Typing "remove static IP Windows 11" into a search bar usually surfaces ipconfig /release and ipconfig /renew. Those are real commands, but they won't remove a manually configured address on their own. /renew only works on adapters already configured to obtain an address automatically.
The actual fix is switching the adapter's IPv4 assignment from Manual to Automatic (DHCP) first. Everything else in this guide, including a lease refresh, happens after that switch, not instead of it.
This guide assumes a router or gateway provides DHCP, which is the typical setup at home. Work, school, or other managed networks sometimes assign addresses through a different policy, so check with whoever administers the network if this is a managed connection.
One caveat worth knowing before starting: some home routers can hand the same device a familiar-looking address on their own, tied to that device rather than to anything typed in Windows. If a PC "looks unchanged" after these steps, that's not automatically proof the fix failed. It's just a separate router-side behavior, and this guide doesn't cover configuring it.
Before changing anything
If the address was assigned for a reason, such as a printer, home server, remote access, or port forwarding, record the current values before touching any settings:
Current IPv4 address
Subnet mask
Default gateway
DNS server addresses
That way, if something needs to go back exactly as it was, the original numbers are already written down instead of guessed at afterward.
How to change a static IP to DHCP in Windows 11
The fix itself is one setting: change the adapter's IPv4 assignment from Manual back to Automatic (DHCP).
Microsoft's current Windows instructions use the Settings app:
Open Settings > Network & internet.
For Wi-Fi, select Wi-Fi > Manage known networks, then choose the network you want to change. For Ethernet, select Ethernet and choose the connected network.
Find IP assignment and select Edit.
Choose Automatic (DHCP), then save the change.
Microsoft confirms that Automatic (DHCP) lets the router or other access point assign the IP address and related network settings automatically.
You can also use the classic Network Connections window:
Search "network connections" from the Windows search bar and open the matching result.
Right-click the adapter carrying the static address, Wi-Fi or Ethernet, and choose Properties.
Select Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4) and click Properties.
Choose Obtain an IP address automatically and click OK.
That removes the manually entered IPv4 address from the adapter.
Confirm the switch actually took effect
A static address can look just as ordinary as a DHCP-assigned one at a glance, so don't stop at eyeballing the number. Two separate questions matter here: whether DHCP is actually controlling the adapter, and whether the connection works.
Open Command Prompt and run:
ipconfig /all
Find the Wi-Fi or Ethernet adapter you changed and check that DHCP Enabled reads Yes. If it still reads No, the adapter is still using a manual configuration or you're looking at the wrong adapter.
Then check the adapter's IPv4 Address, Subnet Mask, and Default Gateway.
If the address starts with 169.254, Windows has assigned itself an Automatic Private IP Addressing, or APIPA, address because it did not receive a usable DHCP lease. Microsoft documents 169.254.0.0/16 as the range Windows uses for this fallback behavior.
On a typical home network, you should instead see an address within the router's local range and usually a Default Gateway pointing to the router.
You can also ping the gateway address to test basic communication with the router:
ping 192.168.1.1
Replace that example with the gateway shown by ipconfig /all. A successful reply confirms the PC can reach the router. A failed ping isn't conclusive on its own because some devices may block ICMP replies, but it can still be a useful troubleshooting clue.
Force a fresh lease with ipconfig (optional)
Once the adapter is confirmed as Automatic, you can force an immediate DHCP refresh instead of waiting for Windows to renew the lease itself.
Microsoft documents ipconfig /release as releasing the current DHCP configuration and ipconfig /renew as requesting a new DHCP configuration.
To target only the adapter you changed, run the commands separately in Command Prompt:
ipconfig /release "Wi-Fi"
ipconfig /renew "Wi-Fi"
Replace Wi-Fi with the exact adapter name shown by ipconfig if yours is different.
You can also chain them:
ipconfig /release "Wi-Fi" && ipconfig /renew "Wi-Fi"
Running /release or /renew without an adapter name applies the operation to all applicable DHCP-configured adapters, so targeting the connection you actually changed avoids disturbing other interfaces unnecessarily.
A renewed lease does not guarantee a different numeric address. DHCP servers often hand the same device its previous address again, so seeing the same IP afterward does not mean the change failed.
Avoid running /release through a Remote Desktop connection that depends on the adapter you're releasing. Dropping the adapter's current DHCP configuration can disconnect the session before you can restore connectivity.
VPN and virtual adapters can also appear in ipconfig /all, so confirm you're working with the physical Wi-Fi or Ethernet adapter rather than assuming every listed interface behaves the same way.
If the connection doesn't come back
Work through these in order. Each one rules out a different failure point: the setting itself, the DHCP lease, or the path to the router.
Still configured manually. Recheck the adapter that was actually changed, not a different one. If DHCP Enabled still reads No, or the Settings app still shows Manual under IP assignment, repeat the steps above on the correct adapter.
Set to DHCP but no usable lease. If DHCP is enabled but the IPv4 address starts with 169.254, Windows has fallen back to APIPA because it did not obtain a DHCP address. Try disabling and re-enabling the adapter before jumping to anything more disruptive.
Open Network Connections, right-click the affected adapter, choose Disable, then right-click it again and choose Enable.
If the problem continues, check whether the router's DHCP server is enabled and whether other devices on the same network are receiving addresses normally.
Gets an address but can't reach anything. If the adapter shows a normal-looking address and gateway but connectivity still fails, check the router's client list for a reservation or other configuration tied to the PC. On a work or school connection, ask whoever administers the network whether addressing is centrally controlled.
Neither situation means the Windows-side switch to DHCP failed. Router-side reservations and network policies are separate from manually assigning an address inside Windows.
Only after those checks should you consider a full network reset.
Go to Settings > Network & internet > Advanced network settings > Network reset, then select Reset now. Microsoft recommends network reset as a last troubleshooting step because it removes installed network adapters and their settings before reinstalling them after the PC restarts.
Be aware that you may need to reinstall or reconfigure networking software afterward, including VPN clients or virtual switches.
Command-line resets such as netsh int ip reset and netsh winsock reset also affect networking much more broadly than simply switching one adapter from a static IP to DHCP. They aren't the normal way to remove a static address, so reserve them for a genuinely stuck network configuration.
What to do now
Check DHCP status first, then the address, gateway, and connectivity, in that order, before assuming anything is wrong. A familiar-looking address afterward isn't automatic proof the change failed because a DHCP server can assign the same address again.
If predictable addressing still matters for whatever this address was doing, such as a printer, server, remote access setup, or port forwarding rule, check the router's own DHCP reservation settings before typing a manual entry back into Windows. Keep the values recorded earlier on hand until whatever replaces the static configuration is confirmed working.
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