How to Find Your Router's IP Address (Default Gateway)

Router IP vs Public IP

There are two types of IP addresses in play on your home network, and it's important not to confuse them:

• Your public IP address is assigned by your ISP and is the address the outside world sees when you browse the internet. It's the IP associated with your router's WAN (Wide Area Network) interface — the side that faces the internet. You can check it on the myip.network homepage.
• Your router's private IP address (also called the default gateway) is its address on your local home network — the LAN (Local Area Network) side. This is typically something like 192.168.1.1 or 192.168.0.1. This address is what your devices use to communicate with the router and is what this guide is about.

The default gateway is the address your device sends traffic to when it needs to reach something outside the local network. Think of it as the door your traffic walks through to reach the internet.

Why You Need Your Router's IP

Knowing your router's IP address (default gateway) is essential for several common tasks:

• Accessing the admin panel: You type your router's IP into a browser to reach the admin interface, where you can change Wi-Fi passwords, security settings, and more.
• Port forwarding: Setting up port forwarding rules to allow remote access to a server, game, or camera in your home requires logging into the admin panel.
• Network troubleshooting: If you can't access the internet, verifying that your device can reach the gateway IP helps isolate whether the problem is local (device to router) or upstream (router to ISP).
• Setting a static IP: When configuring a DHCP reservation so a device always gets the same private IP, you do this through the admin panel.
• DNS configuration: Changing your network's DNS servers (to 1.1.1.1 or 8.8.8.8, for example) is done through the router admin panel for network-wide effect.

Finding It on Windows

The quickest method on Windows is using the ipconfig command:

1. Press Win + R, type cmd, and press Enter to open Command Prompt.
2. Type the following command and press Enter:

ipconfig

Look for the section corresponding to your active connection (usually "Ethernet adapter" or "Wireless LAN adapter Wi-Fi"). The Default Gateway line is your router's IP address:

Wireless LAN adapter Wi-Fi:

   Connection-specific DNS Suffix  . :
   Link-local IPv6 Address . . . . . : fe80::a1b2:c3d4:e5f6:7890%12
   IPv4 Address. . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.1.105
   Subnet Mask . . . . . . . . . . . : 255.255.255.0
   Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.1.1

In this example, the router's IP address is 192.168.1.1.

Alternative: Using the Settings App

On Windows 10/11, you can also find it without a terminal:

1. Open Settings → Network & Internet.
2. Click your active connection (Wi-Fi or Ethernet).
3. Click Hardware properties (Windows 11) or scroll down to see connection details (Windows 10).
4. Look for Default gateway.

Finding It on Mac

Using System Settings (macOS Ventura and later)

1. Click the Apple menu → System Settings.
2. Click Network in the sidebar.
3. Select your active connection (Wi-Fi or Ethernet) and click Details...
4. Click the TCP/IP tab. The Router field shows your default gateway IP.

Using Terminal

Open Terminal (Applications → Utilities → Terminal) and run:

netstat -nr | grep default

Or for a cleaner output:

route -n get default | grep gateway

Example output:

   gateway: 192.168.1.1

You can also use ifconfig and look at the output for your active interface (en0 for Wi-Fi, en1 for Ethernet on most Macs), though this shows your device's IP rather than the gateway directly.

Finding It on Linux

Linux offers several methods. The modern approach uses the ip command:

ip route show default

Output example:

default via 192.168.1.1 dev wlan0 proto dhcp src 192.168.1.102 metric 100

The address after "via" is your router's IP. For a more concise result:

ip route | grep default | awk '{print $3}'

Using the classic route command

route -n

Example output:

Kernel IP routing table
Destination     Gateway         Genmask         Flags Metric Ref    Use Iface
0.0.0.0         192.168.1.1     0.0.0.0         UG    100    0        0 wlan0
192.168.1.0     0.0.0.0         255.255.255.255  U     100    0        0 wlan0

The row with 0.0.0.0 as the Destination and UG (UGateway) in Flags shows your default gateway: 192.168.1.1.

Using nmcli (NetworkManager)

nmcli -f IP4.GATEWAY device show

Finding It on iPhone & Android

iPhone (iOS)

1. Open Settings → Wi-Fi.
2. Tap the (i) icon next to your connected network name.
3. Scroll down to find the Router field — this is your gateway IP.

Android

The exact steps vary by manufacturer, but the general path is:

1. Open Settings → Network & Internet (or Connections on Samsung).
2. Tap Wi-Fi → tap and hold your network or tap the gear icon next to it.
3. Tap Advanced or View More.
4. Change IP settings from DHCP to Static temporarily — this reveals the Gateway field (you can switch back to DHCP after noting the IP).

On newer Android versions, you may see the gateway directly in the network details without changing to static IP.

Common Default Router IP Addresses

If you can't use the methods above (for example, your device isn't currently connected), you can try common default gateway addresses directly in your browser. Manufacturers use predictable defaults:

Router Brand	Common Default IP	Also Try
Linksys	192.168.1.1	192.168.0.1
Netgear	192.168.1.1	192.168.0.1
ASUS	192.168.1.1	10.0.0.1
TP-Link	192.168.0.1	192.168.1.1
D-Link	192.168.0.1	10.0.0.1
Apple AirPort	10.0.0.1	192.168.1.1
BT Hub (UK)	192.168.1.254	–
Virgin Media (UK)	192.168.0.1	–
Xfinity / Comcast	10.0.0.1	192.168.100.1

You can also check the label on the back or underside of your physical router — most routers print the default gateway IP, admin username, and default password there.

Accessing the Router Admin Panel

Once you have your router's IP address, accessing the admin panel is straightforward:

1. Open any web browser on a device connected to your network.
2. Type your router's IP address into the address bar (e.g., http://192.168.1.1) and press Enter.
3. You'll see a login page. Enter your admin credentials. If you haven't changed them, check the label on your router for defaults (often "admin" / "admin" or "admin" / "password").
4. Once logged in, you can configure Wi-Fi settings, port forwarding, DNS servers, DHCP, and security settings.

Security tip: Change the default admin password immediately if you haven't done so. Default credentials are publicly documented for most router models and represent a significant security risk.

If you need to calculate subnet ranges or understand your network topology, the subnet calculator is a helpful companion tool.