How to use the command ipconfig (with examples)

The ipconfig command is a Windows command used to display and manage the network configuration of a Windows system. It provides information about the network adapters on the system, their IP addresses, DNS information, and more.

Use case 1: Show a list of network adapters

Code:

ipconfig

Motivation: This use case is helpful when you want to quickly view the network adapters present on your Windows system. It provides the adapter name, IPv4 and IPv6 addresses, subnet masks, and default gateways for each adapter.

Explanation: Running the ipconfig command without any arguments will display a list of all the network adapters on the system along with their current network configuration.

Example output:

Ethernet adapter Local Area Connection:

   Connection-specific DNS Suffix  . :
   IPv4 Address. . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.1.2
   Subnet Mask . . . . . . . . . . . : 255.255.255.0
   Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.1.1

Ethernet adapter Wi-Fi:

   Connection-specific DNS Suffix  . : example.com
   IPv4 Address. . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.1.3
   Subnet Mask . . . . . . . . . . . : 255.255.255.0
   Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.1.1

Use case 2: Show a detailed list of network adapters

Code:

ipconfig /all

Motivation: This use case is useful when you need to view detailed information about the network adapters on your Windows system. It provides additional information such as physical addresses (MAC addresses), DHCP information, and DNS settings.

Explanation: Adding the /all argument to the ipconfig command will display a detailed list of all the network adapters on the system, including additional information like physical addresses, lease information from the DHCP server, and DNS settings.

Example output:

Ethernet adapter Local Area Connection:

   Connection-specific DNS Suffix  . :
   Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Realtek PCIe GbE Family Controller
   Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 00-00-00-00-00-00
   DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : Yes
   Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes
   IPv4 Address. . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.1.2
   Subnet Mask . . . . . . . .