An IP address is a computer’s identity. When your computer is connected to a network or internet connection, the network uses the IP address to differentiate your computer from the other connected devices. But some users have been facing the Windows has detected an IP address conflict while using internet connection.
The error message informs that the computer’s IP address is already in use within the network. Therefore, you can’t proceed further to use an internet connection for your computer. If you are someone who is struggling with this same issue, then don’t worry. You have come to the right place because we will show you various solutions that will help you fix this error.
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Page Contents
- What is causing the Windows has detected an IP address conflict?
- Solutions to resolve the Windows has detected an IP address conflict:
- Solution 1: Restart your internet setup (router)
- Solution 2: Refresh your computer’s IP address
- Solution 3: Switch to dynamic IP address
- Solution 4: VZAccess Manager
- Solution 5: Check the DHCP lease
- Solution 6: Disable your ethernet cable and wireless adapter
- Solution 7: Check your VPN service
- Solution 8: Disable IPv6 on your computer
- Solution 9: Disconnect all the devices from your network
- Solution 10: Select the router encryption
- Solution 11: Change your IP address manually
What is causing the Windows has detected an IP address conflict?
As we have said earlier, the IP address is a unique address for a computer. No two devices should have the same IP address within a network. So, the problem must be arising from a glitch with your PC Settings or Router. To help you with fixing this error, we have given some solutions. Go through them one by one and see which one works for your case.
Solutions to resolve the Windows has detected an IP address conflict:
Solution 1: Restart your internet setup (router)
Due to a glitch, your router might fail in providing a correct IP address to the computer. To fix this issue, the first thing you should do is to restart your router. Follow these steps.
- Turn off your router.
- Wait for a few minutes, then switch it on.
- After the router is turned on, connect it back to the device, and see if the error comes back again.
Solution 2: Refresh your computer’s IP address
If the problem comes up again, you have to refresh your computer’s IP address. And to do that you have to use the Command Prompt. Now, follow these steps and refresh your computer’s IP address.
- Go to the Start
- Type “cmd“
- Right-click on the Command Prompt to choose the Run as administrator
- Now, type the following command lines and press Enter after each command line.
netsh int ip reset c:\resetlog.txt
ipconfig /release
ipconfig /renew
- After the process is over, check for the error.
Solution 3: Switch to dynamic IP address
When you use a static IP address, some other devices within your network could have the same IP address as your computer. So, to remove the Windows has detected an IP address conflict message, follow these steps and change the static IP address to dynamic IP address.
- Press Windows key +X.
- Click on Network Connections.
- Right-click on your connection and select the Properties option.
- Select the option “Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4)and click on the “Properties” button.
- Check both the Obtain an IP address automatically and Obtain DNS server address automatically options.
- Click “OK” to save changes.
- Restart your computer and see if the error still exists.
Solution 4: VZAccess Manager
Some users had informed that the error started appearing because of the VZAccess Manager. If you disconnect from the VZAccess Manager without closing the application, then after reconnecting the VZAccess Manager will create the Windows has detected an IP address conflict.
In this case, to fix the issue, you have to disconnect from VZAccess Manager and close it completely. After you close the VZAccess Manager, reconnect the application, and see if the error shows up again.
Solution 5: Check the DHCP lease
A DHCP lease informs you about the time assigned to your IP address. After the DHCP lease expires, the present IP address will become invalid, and a new IP address will replace it. Sometimes the Windows has detected an IP address conflict starts appearing when the DHCP expires. To fix this issue, you have to increase the DHCP lease time.
- Go to your router’s configuration page.
- Open the DHCP
- Find the lease time.
- Then, change it to 86400 seconds (as DHCP lease is represented in seconds).
- Save the changes.
- Close the page, then check for the error.
Solution 6: Disable your ethernet cable and wireless adapter
Another simple way to fix the error is by disabling ethernet cable and wireless adapter connections. After disabling it, you can reconnect and see if that fixes the error. First, disconnect from your ethernet cable. Wait for a few minutes and then reconnect it to your device. See if that fixes the problem.
If you use a wireless adapter, follow these steps given below to disable it.
- Press Windows key +X.
- Open Device Manager.
- Now, open the Network adapters section to choose your Wi-Fi adapter.
- Right-click on your Wi-Fi adapter and then select the Disable button.
- Wait for a few minutes.
- Then, again right-click on the Wi-Fi adapter.
- This time click on the Enable button.
- Check if the error is resolved.
Solution 7: Check your VPN service
If you are using a VPN service, make sure you reconnect to it after your computer starts from the sleep mode. Sometimes the VPN connection goes down when your computer goes to sleep mode, leading to Windows has detected an IP address conflict. To fix this issue, just restart your computer and reconnect to the VPN service and see if you can find the error again.
Solution 8: Disable IPv6 on your computer
The IPv6 type of IP addresses are not compatible with some computers. They can create errors like Windows has detected an IP address conflict. To solve the issue, you have to follow these steps and disable IPv6 from your computer.
- Go to Network Connections and find your connection.
- Right-click on your connection and select “Properties.”
- Now, find the Internet Protocol Version 6 (TCP/IPv6).
- Uncheck it and click “OK.”
- Check if the error is present or not.
- You can also disable IPv6 for all network adapters.
- Press Windows key +R.
- Type “regedit” and press Enter.
- In the Registry Editor, find the following path in the left pane.
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Tcpip6\Parameters
- You have to create a new DWORD for DisableComponet if you don’t find it in the right pane.
- Right-click on an empty space in the right pane, click “New,” then choose a DWORD with a 32-bit value.
- Name the new DWORD DisableComponent.
- Double-click on the new DisableComponent DWORD and select Properties.
- Change its value to 0ffffffff and click OK.
- Restart your PC and check for the error.
Solution 9: Disconnect all the devices from your network
Sometimes the problem arises from the device that is connected to your network. So, to fix this problem, switch off your router. Now, disconnect every device from your network, including your laptop, smartphone, PC, or other connected devices. Then, turn the router on. Connect the devices one at a time and see if the problem comes back.
Solution 10: Select the router encryption
There’s another way to fix the Windows has detected an IP address conflict that involves changing the encryption type of your router. But before proceeding with this solution, remember that all encryption types are not safe. Now, to change the encryption type, follow these steps.
- Go to your router’s configuration page.
- Sign in to your account.
- Go to the Wireless section and find the encryption field.
- If you were using WEP earlier, you could change your encryption type to WPA2-PSK [AES]. You can also come back and change the encryption type if this one doesn’t work for you.
- After you change the encryption type, you have to reconnect all the devices to the network again. See if the problem persists this time.
Solution 11: Change your IP address manually
If none of the above-mentioned solutions fix the problem for you, you have to change your IP address manually. Follow these steps.
- Start by changing the DHCP settings of your router.
- Go to your router’s configuration page.
- Open the DHCP section and set the address range from 168.1.5 to 192.168.1.50
- This will ensure that all the devices connected to your router will get IP addresses between these two values.
- The next step involves finding out the Gateway, DNS, and Subnet mask address.
- Open the Network Connections window on your computer.
- Choose the Status of your current connection by right-clicking on the connection.
- Select the “Details” option.
- Here, you can see the IPv4 Gateway, DNS, and Subnet mask address.
- Again, open the Network Connections window on your computer.
- Locate your connection and then right-click on it to choose Properties.
- Click on the Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4) and choose Properties.
- Now, select the Use the following IP address option and enter DNS information.
- Set the IP address outside of the DHCP range (for example, 192.168.1.51)
- Click OK.
Internet connection has become a basic necessity. Many people depend on the internet for different purposes. If you have become tired facing Windows has detected an IP address conflict, you can use our solutions and fix it in no time.
The steps in the solutions are easy, and anyone can perform them on their own. Carefully go through the solutions and see which one solution fixes the problem for you. We hope you will be able to fix the error and enjoy your internet connection again. If you have any queries or feedback, please write down the comment in the below comment box.