7+ Hacks to Fix Windows has Detected an IP Address Conflict

1. Pick up your router and locate the power button on the back
2. Press the power button to disable all Internet access in your household
3. Wait a couple of minutes
4. Turn the router back on

In most cases, the Windows has detected an IP address conflict message appears due to certain glitches with your router.

1. Run Command Prompt: press Win + R , type cmd, press Enter
2. Type ipconfig/release and press Enter to release your current IP
3. Enter ipconfig/renew to reset your IP

A good way to fix Windows network errors is by releasing and renewing your IP address.

Don’t worry if you won’t have Internet access after using the ipconfig/release. You’ll get back online after inputting ipconfig/renew, which sends a request for a new IP address from your DHCP server.

1. Run Command Prompt as admin
2. Copy and paste the next lines (press Enter between each line)

ipconfig /flushdns
ipconfig /registerdns
NETSH winsock reset catalog
NETSH int ipv4 reset reset.log
NETSH int ipv6 reset reset.log
exit

After quitting CMD, make sure to restart your PC.

Network conflicts can be often resolved by flushing your DNS servers and resetting Winsock, which is in charge of your TCP/IP configuration. It’s the IP equivalent of turning your Internet off and on again.

If you’re using the Windows 10 built-in VPN service to create a secure tunnel to the public Internet, it could cause network errors.

For instance, your VPN might have trouble attempting to reconnect to the web when your PC wakes up from hibernation mode.

1. On Windows 10, right-click the Start button and go to Network Connections
2. Click Change adapter settings
3. Right-click your Internet connection and select Properties
4. Double-click Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4)
5. In the General tab, select Obtain an IP address automatically
6. Click OK

If you have IPv6 connectivity, then double-click Internet Protocol Version 6 (TCP/IPv6) and select Obtain an IP address automatically there, too.

1. Go to Network Connections and click Change adapter options
2. Right-click your Internet connection and go to Properties
3. Deselect Internet Protocol Version 6 (TCP/IPv6)
4. Click OK

If your ISP didn’t assign an IPv6 address on your home network, there’s no point in keeping it enabled. In fact, it might clash with IPv4 and cause network errors due to incorrect IP assignments.

The steps above apply only to your Windows computer. If you want to be thorough about it, then you should disable IPv6 connectivity in your router admin panel.

1. On Windows 10, right-click the Start button and go to Device Manager
2. Expand the Network adapters menu
3. Right-click your network adapter and click Uninstall Device
4. If you’re using a VPN, do the same for all TAP and Miniport entries
5. Open the Action menu and select Scan for hardware changes

To get rid of the Windows has detected an IP address conflict message, it’s a good idea to reinstall your network adapters.

And, if this doesn’t fix the problem either, then make sure to update your network drivers to the latest version. You can do this manually or by using a driver updating tool.

1. Head over to Network Connections > Change adapter options
2. Right-click your Internet connection and select Properties
3. Double-click Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4)
4. Select Use the following DNS server addresses
5. Set Preferred DNS server to 8.8.8.8
6. Set Alternate DNS server to 8.8.4.4
7. Click OK

If your DNS resolver is faulty, it could cause various network errors, including IP conflicts on your local network. But you can fix this issue by modifying your DNS server addresses.

In our example above, we listed the free and public DNS server addresses provided by Google Public DNS.

However, if you use a premium VPN service like Private Internet Access, you don’t have to worry about DNS issues.

While staying connected to the VPN, PIA redirects your network traffic through its private DNS servers to make your Internet connection faster and protect you from DNS hijacking.