What does renewing an IP address actually do?

Renewing your IP address tells your device or router to release its current DHCP lease and request a new one from the DHCP server. On a local network, this gives your device a new private IP. Doing this at the router level — or power-cycling the router — may also cause your ISP to assign a new public IP address.

Will renewing my IP always give me a new public IP?

Not necessarily. Many ISPs use sticky DHCP, meaning they deliberately re-assign the same public IP to the same router. To maximise the chance of getting a new public IP, power-cycle your router and leave it unplugged for at least 60 seconds so the DHCP lease can expire on the ISP side.

How do I renew my IP on Windows?

Open Command Prompt as administrator, type ipconfig /release and press Enter, then type ipconfig /renew and press Enter. This releases your current DHCP lease and requests a new one. Your internet connection will be briefly interrupted during the process.

How do I renew my IP on a Mac?

Go to System Settings → Network → select your active interface (Wi-Fi or Ethernet) → click Details → TCP/IP tab → click the Renew DHCP Lease button. Your connection will briefly drop while a new lease is negotiated.

How do I renew my IP on an iPhone?

Open Settings → Wi-Fi → tap the (i) icon next to your connected network → scroll down and tap Renew Lease. Confirm when prompted. Your iPhone will release its current IP and request a new one from the router's DHCP server.

How do I renew my IP on Android?

The most reliable method on Android is to forget the Wi-Fi network and reconnect — go to Settings → Wi-Fi → tap and hold the network → Forget → reconnect with your password. Alternatively, switch to a static IP configuration and then switch back to DHCP, which forces a new lease request.

Why won't renewing my IP change my public IP address?

There are three common reasons: your ISP uses sticky DHCP and intentionally re-assigns the same IP; you have a static IP configured (a static IP ignores DHCP renewal); or your ISP uses CGNAT, where your public IP is shared with other customers and is not under your control.

What is CGNAT and why does it block IP renewal?

CGNAT (Carrier-Grade NAT) means your ISP places multiple customers behind one shared public IP address. You do not have your own public IP to renew or change — the address is managed by the ISP's infrastructure. This is common on Du mobile data and some residential plans in the UAE.

Does power-cycling my router change my public IP?

It often does, but not always. When your router reconnects, it sends a new DHCP request to your ISP. If you left the router unplugged long enough for the lease to expire (60+ seconds is usually sufficient), the ISP is more likely to assign a fresh address. With sticky DHCP, however, the same IP may be re-assigned regardless.

Can I renew my IP to escape a ban or blacklist?

Potentially, yes — if the ban is based on your IP address and you successfully obtain a new one. However, many services also use browser fingerprinting, cookies, or account identifiers, so changing your IP alone may not be sufficient. A VPN provides a more reliable way to change your apparent IP address.

How is renewing an IP different from using a VPN?

Renewing your IP requests a new address from your ISP — you still appear to be on your ISP's network. A VPN routes your traffic through a server in a different location, changing the IP that websites see to the VPN server's address. A VPN also encrypts your traffic and masks your real ISP.

How to Renew Your IP Address on Any Device

What Does Renewing an IP Address Mean?

Renewing your IP address means asking the DHCP server — either your router (for local/private IP) or your ISP (for your public IP) — to release your current lease and issue a new one. On a local network, this changes the private address your device uses. At the router level, it may also prompt your ISP to assign a different public IP address.

You can check your current public IP before and after using the What's My IP tool. For context on why IPs change in the first place, see our guide on why your IP address changes.

Why You Might Want to Renew Your IP

Troubleshoot connectivity — A corrupted or conflicting DHCP lease can cause network errors; releasing and renewing clears the problem.
Get a new public IP — If your IP has been flagged, rate-limited, or banned by a service, a fresh address may resolve the issue.
Privacy — Changing your public IP periodically reduces the ability of sites to track you by IP alone.
Resolve IP conflicts — Two devices accidentally assigned the same IP causes connectivity failures; renewing forces a new, unique assignment.

Method 1: Windows — ipconfig /release and /renew

This is the fastest and most reliable method on Windows:

Press Win + S, type cmd, right-click Command Prompt, and select Run as administrator.
Type ipconfig /release and press Enter. This releases your current DHCP lease. Your internet connection will drop briefly.
Type ipconfig /renew and press Enter. Windows requests a new lease from the DHCP server.
Run ipconfig to confirm your new IP address under the active adapter.

To also flush cached DNS records after renewing, run ipconfig /flushdns. This prevents stale DNS cache from causing issues after the IP change. See our guide on what DNS is for more context.

Method 2: macOS — Renew DHCP Lease

Open System Settings → Network.
Select your active interface — Wi-Fi or Ethernet.
Click Details… (macOS Ventura and later) or Advanced… (older macOS).
Go to the TCP/IP tab.
Click Renew DHCP Lease. Your connection will briefly drop while a new lease is negotiated.

Terminal alternative: Open Terminal and run sudo ipconfig set en0 DHCP (replace en0 with your interface name, visible via ifconfig). This forces an immediate DHCP renewal.

Method 3: iPhone — Renew Lease

Open Settings → Wi-Fi.
Tap the (i) icon next to your connected network.
Scroll down and tap Renew Lease.
Tap Renew Lease again on the confirmation prompt.

This releases your iPhone's private IP lease from the router and requests a new one. It affects your private IP on the local network, not your public IP directly.

Method 4: Android — Forget and Reconnect

Android does not expose a direct "Renew Lease" button in most versions, so the cleanest method is:

Go to Settings → Wi-Fi.
Tap and hold your connected network (or tap the gear/info icon).
Select Forget (or Remove network).
Reconnect to the network by selecting it and entering your password.

Alternative: Go into the network's settings → IP settings → change from DHCP to Static → save → change back to DHCP→ save. This forces a new DHCP request without forgetting the network.

Method 5: Router Power Cycle (Most Effective for Public IP)

The previous methods change your private IP (the one your device uses on your local network). To change your public IP — the one websites see — you need to renew the DHCP lease between your router and your ISP:

Unplug your router (and modem if separate) from the power socket.
Wait at least 60 seconds — this gives the DHCP lease time to expire on the ISP's side.
Plug the router back in and wait for it to reconnect fully.
Check your new public IP at What's My IP.

Longer outages (5–10 minutes) increase the likelihood of receiving a new public IP, as the ISP is more likely to have returned the old address to the pool.

Method Comparison

Method	Platform	Changes Private IP	May Change Public IP	Difficulty
ipconfig /release + /renew	Windows	Yes	No (router unchanged)	Easy
Renew DHCP Lease button	macOS	Yes	No (router unchanged)	Easy
Renew Lease (Settings)	iPhone	Yes	No (router unchanged)	Easy
Forget and reconnect	Android	Yes	No (router unchanged)	Easy
Router power cycle (60 s+)	All devices	Yes (via router DHCP)	Often yes	Easy
Use a VPN	All devices	No	Yes (VPN server IP shown)	Moderate

When Renewal Won't Work

There are three situations where renewing your IP will not produce a new public address:

Static IP — If you or your ISP has configured a static IP, DHCP renewal simply re-assigns the same fixed address every time. See our guide on static vs. dynamic IP for more detail.
CGNAT — If your ISP uses Carrier-Grade NAT (common on Du mobile in the UAE), you do not have your own public IP to change. The shared address is managed entirely by the ISP's infrastructure.
Sticky DHCP — Some ISPs deliberately re-assign the same IP to the same router's hardware address. In this case, no amount of power-cycling will produce a new IP without an extended offline period or a MAC address change.

Realistic Expectations

Renewing your IP is a useful troubleshooting step for connectivity issues and can sometimes produce a new public address. However, it is not guaranteed to change your public IP, and it will not provide anonymity — your ISP always knows which customer is using which address. For a reliable change of apparent public IP, consider a VPN or a proxy server. For more privacy-focused advice, see our guide on how to hide your IP address.

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