A simple guide to turning on DHCP on your Windows or Mac computer

Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) is a network protocol that allows a server to automatically assign an IP address to your computer. Enabling DHCP can help prevent configuration errors by assigning a unique IP address to your computer, as well as prevent loss of service due to sharing the same IP address with another computer on your network.

Things You Should Know

  • On Windows, open Network Connections, click your connection, expand its TCP/IP properties, then click "Obtain an IP address automatically."
  • On a Mac, open the Network panel of System Preferences, click your connection, select "Using DHCP" from the menu, and then click "Apply."
Method 1
Method 1 of 4:

Windows 10 and 8

  1. 1
    Navigate to the desktop and press the Windows + X keys. This will open the Power User Task menu.
  2. 2
    Click on “Network Connections,” then select either “Ethernet” or “Wi-Fi,” based on your Internet connection type. This will open the network connection status window.
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  3. 3
    Click on “Properties,” then select “Internet Protocol Version 4.
  4. 4
    Click on “Properties,” then place checkmarks next to “Obtain an IP address automatically” and “Obtain DNS server address automatically.
  5. 5
    Click on “OK,” then close the network connection status window. DHCP will now be enabled on your Windows 10 or Windows 8 computer.[1]
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Method 2
Method 2 of 4:

Mac OS X

  1. 1
    Click on the Apple menu and select “System Preferences. This will open the System Preferences menu.
  2. 2
    Click on “Network,” then select your Internet connection type from the left pane. For example, if using an Ethernet Internet connection, select “Ethernet.”
  3. 3
    Click on the dropdown menu next to “Configure IPv4” and select “Using DHCP.
  4. 4
    Click on “Apply,” then close the System Preferences window. DHCP will now be enabled.
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Method 3
Method 3 of 4:

Windows 7 and Vista

  1. 1
    Click on the Start menu and select “Control Panel. This will open the Control Panel menu.
  2. 2
    Click on “Network and Sharing Center,” then click on “Local Area Connection” under “View your active networks. This will open the Local Area Connection Status window.
  3. 3
    Click on “Properties,” then select “Internet Protocol Version 4.
  4. 4
    Click on “Properties,” then place checkmarks next to “Obtain an IP address automatically” and “Obtain DNS server address automatically.
  5. 5
    Click on “OK,” then close the network connection status window. DHCP will now be enabled on your Windows 7 or Windows Vista computer.[2]
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Method 4
Method 4 of 4:

Windows XP

  1. 1
    Click on the Start menu and select “Control Panel. This will open the Control Panel menu.
  2. 2
    Double-click on “Network Connections,” or “Network and Internet Connections.
  3. 3
    Right-click on “Local Area Connection,” then click on “Properties.
  4. 4
    Click on “Internet Protocol (TCP/IP),” then click on “Properties.
  5. 5
    Place checkmarks next to “Obtain an IP address automatically” and “Obtain DNS server address automatically.
  6. 6
    Click on “OK. DHCP will now be enabled.
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About This Article

wikiHow is a “wiki,” similar to Wikipedia, which means that many of our articles are co-written by multiple authors. To create this article, volunteer authors worked to edit and improve it over time. This article has been viewed 61,612 times.
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Co-authors: 4
Updated: October 25, 2022
Views: 61,612
Categories: Computer Networking
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