How to Set a Manual IP Address in Mac OS X
There are times when a user will need to to manually set an IP address in Mac OS X to one which will be compatible with a joined network, either wi-fi or ethernet.
Here will cover how to change a Mac IP address to a manual setting, and also how to pick an IP address which will not be conflicting with another machine on the same network.
Setting a Manual IP Address on Mac
- Launch ‘System Preferences’ from the Apple menu (or Spotlight)
- Click on the “Network” icon
- In the lower right, click on the ‘Advanced’ button
- In the pulldown menu next to “Configure IPv4” select “Manually” (or DHCP with manual address, if that’s what you need)
- Fill in the IP address, subnet mask, and router, as appropriate to the network you are accessing
- Note: If you do not have these details necessary to be compatible with a specific network, ask the network administrator for the proper assigned IP, subnet, and router to use
- Tip: Picking your own manual IP address? The key is to pick a manual IP address which does not conflict with existing IP addresses on the joined network. For example, if the network router IP is “192.168.1.1” and the network has 5 computers in total, manually pick an IP far outside the range of those potential computers (which are likely to be 192.168.1.1 through 192.168.1.6, and so forth, as IPs are typically assigned in a sequential order), so a potential IP address could be “192.168.1.75” or some other number which will not conflict or match an existing network resource
- Click ‘OK’
- Click ‘Apply’ to set the change
That’s it! The settings take effect and you won’t need to reboot. Not too hard right?
Computer users can sometimes be funny, my cousin called me frantically asking me how to manually set his IP address, apparently due to the current network conditions at his lab this was a requirement to be able to have internet access. The guy is brilliant, he’s studying for his PhD but he just automatically assumed that setting a manual IP address was complicated, after I walked him through this, he laughed. Don’t be afraid to get your hands a little dirty! Things on a Mac are almost always easier than you think.
Let us know your experiences and thoughts with setting a manual IP address in macOS, and yes this works the same on every Mac OS X and macOS version ever released (so far anyway).
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So if your router is xxx.xxx.x.xxx, you keep xxx.xxx.x., and replace the rest with something made up?
i got this problem with my MAC.. Another device on the network is using your computer IP address
where can i get a new IP address..?? should i just make it up or something ??
Yes you can make it up if you want, just be sure to pick one that is far enough out of range as to not conflict. For example, if your router assigns 192.168.1.100 as the base, you might want to pick 192.168.1.157 or some obscure higher number.
How do you know what to change it to?
I am also in Canada and use a ‘service’ called Hotspot Shield which allows me to use American sites, such as TV networks, which are restricted to only US ip addresses.
You can download it free from http://hotspotshield.com/
HotSpot Shield is not secure at all…………. people will prey on your computer..
I’m currently in Canada, but I would like to access to a mexican web site and watch some videos but it doesn’t allow me because I have a canadian ip. what is the proper procedure to change my ip to an other country ip. I try to put manually a mexican ip but didn’t work. What else do I need to do? what is the subnet mask for? If some one knows, that would be really helpful. thanks
@J1335p or anyone who is looking for the answer to his question:
Change your IP through your modem, not through your operating system. Be careful and look up a tutorial concerning your specific modem if possible. Make sure to change your IP address back to dynamic/DHCP in your operating system first!
I have a media player that is connected to my tv, and i use my network to watch it wirelessly from my mac, but every time i try to watch something it seems the ip address has changed and i have to find what it has changed to and re-enter that information into my media player. i tried to set a manual ip well when i do that, safari will not connect to the internet. any idea why?
thanks
Hey … could it be anything as for the IP address… cus some douch said hed crash me for no reason so if i change it i could run away from the problem… :D some help me i need to get his IP or change mine…
THANKS
Justin