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default-gateway

How to find your router's IP address (default gateway)

Updated August 5, 2026 4 min read
TL;DRYour router's IP is usually 192.168.1.1 or 192.168.0.1, but the exact one is your default gateway. Here's how to find it on Windows, macOS, iOS, and Android.

Short answer: on Windows, open Command Prompt and run ipconfig — the “Default Gateway” line is your router’s IP address. On macOS, go to System Settings → Network → Details → TCP/IP and read “Router.” On a phone, open WiFi settings and tap the connected network. That address, typed into a browser, opens your router’s login page.

Why it’s called a “gateway”

Your router is the one device on your network with a foot in two worlds: your local devices on one side, the internet on the other. Every device that wants to leave the network sends its traffic through the router first. Networking tools label that address the default gateway instead of “the router’s address” for exactly that reason — it’s the same address whether you’re checking connected devices, changing your WiFi password, or logging into the admin page directly.

Most home routers default to 192.168.1.1 or 192.168.0.1, but the manufacturer picks that, not a standard, so yours could just as easily be 192.168.50.1 or 10.0.0.1. Guessing wastes time. Finding the actual address takes seconds.

Why the address looks like that

Router addresses come from blocks of IP addresses set aside for private networks: 192.168.0.0 through 192.168.255.255, 10.0.0.0 through 10.255.255.255, and 172.16.0.0 through 172.31.255.255. None of these are reachable directly from the public internet. That’s why every home network in the world can reuse the same 192.168.1.1 without conflict — it only has meaning inside your own router. The router itself usually takes the first usable address in whichever block it’s configured for, then hands out the rest to your devices one at a time.

Windows

  1. Press Win + R, type cmd, press Enter.
  2. In the Command Prompt window, type ipconfig and press Enter.
  3. Look for “Default Gateway” under your active adapter (Wi-Fi or Ethernet). That’s your router’s IP address.

If you see more than one adapter listed, use the gateway under whichever one shows a real IP address in the “IPv4 Address” line above it — that’s the connection you’re actually using.

macOS

  1. Open System Settings, then Network.
  2. Click your active connection (Wi-Fi or Ethernet), then Details.
  3. Open the TCP/IP tab. The “Router” field is your default gateway.

On older macOS versions, the path is System Preferences → Network → Advanced → TCP/IP, same “Router” field.

iPhone and iPad

  1. Open Settings → Wi-Fi.
  2. Tap the blue (i) icon next to the connected network.
  3. Scroll to the IPv4 Address section. “Router” is your gateway address.

Android

  1. Open Settings → Wi-Fi (or Network & internet → Internet).
  2. Tap the connected network’s name, then look for advanced or details settings — the exact label varies by manufacturer.
  3. Find “Gateway” under the IP settings. On some phones this is under Settings → About phone → Status instead.

If nothing shows up

A missing or all-zero gateway usually means the device isn’t actually connected to that network yet. Check that WiFi is on and joined, or that the ethernet cable is seated. On a laptop with both WiFi and a docked ethernet connection, you may see two different gateway addresses; the one that matters is under whichever adapter shows “Connected” or has a real IP address next to it. A VPN adds a third gateway on its own virtual adapter, which is the address your traffic actually leaves through while it’s on — turn it off if you’re trying to reach your home router specifically.

Once you have the address

Type it into a browser’s address bar, not the search box, and press Enter. That loads your router’s login page, where you sign in with whatever password you set during setup or the one printed on a label on the router itself. Most routers made in the last few years don’t ship with a generic admin/admin default anymore, so if you’re stuck at the login screen, the router login directory has the real defaults by brand and model.

From inside the admin page you can also see every device currently connected. If one shows up you don’t recognize, its MAC address is the fastest way to narrow down what it is — you can run it through a MAC vendor lookup to see who made it.

Frequently asked questions

Is my router's IP address the same as my default gateway?

Yes. Your router hands out addresses to every device on your network, and it also acts as the exit point to the internet. That exit point's address is what your operating system labels the default gateway, and it's the same address you type into a browser to reach the router's admin page.

Why does my default gateway keep changing?

It usually doesn't, unless you've switched networks (different WiFi at work, a coffee shop, a friend's house) or replaced your router, which can assign a new default range on first setup. If it changes on your own home network with no hardware swap, check that another device isn't running its own DHCP server.

What if the address I find doesn't load anything in the browser?

Make sure you're connected to that network's WiFi or ethernet, not a VPN, which routes your traffic through a different gateway entirely. Also type the address directly into the browser's address bar. Some browsers will search for it as text if you paste it into the search box instead.