address
To change your local IP address on a typical home network, you can either renew the DHCP lease or assign a static IP. On most systems, disabling and re-enabling the network adapter or using commands like ipconfig /release and ipconfig /renew can request a new address from the router.
For static assignments, choose an address in the correct subnet that is outside the router’s DHCP pool to avoid conflicts. Update the adapter’s IPv4 properties with the new address, subnet mask, gateway, and DNS settings, and document your changes for future reference.
Ways to Present a Different Public IP
Changing your public IP is less direct. Many residential ISPs assign dynamic addresses that may change when you reboot the modem or after a certain period, but some tie addresses to your account long term. Business customers often pay for static public IPs that rarely change.
If you need your traffic to appear from a different IP for privacy or testing, using a VPN or privacy proxy is usually the most practical approach. These services route your traffic through their own infrastructure so websites see their IPs instead of your home address.