While the default option in Windows 11 is to connect to internet using a dynamic IP address, it also provides the option to assign or set static IP address.
Since, the IP address assigned by the Router is Dynamic in nature, it changes whenever the DHCP lease expires and it can also change when the modem/router is restarted.
While most users do not find the need to change this setup, there are certain cases, where you may find the need to set a static IP address on your Windows 11 computer.
For example, services like file/printer sharing and port forwarding are best setup on a static IP address, otherwise they will stop working as soon as the computer acquires a new dynamic IP address.
Assign Static IP Address in Windows 11
In order to set a Static IP Address on your computer, the first step is to find the IP Address of the Router, which has the capacity to assign IP Addresses for your computer.
Once the Router IP Address is found, it can be used to assign a static IP Address for your computer in the next step.
1. Find Router IP Address
As mentioned above, the first step is to note down the IP address of the modem/router (DHCP Server Address) and also the Subnet Mask Address.
1. Type Command Prompt in Windows search bar > right-click on Command Prompt and select Run as administrator.
2. In Command Prompt window, type ipconfig/all and press the Enter key.
3. Once the command is executed, scroll down the list of entries to “Wi-Fi” or “Ethernet” section as required and note down Subnet Mask Address and the DHCP Server Address (Router IP Address).
4. Close the Command Prompt window.
2. Assign Static IP Address
After noting down the subnet mask and the router IP address (DHCP Server), you can follow the steps below to set static IP address on your computer.
1. Go to Settings > select Network & internet in the left-pane. In the right-pane, scroll down and click on Advanced network settings.
2. On the next screen, scroll down to “Related Settings” section and click on More network adapter options.
3. On the next screen, right-click on your active Network (Wi-Fi or Ethernet) and click on Properties.
4. On the properties screen, select Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4) and click on Properties.
5. On IPv4 properties screen, select Use the following IP Address option > Enter Default Gateway (Router IP Address), Subnet Mask Address (As obtained in step 1), type Static IP Address and click on OK.
As you can see in above image, the first 3 number sets (192.175.0 in this case) in IP address field need to be the same as the default gateway address and you can only change the last number set with any number from 1 to 255.