Find your local IP, default gateway, and DNS servers

Find the active adapter on Windows

ipconfig /all
route print

Match the Ethernet or Wi-Fi adapter that is actually connected. Record its IPv4 address, subnet mask, default gateway, and DNS servers. Ignore disconnected adapters when investigating the current path, but keep VPN adapters in mind: a VPN can change routing and DNS even while the physical Wi-Fi connection remains active.

For example, an address of 192.168.50.23, mask 255.255.255.0, and gateway 192.168.50.1 places the device on 192.168.50.0/24. The gateway is often the home router. It does not have to be the first address in every network.

Check macOS and Linux

On macOS, open System Settings → Network, select the connected interface, and inspect its TCP/IP and DNS details. Terminal can show the default IPv4 route with route -n get default. The reported interface helps you choose which adapter's settings matter.

# Linux: addresses and IPv4 default route
ip address show
ip route show default

# IPv6 default route
ip -6 route show default

# DNS on systems running systemd-resolved
resolvectl status

Linux tools depend on the distribution. resolvectl may not exist on a system using another resolver. A loopback DNS address can be a local resolver stub, so inspect the network manager's upstream DNS settings when necessary.

Read the result in context

An IPv4 address beginning 169.254 can indicate link-local configuration when ordinary DHCP setup failed. A link-local IPv6 address by itself does not demonstrate Internet IPv6 connectivity. Multiple addresses can belong to Ethernet, Wi-Fi, virtual machines, containers, and a VPN simultaneously.

Several default routes can coexist. Route specificity and metrics help choose a path; simply spotting a gateway in one adapter's output does not prove that every destination uses it. Split-tunnel VPNs intentionally send different destinations through different paths.

Use the settings for a first diagnosis

1. Check that the connected adapter has an expected address and prefix.
2. Test the gateway, allowing for equipment that does not answer ping.
3. Test an external destination and a DNS lookup separately.
4. Compare with another device on the same LAN.

Before sharing diagnostic output, remove unrelated adapter addresses, hostnames, and identifiers. Keep enough detail to describe the failing interface. Never change a managed workplace network's addressing just to match a home-network example; ask its administrator for the intended configuration.