--- title: "Mastering Ipconfig Commands: A Comprehensive Guide" description: "Discover all the ipconfig commands you need to know in this in-depth blog post from a 20+ year IT professional." canonical: "https://adamtheautomator.com/ipconfig-commands/" --- # Mastering Ipconfig Commands: A Comprehensive Guide > Discover all the ipconfig commands you need to know in this in-depth blog post from a 20+ year IT professional. Source: https://adamtheautomator.com/ipconfig-commands/ --- ATA Learning Tap to hide [ ATA Learning ](/) * [Home](/) * [Tutorials](/tutorials/) * [Instructors](/author/) * [Advertising](/advertising/) * [Recommended Resources](/resources/) * [About Adam](/about-adam/) Search for: * [](https://twitter.com/adbertram) * [](https://github.com/Adam-the-Automator) * [](https://www.linkedin.com/company/adam-the-automator-llc) * [](/feed/) ![Mastering Ipconfig Commands: A Comprehensive Guide](https://adamtheautomator.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/The-ipconfig-Commands-You-Need-to-Know.jpg) # Mastering Ipconfig Commands: A Comprehensive Guide [![](https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/d0b9d42e21e5622713f8b693aa5c0f9244d5f7dd200ed29b8398f52dee5de337?s=192&d=mm&r=g)Adam Bertram](https://adamtheautomator.com/author/adam-bertram/)15 December 20202 min. read Categories: [IT Ops](/category/it-ops/) Tags:[windows server](/tag/windows-server/) Table of Contents * [Prerequisites](#h-prerequisites) * [Viewing Basic IP and DNS Settings with IPConfig Commands](#h-viewing-basic-ip-and-dns-settings-with-ipconfig-commands) * [Viewing the DNS Resolver Cache](#h-viewing-the-dns-resolver-cache) * [Purging the DNS Resolver Cache](#h-purging-the-dns-resolver-cache) * [Initiating a Dynamic DNS Registration with an IPconfig Command](#h-initiating-a-dynamic-dns-registration-with-an-ipconfig-command) * [Releasing and Renewing DHCP-Assigned IPs](#h-releasing-and-renewing-dhcp-assigned-ips) The ipconfig command has been around for a long time but somehow most people don’t realize what all of the various ipconfig commands do and how they work. In this Nugget, we’re going to change that by diving into how the ipconfig command works and how it can help you manage your DHCP and DNS client configuration. Let’s dive right in. ## Prerequisites Running the ipconfig command doesn’t require many prerequisites. As long as you have any recent version of Windows, you’re good to go. This Nugget will also assume you’re on a Windows machine with a dynamically-assigned (DHCP) IP address and DNS client settings. ## Viewing Basic IP and DNS Settings with IPConfig Commands The most basic of ipconfig commands is simply running it without parameters. Open up a command prompt or PowerShell console on your machine and run `ipconfig`. You will see all of the network interfaces (NICs) installed on your system along with basic IP information. > _Take note of the NIC name. The name of the NIC in the below screenshot is called `Ethernet`._ ![Viewing basic IP information](https://adamtheautomator.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Untitled-2020-12-05T193634.203.png) Viewing basic IP information Use the `ipconfig /all` command and you’ll see an increased amount of information namely each NIC’s DHCP configuration and the DNS servers. ![Viewing all IP and DNS configuration](https://adamtheautomator.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Untitled-2020-12-05T193711.179.png) Viewing all IP and DNS configuration ## Viewing the DNS Resolver Cache Another popular `ipconfig` command is `ipconfig /displaydns`. Using this command, you can find all of the items in your local DNS resolver cache and any items in your local [_C:\\Windows\\System32\\etc\\drivers\\hosts_ file](https://docs.rackspace.com/support/how-to/modify-your-hosts-file). ![Inspecting the DNS resolver cache](https://adamtheautomator.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Untitled-2020-12-05T193744.773.png) Inspecting the DNS resolver cache > _The `/displaydns` switch is especially helpful for troubleshooting name resolution issues!_ ## Purging the DNS Resolver Cache Sometimes the DNS resolver cache caches items you’d like to remove. You can clear out all items in the DNS resolver cache by running `ipconfig /flushdns`. This command is useful to remove any negative cache entries when troubleshooting. ![Purging the DNS Resolver Cache](https://adamtheautomator.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Untitled-2020-12-05T193820.668.png) Purging the DNS Resolver Cache ## Initiating a Dynamic DNS Registration with an IPconfig Command Perhaps you need to manually initiate a dynamic DNS registration _and_ refresh DHCP releases. In that case, use `ipconfig /registerdns`. This `ipconfig` command is great for troubleshooting DNS name registration issues without rebooting the computer. **_Related: [Resolve-DnsName: Resolving DNS Names with PowerShell](https://adamtheautomator.com/resolve-dnsname/)_** > _Be sure you use the `/registerdns`switch in an elevated console._ ![Initiating a Dynamic DNS Registration](https://adamtheautomator.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Untitled-2020-12-05T193857.892.png) Initiating a Dynamic DNS Registration ## Releasing and Renewing DHCP-Assigned IPs One of the most common `ipconfig` commands is those that release and renew a dynamically-assigned (DHCP) IP address. To release a DHCP address, you can either do so by running `ipconfig /release` which will release all NICs bound by TCP/IP. ![Releasing a DHCP address for the Ethernet NIC](https://adamtheautomator.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Untitled-2020-12-05T193929.029.png) Releasing a DHCP address for the Ethernet NIC Do you have more than one NIC with a similar name? No problem. Use a wildcard (`*`). ![Releasing a DHCP address for all NICs that start with Eth](https://adamtheautomator.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Untitled-2020-12-05T193955.075.png) Releasing a DHCP address for all NICs that start with Eth > _You can use wildcards for the NIC name on any `ipconfig` command that allows you to input a NIC’s name. You can also use a `?` to represent a single character to match too._ Once the IP is released, you need to pull another one from your DHCP server. To do so, run `ipconfig /renew` to renew all NICs or specify a specific NIC again. ![Getting a new DHCP lease on all NICs](https://adamtheautomator.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Untitled-2020-12-05T194040.499.png) Getting a new DHCP lease on all NICs > _Quick tip: You can release and renew dynamically-assigned IP addresses on the same line using double ampersands like `ipconfig /release && ipconfig /renew`._ If you’d like to limit releasing and renewing only IPv6 NICs, you can also use the `/release6` and `/renew6` parameters. > _Note that `ipconfig` commands like `/showclassid`, `/setclassid` and `/allcompartments` parameters. These parameters are not covered in this Nugget because they are considered legacy and you will rarely (if ever) need them._ Share this article [Share on X](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=https%3A%2F%2Fadamtheautomator.com%2Fipconfig-commands%2F&text=Mastering%20Ipconfig%20Commands%3A%20A%20Comprehensive%20Guide)[Share on Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fadamtheautomator.com%2Fipconfig-commands%2F)[Share on LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/sharing/share-offsite/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fadamtheautomator.com%2Fipconfig-commands%2F) ## Related Posts ![](https://adamtheautomator.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/26995-troubleshoot-dns-issues-powershell-codex.webp) ### [Troubleshoot DNS Issues with PowerShell](/troubleshoot-dns-issues-powershell/) Troubleshoot DNS issues with PowerShell by testing name resolution, DNS client settings, cache entries, and network connectivity in a repeatable workflow. ![](https://adamtheautomator.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/idfix.jpg) ### [Solve Azure AD Connect Errors via the Microsoft IdFix Tool](/idfix/) Fix Azure AD Connect errors fast with the Microsoft IdFix tool—your go-to solution for seamless synchronization and efficient directory management! ![](https://adamtheautomator.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/windows-server-storage.jpg) ### [Getting Started with Windows Server Storage](/windows-server-storage/) Learn everything you need to know about Windows Server Storage in this in-depth tutorial by ATA Learning and manage your storage like a pro! ## Categories * [IT Ops](/category/it-ops/) * [Cloud](/category/cloud/) * [DevOps](/category/devops/) * [Home Ops](/category/home-ops/) * [Information Security](/category/infosec/) * [Software Development](/category/software-development/) ## Site * [Home](/) * [Tutorials](/tutorials/) * [Instructors](/author/) * [Advertising](/advertising/) * [Recommended Resources](/resources/) * [About Adam](/about-adam/) Copyright 2026© ATA Learning | [Privacy Policy](/privacy/)