PowerShell Get IP Address: Commands to Find, Filter and Set IP Addresses

PowerShell returns IP settings as objects, so you can filter them, keep them in a variable and reuse them in scripts. This page covers local and public IPs, gateway and DNS servers, DNS lookups, static IP and DHCP, remote computers and reachability tests, plus fixes for common errors. The networking cmdlets come with Windows 10, Windows 11 and Windows Server and work in Windows PowerShell 5.1 and PowerShell 7. ipconfig runs in PowerShell too, but it returns plain text; for Settings, ipconfig and the other built-in tools, see how to find your IP address on Windows.

Get your IP address in PowerShell with Get-NetIPAddress

Right-click Start and select Terminal (on Windows 10, Windows PowerShell). Reading IP settings doesn’t need administrator rights. Run:

Get-NetIPAddress -AddressFamily IPv4 | Format-Table InterfaceAlias, IPAddress, PrefixOrigin

The output looks like this (example values):

InterfaceAlias              IPAddress      PrefixOrigin
--------------              ---------      ------------
vEthernet (Default Switch)  172.20.144.1   Manual
Wi-Fi                       192.168.1.23   Dhcp
Ethernet                    169.254.83.107 WellKnown
Loopback Pseudo-Interface 1 127.0.0.1      WellKnown

How to read it:

• Wi-Fi or Ethernet with Dhcp is your computer’s local IP, assigned by your router. Manual means someone typed the address in.
• 127.0.0.1 is the loopback address every PC has.
• 169.254.x.x means the adapter got no answer from a DHCP server. On a disconnected adapter, that’s normal.
• vEthernet adapters belong to Hyper-V or WSL. They connect virtual machines, not your PC, to a network.

These are local (private) addresses that work only inside your network; local vs. public IP addresses explains the difference. Add PrefixLength to the column list to see the subnet size (24 means 255.255.255.0). With -AddressFamily IPv6 you get the IPv6 addresses; those starting with fe80 are link-local. Microsoft’s Get-NetIPAddress reference lists every parameter.

PowerShell one-liners for IP address, gateway and DNS

Find-NetRoute only consults the routing table: it returns the local address and the route Windows would use to reach 1.1.1.1, without sending anything there. Get-NetNeighbor is the PowerShell counterpart of arp -a. It lists the IP and MAC address (LinkLayerAddress) of devices on your network that your PC contacted recently.

Filter out loopback, 169.254 and virtual adapters

Get-NetIPAddress -AddressFamily IPv4 |
  Where-Object {
    $_.IPAddress -ne '127.0.0.1' -and
    $_.IPAddress -notlike '169.254.*' -and
    $_.InterfaceAlias -notlike 'vEthernet*'
  } |
  Select-Object InterfaceAlias, IPAddress, PrefixLength, PrefixOrigin

Add a line such as $_.InterfaceAlias -notlike '*VPN*' to skip VPN adapters. A shorter filter is Get-NetIPAddress -AddressFamily IPv4 -PrefixOrigin Dhcp, Manual. It keeps only addresses from a DHCP server or typed in by hand, which drops 127.0.0.1 and 169.254 addresses, since Windows marks both as WellKnown. vEthernet addresses count as Manual, so they stay.

Return the IP address as a plain string

Cmdlets return objects. Select-Object IPAddress keeps an object with one property, which prints with a header. -ExpandProperty or the dot notation returns the bare string that a script needs:

# Object with an IPAddress property (prints a header)
Get-NetIPAddress -InterfaceAlias 'Wi-Fi' -AddressFamily IPv4 | Select-Object IPAddress

# Plain string, ready for a variable
$ip = Get-NetIPAddress -InterfaceAlias 'Wi-Fi' -AddressFamily IPv4 |
  Select-Object -ExpandProperty IPAddress
$ip = (Get-NetIPAddress -InterfaceAlias 'Wi-Fi' -AddressFamily IPv4).IPAddress   # same result

# One address, even with several adapters connected
$ip = (Find-NetRoute -RemoteIPAddress 1.1.1.1)[0].IPAddress
"Local IP: $ip"

An adapter can have more than one IPv4 address, so the first two forms can return an array. Format-Table and Format-List turn objects into display text. Put them only at the end of a command whose output you want to read, never before Where-Object or in a value you assign to a variable.

Show the gateway, DNS servers and full configuration with Get-NetIPConfiguration

Get-NetIPConfiguration

It lists each connected, non-virtual adapter with IPv4Address, IPv4DefaultGateway (your router) and DNSServer. -All adds virtual, loopback and disconnected adapters, and -Detailed adds the computer name, MAC address, network profile, MTU and DHCP status. For one adapter, run Get-NetIPConfiguration -InterfaceAlias 'Ethernet'.

For the gateway alone, Microsoft documents this command for the next hop of the default route:

Get-NetRoute -DestinationPrefix "0.0.0.0/0" | Select-Object -ExpandProperty NextHop

It prints your router’s address, such as 192.168.1.1. Two lines mean two default routes, for example from a VPN or a second adapter, and Windows prefers the one with the lowest sum of route metric and interface metric.

Get your public IP address in PowerShell

Behind a router, your PC has only a local IPv4 address. The public one belongs to the router and is shared by every device on your network, so no local cmdlet shows it, and a server outside your network has to report it.

Without an ip parameter, the /v1/info endpoint of our IP lookup API answers for the address your request comes from. Put a free API key in an environment variable and send it in the apikey header:

$env:IPLOOKUPAPI_KEY = 'your-api-key'   # current session only
$headers = @{ apikey = $env:IPLOOKUPAPI_KEY }
$r = Invoke-RestMethod -Uri 'https://api.iplookupapi.com/v1/info?fields=ip' -Headers $headers -TimeoutSec 10
$r.data.ip

Invoke-RestMethod turns the JSON response into objects, so $r.data.ip is your public IP as a string. On a connection with IPv6, the request can go over IPv6, and you get your public IPv6 address instead. Add ip to look up any other address, and use fields to pick what comes back:

$uri = 'https://api.iplookupapi.com/v1/info?ip=80.110.0.1&fields=ip,location.city.name,location.country.alpha2,connection.isp,timezone.id'
$d = (Invoke-RestMethod -Uri $uri -Headers $headers -TimeoutSec 10).data
[pscustomobject]@{
  IP       = $d.ip
  City     = $d.location.city.name
  Country  = $d.location.country.alpha2
  ISP      = $d.connection.isp
  TimeZone = $d.timezone.id
}

IP       : 80.110.0.1
City     : Vienna
Country  : AT
ISP      : Magenta Telekom
TimeZone : Europe/Vienna

The info endpoint documentation lists every field. The free plan includes 150 requests per month and 10 per minute. A 401 error means the key is missing or wrong, and 429 means you reached a limit. IP location is an estimate: the country is usually right, the city often isn’t.

Without an API key, ask a DNS resolver instead. OpenDNS answers the special name myip.opendns.com with the IPv4 address the query came from:

(Resolve-DnsName -Name myip.opendns.com -Server 208.67.222.222 -Type A).IPAddress

208.67.222.222 is resolver1.opendns.com. Give the server as this IPv4 address: over IPv6, OpenDNS returns no IPv4 address for the name. The method works only through the OpenDNS resolvers, and it times out on networks that block outside DNS servers. With a VPN on, both methods return the VPN server’s address.

Get the IP address from a hostname, or the hostname from an IP

Resolve-DnsName is the PowerShell counterpart of nslookup: it queries DNS and returns objects.

Resolve-DnsName -Name www.example.com -Type A           # IPv4 addresses (A records)
Resolve-DnsName -Name www.example.com -Type AAAA        # IPv6 addresses
Resolve-DnsName -Name www.example.com -Server 1.1.1.1   # ask a specific DNS server
(Resolve-DnsName -Name www.example.com -Type A | Where-Object Type -eq 'A').IPAddress

The Where-Object filter in the last line drops CNAME (alias) records, which have no address. To get the hostname of an IP address, query its PTR record:

Resolve-DnsName -Name 8.8.8.8 -Type PTR
(Resolve-DnsName -Name 8.8.8.8 -Type PTR).NameHost      # dns.google

A name comes back only if the address has a PTR record. Many local devices and IPv6 addresses don’t have one; on a home network, it works only if your router’s DNS knows the device names. Microsoft’s Resolve-DnsName reference lists all record types and options.

The .NET methods do the same and also run in PowerShell 7 on macOS and Linux, where Resolve-DnsName doesn’t exist. They use the operating system’s resolver, including the hosts file:

[System.Net.Dns]::GetHostAddresses('www.example.com')   # name to addresses
[System.Net.Dns]::GetHostEntry('8.8.8.8').HostName      # address to name

Set a static IP address with PowerShell

For most home devices, a DHCP reservation on the router works better: the device keeps getting the same address, and the router never hands it to another device. Static vs. dynamic IP addresses compares both options. To set the address on the PC itself:

1. Right-click Start and select Terminal (Admin) (on Windows 10, Windows PowerShell (Admin)).
2. Select Yes in the User Account Control prompt.
3. Run Get-NetAdapter and note the Name of your adapter, such as Ethernet or Wi-Fi.
4. Run Get-NetIPConfiguration -InterfaceAlias 'Ethernet' and note the current address, gateway and DNS servers, so you can go back.
5. Adjust the values in the script below to your network, then run it.

$nic = 'Ethernet'   # Name from Get-NetAdapter

# Remove the adapter's current IPv4 address and default route
Remove-NetIPAddress -InterfaceAlias $nic -AddressFamily IPv4 -Confirm:$false -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
Remove-NetRoute -InterfaceAlias $nic -DestinationPrefix '0.0.0.0/0' -Confirm:$false -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue

# New address, prefix length (24 = 255.255.255.0) and default gateway
New-NetIPAddress -InterfaceAlias $nic -IPAddress 192.168.1.50 -PrefixLength 24 -DefaultGateway 192.168.1.1

# DNS servers; separate several with commas
Set-DnsClientServerAddress -InterfaceAlias $nic -ServerAddresses 192.168.1.1

New-NetIPAddress turns off DHCP for the adapter and saves the address, so it survives a restart. The gateway must be in the same subnet as the address, and the address should be outside your router’s DHCP range. -AddressFamily IPv4 leaves the IPv6 settings alone, and adding -WhatIf to the two Remove- lines shows what they would delete. Check the result with Get-NetIPConfiguration -InterfaceAlias $nic. The New-NetIPAddress reference covers the other parameters.

Switch back to DHCP

$nic = 'Ethernet'
Remove-NetRoute -InterfaceAlias $nic -DestinationPrefix '0.0.0.0/0' -Confirm:$false
Set-NetIPInterface -InterfaceAlias $nic -AddressFamily IPv4 -Dhcp Enabled
Set-DnsClientServerAddress -InterfaceAlias $nic -ResetServerAddresses

Remove the static default route first; otherwise it stays next to the one DHCP delivers. -ResetServerAddresses hands DNS back to DHCP. If Get-NetIPAddress -InterfaceAlias $nic -AddressFamily IPv4 still lists the old address as Manual, remove it with Remove-NetIPAddress -InterfaceAlias $nic -AddressFamily IPv4 -PrefixOrigin Manual -Confirm:$false.

Get the IP address of a remote computer

To see the address DNS has on record, you don’t need remoting: run Resolve-DnsName -Name PC01 -Type A. To read the computer’s own settings, run the cmdlet on it:

Invoke-Command -ComputerName PC01, PC02 -ScriptBlock {
  Get-NetIPAddress -AddressFamily IPv4 -PrefixOrigin Dhcp, Manual
} | Select-Object PSComputerName, InterfaceAlias, IPAddress

# Same data through a CIM session, without a script block
Get-NetIPAddress -AddressFamily IPv4 -CimSession PC01

# WMI class that also lists the gateway and DNS servers
Get-CimInstance -ClassName Win32_NetworkAdapterConfiguration -Filter "IPEnabled = 'True'" -ComputerName PC01 |
  Select-Object PSComputerName, Description, IPAddress, DefaultIPGateway, DNSServerSearchOrder

PSComputerName shows which computer each row comes from. For a list of computers, replace PC01, PC02 with (Get-Content .\computers.txt), and add | Export-Csv .\ip-addresses.csv -NoTypeInformation to save the result. In the WMI class, IPAddress holds IPv4 and IPv6 addresses in one array. Older scripts use Get-WmiObject for the same class; it doesn’t exist in PowerShell 7, and Get-CimInstance replaces it.

All three commands connect through Windows Remote Management (WinRM). In short:

• Remoting on the target: Windows Server 2012 and later accept it by default. On Windows 10 or 11, run Enable-PSRemoting in an elevated session on the target.
• Permissions: your account must be in the target’s Administrators or Remote Management Users group.
• Names and credentials: in a domain, use the computer name. With an IP address or in a workgroup, pass credentials (-Credential on Invoke-Command, or a session from New-CimSession -Credential) and add the target to WinRM’s TrustedHosts list, or use HTTPS.

Test whether an IP address is reachable

Test-Connection -ComputerName 192.168.1.1 -Count 2          # ping
Test-Connection -ComputerName 192.168.1.1 -Count 1 -Quiet   # True or False
Test-NetConnection -ComputerName 192.168.1.20 -Port 3389    # TCP port, here Remote Desktop

Test-NetConnection -Port reports TcpTestSucceeded. That tells you more than ping, because many firewalls drop ping but let traffic to an open port through. Test-Connection changed in PowerShell 7:

Scripts that read IPV4Address or ResponseTime from 5.1 results need changes for PowerShell 7. For ping on every operating system, see how to ping an IP address.

Get the IP address in PowerShell 7 on macOS and Linux

PowerShell 7 runs on macOS and Linux, but the NetTCPIP, DnsClient and NetAdapter modules exist only on Windows, so Get-NetIPAddress, Resolve-DnsName and Test-NetConnection aren’t available there. Test-Connection, Invoke-RestMethod and the .NET classes work everywhere. This lists the IPv4 addresses of all interfaces except loopback:

foreach ($adapter in [System.Net.NetworkInformation.NetworkInterface]::GetAllNetworkInterfaces()) {
  foreach ($addr in $adapter.GetIPProperties().UnicastAddresses) {
    if ($addr.Address.AddressFamily -eq 'InterNetwork' -and -not [System.Net.IPAddress]::IsLoopback($addr.Address)) {
      [pscustomobject]@{ Interface = $adapter.Name; IPAddress = $addr.Address.ToString() }
    }
  }
}

Use 'InterNetworkV6' for IPv6 addresses. The code works on Windows too. Native tools also run in PowerShell, such as ip -br addr on Linux and ipconfig getifaddr en0 on a Mac; the guides for finding your IP address on a Mac and on Linux explain their output.

Troubleshooting PowerShell IP commands