WebIPTool

How to find your router's IP address

By Last updated

A glowing blue sphere in the center with thin rods reaching out to six pale gray spheres, like a hub and its spokes.

Your router has an address on your home network, and you need it to open the router’s settings page. Your devices already know it. They call it the default gateway (Windows, Android, Linux) or simply the router (Apple devices), because it is where they send anything bound for the internet.

This is a private address, usually something like 192.168.1.1. It is not the public address shown on the WebIPTool home page. That one belongs to your connection as a whole. The difference is explained in public vs private IP addresses.

Menu names shift a little between software versions. If a label below does not match exactly, look for the nearest equivalent.

Windows

Using Settings (Windows 11)

  1. Open Settings, then Network & internet.
  2. Choose Wi-Fi or Ethernet, whichever you are connected with.
  3. Open the properties for your connection. On Wi-Fi, select your network name first.
  4. Scroll to IPv4 default gateway. That is your router’s address. If it is not listed, use the Command Prompt method below.

Using Command Prompt (any version)

  1. Press the Windows key, type cmd, and press Enter.
  2. Type the command below and press Enter.
ipconfig
  1. Find the section for your active adapter and read the Default Gateway line.

macOS

Using System Settings

  1. Open the Apple menu, then System Settings.
  2. Select Network, then Wi-Fi or Ethernet.
  3. Click Details next to your connected network.
  4. Open the TCP/IP tab. The address is listed next to Router.

Using Terminal

route -n get default

The gateway line in the output is your router.

iPhone and iPad

  1. Open Settings, then Wi-Fi.
  2. Tap the information button, the small “i” in a circle, next to the network you are connected to.
  3. Scroll to Router.

This only works on Wi-Fi. On mobile data there is no home router in the path.

Android

Android menus vary by manufacturer. On recent versions the path is usually:

  1. Open Settings, then Network & internet, then Internet. On Samsung phones it is Connections, then Wi-Fi.
  2. Tap the gear icon next to your connected network.
  3. Look for Gateway. You may need to tap View more or Advanced first.

If your phone does not show a gateway, check from a computer on the same network instead.

Linux

Open a terminal and run:

ip route show default

The address after default via is your router.

Chromebook

  1. Click the clock in the corner, then the Settings gear.
  2. Under Network, select Wi-Fi, then your connected network.
  3. Expand Network. The address is listed next to Gateway.

Common router addresses

If you cannot get to a device’s settings, these are the addresses home routers ship with most often:

  • 192.168.0.1
  • 192.168.1.1
  • 192.168.1.254
  • 10.0.0.1

Guessing works surprisingly often, but the methods above give you the real answer for your network. The correct address is frequently printed on a label on the router itself, sometimes along with a default login.

Opening the settings page

  1. Make sure you are connected to the router’s own network, by Wi-Fi or cable.
  2. Type the address into your browser’s address bar, for example 192.168.1.1, and press Enter. Type it in the address bar, not a search box.
  3. Sign in. The username and password are separate from your Wi-Fi password. On older routers the default login is on the label or in the manual. Many newer ones have no default: you create the admin password during first setup, or switch on access in your provider’s app first.

Your browser may warn that the connection is not private. That is expected for a device on your own network that has no public certificate. Check that the address in the bar is the one you typed before continuing.

Many newer routers and mesh systems are managed through a phone app instead of a web page. If nothing loads at the gateway address, look for the maker’s app.

While you are in there

A few minutes in the settings page can make a real difference:

  • Change the admin password if it is still the default from the label. Anyone on your Wi-Fi can try the default.
  • Install firmware updates. Routers are exposed to the internet all day, and updates close known holes.
  • Check the internet or WAN address. Compare it with the address on the home page. If they differ, there is another layer of NAT upstream. A WAN address from 100.64.0.0 to 100.127.255.255 points to carrier-grade NAT, and one starting with 192.168. usually means a second router. See what is CGNAT.
  • Look at the list of connected devices. It is the quickest way to spot something you do not recognize.

If it does not work

The page will not load. Confirm you are on the right network, not mobile data and not a guest network. Guest networks often block access to the router’s settings on purpose. A VPN can also get in the way, so pause it and try again.

The gateway is blank, or your device’s own address starts with 169.254.. Your device did not receive an address from the router. Reconnect to the network, or restart the router and wait a couple of minutes.

The address works but the login does not. The password was changed, or it was set when the router was first installed. If nobody remembers it, the last resort is a factory reset, usually a recessed button held for about ten seconds. That erases every setting, including the Wi-Fi name and password, so you will need to set the router up again.

There are two routers. If you plugged your own router into the box from your provider, your devices see your router as the gateway. The provider’s box is one step further out, and its address is your router’s own gateway, shown on your router’s WAN page.

What the address tells you

The gateway address also hints at the size of your network. A router at 192.168.1.1 nearly always runs the block 192.168.1.0/24, which has room for 254 devices. Put that block into the Subnet Calculator to see the range of addresses your router can hand out.

Key points

  • Your router’s address is listed on your devices as the default gateway or router.
  • It is a private address. The public address on the home page is a different thing.
  • Type it into a browser’s address bar to open the router’s settings, and sign in with the admin login, not the Wi-Fi password.
  • If the router’s WAN address does not match your public address, there is another layer of NAT upstream.