Most devices on a home network get their IP address automatically from the router's DHCP server, and that address can change every time the device reconnects. Most of the time this is invisible and fine. But for a handful of specific tasks — running a home server, setting up port forwarding for a game or a security camera, or making sure a printer is always reachable at the same address — a device that keeps changing its IP breaks things in ways that are annoying to keep re-diagnosing. Fixing one device to a permanent address solves that.
Two Ways to Do This, and Why One Is Usually Better
There are two approaches: set a static IP directly on the device itself, or reserve an address for that device in the router's DHCP settings (often called a "DHCP reservation" or "address reservation"). The router-based reservation is almost always the better choice. It keeps DHCP in control of the whole network, avoids address conflicts if you later change router settings, and if the device ever gets reset or replaced, the reservation is tied to its hardware (MAC) address rather than something you have to remember to reconfigure manually on the device.
Setting a DHCP Reservation from the Router
Log into your router's admin panel (typically by typing 192.168.1.1 or 192.168.0.1 into a browser address bar, though this varies by manufacturer — check the label on the router itself if unsure). Look for a section labeled DHCP Reservation, Address Reservation, or Static Leases, usually under LAN or Network settings. You'll need the device's MAC address, which you can find in its network settings, and then assign it whatever IP address you want to reserve, as long as it's within the router's DHCP range and not already assigned to another device.
Once saved, that device will always receive the same IP the next time it requests one, without you touching the device's own network settings at all.
Setting a Static IP Directly on Windows
If you'd rather configure the device itself: Settings → Network & Internet → Wi-Fi (or Ethernet) → click your active connection → Edit next to IP assignment → change from Automatic (DHCP) to Manual, then toggle IPv4 on. You'll need to fill in four fields:
- IP address: pick something outside your router's DHCP pool to avoid conflicts, e.g. 192.168.1.200 if the router hands out 192.168.1.2 through 192.168.1.199.
- Subnet mask: almost always 255.255.255.0 on a home network.
- Gateway: your router's own address, e.g. 192.168.1.1.
- DNS: your router's address again, or a public resolver like 1.1.1.1 if you prefer.
Setting a Static IP on macOS
System Settings → Network → select the active connection → Details → TCP/IP tab → change "Configure IPv4" from Using DHCP to Manually, then fill in the same four fields as above. The DNS tab, one over, is where you'd separately add resolver addresses if you're not using the router's default.
Static IP for a Printer or a NAS
Network printers and home NAS boxes are the two devices where a fixed address pays off almost immediately, since both are usually configured once and then accessed by name or IP from multiple other devices for months or years without anyone touching the setting again. If a printer's address changes after a router reboot, every computer that had it saved starts failing to print until each one is reconfigured individually — a DHCP reservation set once from the router avoids that entirely, and it's the same reasoning that makes a reservation worthwhile for a home NAS that other devices back up to on a schedule.
Confirming the Reservation Actually Took
After setting a DHCP reservation or a manual static IP, restart the device (or just disconnect and reconnect its network adapter) and check that it picked up the intended address. On Windows, open Command Prompt and run ipconfig to see the current IPv4 address assigned to each adapter. On macOS or Linux, ifconfig or ip addr shows the same information. If the address doesn't match what you set, double-check that you saved the reservation on the correct device — it's a common mistake to reserve an address for the wrong MAC address when a device has both a Wi-Fi and an Ethernet adapter, each with its own distinct hardware address.
When You Don't Need This at All
If the only reason you're considering a static IP is to remotely access a device from outside your home network, a static IP on the local device doesn't solve that by itself — you'd also need port forwarding on the router, and ideally a way to reach your home's public-facing address reliably, since most residential internet plans still assign a dynamic public IP that changes periodically. For accessing your own PC remotely, see our guide on setting up Remote Desktop on Windows, which covers the fuller picture including router configuration.
For understanding the broader distinction between the public IP your whole household shares and the private IPs each device gets internally, our guide to public, private, static, and dynamic IP addresses covers the concepts this article assumes. The Internet Assigned Numbers Authority documents the private address ranges referenced above (192.168.x.x, 10.x.x.x, and 172.16-31.x.x) at iana.org if you want the underlying standard.