How Do I Change My IP Address and DNS Server?

Changing your IP address and DNS server may be necessary for various reasons, such as improving network performance, accessing region-restricted content, or enhancing online privacy. In this tutorial, we will explore the steps to accomplish this task.

Changing IP Address:

If you are connecting to the internet using a router, there are two possible scenarios for changing your IP address: changing the IP address of your router or changing the IP address of your device.

Changing Router IP Address:

To change the IP address of your router, follow these steps:

1. Access your router’s settings: Open a web browser and enter your router’s default gateway in the address bar. Usually, it is something like 192.168.x.x. Press Enter.
2. Login to your router: You will be prompted to enter a username and password. If you haven’t changed it before, refer to your router’s manual or look for default credentials online.
3. Navigate to LAN settings: Look for an option like “LAN” or “Network Settings” in the router’s admin panel.

   Click on it.

4. Change the IP address: Within the LAN settings, look for an option to change the IP address. It might be labeled as “IP Address,” “LAN IP,” or similar. Enter the new desired IP address.
5. Save changes and reboot: After entering the new IP address, save the changes and reboot your router for them to take effect.

Changing Device IP Address:

If you want to change the IP address of a specific device connected to your network, such as a computer or smartphone, follow these steps:

1. Access network settings: Go to the network settings of your device. On Windows, you can find it in the Control Panel or by right-clicking on the network icon in the taskbar.

   On macOS, go to System Preferences and click on Network.

2. Select the active network connection: Choose the active network connection, usually labeled as Wi-Fi or Ethernet.
3. Open properties or advanced settings: Look for an option like “Properties” or “Advanced” and click on it.
4. Change IP address: Within the properties or advanced settings, look for an option to manually configure the IP address. Select it and enter the new desired IP address.
5. Save changes: After entering the new IP address, save the changes and close the settings window.

Changing DNS Server:

To change your DNS server, follow these steps:

1. Access network settings: Open the network settings of your device following similar steps mentioned earlier.
2. Select the active network connection: Choose the active network connection as before.
3. Select DNS configuration: Within properties or advanced settings, look for an option related to DNS configuration. It might be labeled as “DNS,” “DNS Server,” or similar.
4. Add new DNS server addresses: Remove any existing DNS server addresses and enter the new DNS server addresses you want to use. You can use public DNS servers like Google DNS (8.8.8 and 8.4.4) or OpenDNS (208.67.222.222 and 208.220.220).
5. Save changes: After adding the new DNS server addresses, save the changes and close the settings window.

By following these steps, you can easily change your IP address and DNS server to suit your needs.

Note: Changing network settings can have an impact on your network connectivity or require reconfiguration of other devices connected to your network.