ipconfig: CMD command clearly explained
One of the most used CMD commands is "ipconfig", which you can use to display your network configuration. In this article, we explain how the code works and how you can display even more information.
Standard commands for CMD: ipconfig in detail
You start the Windows console with the key combination [Windows] + [R] and the command "cmd". You can then run the most important ipconfig commands.
- With the standard command "ipconfig" you get an overview of all settings of your network interfaces (LAN and WLAN). This includes the IPv6 and IPv4 addresses, the subnet mask, the responsible DNS server and the IP address of the standard gateway that you use to access the Internet.
- If your computer has several network controllers and you also want to see all the information for this, use the "ipconfig / all" command.
- If you have problems with your IP address, you can release it with the "ipconfig / release" command and request a new IP address with "ipconfig / renew".
Other important CMD commands with ipconfig
In addition to the standard commands, there are other variants of ipconfig that contain useful functions.
- ipconfig / displaydns: With this command you show all data of the DNS cache. Here Windows stores the IP address and the website name of pages already visited. This is to avoid additional traffic and load the pages faster. You will also find the validity period in seconds for each entry.
- ipconfig / flushdns: Enter this command in the console to clear the DNS cache. If you then type "ipconfig / displaydns" again, the cache is empty. As soon as you open a website again or a program accesses the Internet, you will find the first entries here.
- Note: Clear the DNS cache, make sure that nobody can find out which pages you have visited on the Internet. You should also delete your browser history. This step is not really necessary, however, as Windows automatically clears the DNS cache when it shuts down.
WLAN tip: No more slow WLAN in the house
On the next page we explain how you can enlarge the CMD window to see more of the ipconfig list.