Find Your Router’s IP Address on Any Device in Minutes

Find Your Router’s IP Address on Any Device in Minutes

Your router’s IP address is the “default gateway” your device uses to reach anything off your local network, from web pages to cloud apps.

If you know this address, you can open the router’s admin page, confirm that you’re on the right SSID, and troubleshoot odd issues like DNS failures, double NAT, or a flaky mesh hop.

You don’t need extra tools—every major platform shows the gateway in its network details or with a one-line command, and a quick traceroute can confirm what your traffic actually hits first.

Quick Ways to See the Router’s IP on Each Platform

The value you’re after is labeled Default Gateway (Windows), Router (Apple platforms), or Gateway (many Android skins). Typical IPv4 gateways in home networks look like 192.168.1.1, 192.168.0.1, 192.168.50.1, 10.0.0.1, or 192.168.1.254; on IPv6 you’ll often see a link-local address beginning with fe80::.

Windows 11/10

Graphical path: Open Settings → Network & internet → Advanced network settings → Hardware and connection properties, then read Default gateway under the active adapter (Wi-Fi or Ethernet). On some builds you can also open the adapter page and click View additional properties to see the same value.

Command Prompt: Press Win+R, type cmd, press Enter, then run ipconfig; read the Default Gateway line under your active adapter. For a cleaner view, ipconfig | findstr /i "Default Gateway" filters output (verify which adapter it belongs to). PowerShell: Get-NetIPConfiguration -Detailed shows IPv4DefaultGateway and (if present) IPv6DefaultGateway.

macOS (Ventura, Sonoma, Sequoia)

System Settings path: Apple menu → System Settings → Network → select your active interface → Details → TCP/IP. The Router field is your gateway, and the same pane lets you Renew DHCP Lease if the values look stale.

Terminal: route -n get default prints the active default route; the line starting with gateway: is the router. netstat -rn | grep default shows the same in the routing table.

Linux (iproute2 and NetworkManager)

Terminal: ip route (or ip route show default) prints a line like default via 192.168.1.1 dev wlp3s0. For IPv6, ip -6 route shows default via to a link-local address (fe80::… ).

With NetworkManager: nmcli -f IP4.GATEWAY,IP6.GATEWAY,DEVICE connection show --active reveals the current gateway(s) for active profiles; nmcli dev show also lists per-device GATEWAY fields.

iOS and iPadOS

Open Settings → Wi-Fi → tap the info (ⓘ) next to your connected network; in the IPv4 Address section, the Router line is the gateway. If it’s blank or 0.0.0.0, toggle Wi-Fi off/on or tap Renew Lease to refresh DHCP.

Android (Pixel, One UI, Others)

Paths vary by vendor, but the pattern is Settings → Network & internet (or Connections) → Wi-Fi → tap your current network → Advanced/Details; look for Gateway. If it’s hidden, open IP settings, temporarily switch to Static to reveal the Gateway field, note the value, then cancel to keep DHCP.

If the Default Gateway Looks Wrong

Empty, wrong-subnet, or odd values usually mean your device didn’t get a full lease or you’re looking at a virtual interface instead of the physical adapter.

It’s Blank, 0.0.0.0, or Doesn’t Match Your Subnet

Try these in order:

It Shows a VPN, Virtual Adapter, or Hotspot

VPN clients often install a virtual interface and set it as the default route so traffic exits the tunnel; disconnect the VPN and check again to reveal the local router’s gateway. When tethering, your gateway will be the phone rather than the home router.

Double NAT Symptoms

If tracert 8.8.8.8 (Windows) or traceroute 8.8.8.8 (macOS/Linux) shows two private IPs in the first two hops, you’re likely behind two routers (ISP modem/router plus your own). You can still browse, but port-forwarding and some peer-to-peer apps break until you put the upstream device in bridge/passthrough mode or set your router to access-point mode.

IPv6 Gateways Look Like fe80::…

On IPv6 networks, hosts learn the default router via Router Advertisements, and that router commonly appears as a link-local address (fe80::/10). That’s normal. To try a link-local address in a browser, include the interface zone after a percent sign and percent-encode it in URLs (for example, http://[fe80::1%25en0]/). Many home routers expose the UI only on IPv4, so you may need to use the IPv4 gateway for management.

Reach the Admin Page Safely (and When You Can’t)

Once you have the gateway, type it in your browser’s address bar (http://192.168.1.1 or https://192.168.1.1). If the page doesn’t load, verify that your client and the gateway share a subnet, try another common private gateway, or confirm the first hop with traceroute. On captive Wi-Fi (airports, hotels), the gateway may redirect to a splash page and administrator access will be blocked.

Common Private Gateway Addresses

Vendors frequently ship 192.168.1.1, 192.168.0.1, 192.168.50.1, 10.0.0.1, or 192.168.1.254 as defaults, but the authoritative value is what your device displays in its network details.

OS-by-OS Troubleshooting Cheat Sheet

Windows

If “Default gateway is not available” keeps popping up, update the adapter driver, reset the network stack (Settings → Network & internet → Advanced network settings → Network reset), and renew the lease. PowerShell’s Test-NetConnection -ComputerName 192.168.1.1 is a fast reachability check.

macOS

If the Router field looks stuck after you moved networks, click Renew DHCP Lease in the TCP/IP panel or toggle the interface; Terminal users can bounce the interface with sudo ifconfig <ifname> down then sudo ifconfig <ifname> up.

Linux

Compare the kernel’s routes (ip route) with NetworkManager (nmcli); if no default route exists, bounce the connection (nmcli con down/up) or restart the DHCP client. On servers without NetworkManager, ensure the correct gateway is present in your distro’s network config or netplan.

iOS/Android

If the Router/Gateway line is empty or the network has no Internet, toggle Wi-Fi, forget/rejoin, or power-cycle the access point. Some Android skins hide Gateway inside IP settings—temporarily switch to Static to reveal it, then cancel so you don’t save a static config.

Find Your Router’s IP Address (FAQ)

Phones can roam between 2.4/5/6 GHz radios or different mesh nodes, each with its own bridge interface and sometimes different internal IPs; verify both devices are on the same SSID/band and recheck after toggling Wi-Fi.

Yes—the local gateway is independent of your public address; read it from your OS network details and, if you need confirmation, check your public My IP Address in a browser.

Renew the DHCP lease using the platform steps above, then make sure the adapter isn’t set to a mismatched static IP; forgetting and rejoining the Wi-Fi often fixes a stuck lease.

Run a traceroute to a public IP; if the first two hops are private addresses, you’re likely double-NATed and should bridge or set passthrough on the upstream modem/router.

That’s a normal link-local router on IPv6; to try its UI you must include the interface zone in the URL (for example, http://[fe80::1%25en0]/), and many home devices still expose management only on IPv4.

Use traceroute/tracert to any public IP—the first hop should match your default gateway; if you’re unsure both addresses belong to the same network, confirm with a quick Subnet Calculator.

Open your Wi-Fi network’s details, tap IP settings, switch to Static to reveal the Gateway field, note it, then cancel so DHCP stays active.

Ping a host over IPv6 (for example, ping -6 to a known hostname) or run an online IPv6 Test to confirm end-to-end reachability.