Windows IP address conflict detected. What to do?

There are a lot of different errors you deal with using Windows OS. And today, we will discuss solving the "Windows IP address conflict detected" error, which you often see when you connect to the Internet, especially when using the router. In Windows 10, Windows 8, and Windows 7 systems, you often may encounter the error message: "There is already a computer with the same IP address on this network.”

And here is the window itself with an error:

That is how the error window looks like in Windows XP:

This error occurs most often when connecting to the router at home or somewhere at work. A device in your network is already using the IP address that your computer is trying to get. That is why there is an IP address conflict. The error is actually rare, as the router automatically distributes IP addresses by default. But even if the router distributes IP automatically (the DHCP server is responsible for that), you may be prescribed a static IP address that is already occupied by another device. In that case, the "Windows IP Conflict Detected" error will occur.

One important point! Similarly, if you encounter this problem at work and not at home, we do not recommend changing any settings yourself. If you have any questions about the network, it is best to contact the person responsible.

And a few tips before we get to the settings:

• First, try rebooting the router and the computer.
• Connecting your computer directly to the Internet (without a router) may fix the problem. In the event that this does not work, you should contact the support department of your ISP. Most likely, the IP address conflict is on their side.
• In the "Network Adapters" window, you can try to disable the "Network connection" adapter. In Windows 10, it is called "Ethernet". And then turn it back on.

If all this does not help, you need to check the IP settings for your network adapter. There are two options there: set it to obtain addresses automatically, and if that doesn't help, you have to assign static addresses.

How to fix IP address conflict errors in Windows 10, 8, 7, XP

Go to "Network and Sharing Center" and go to "Change Adapter/Adapters".

Next, right-click on the adapter "Network Connection" or "Ethernet" and open "Properties".

Click on "IP Version 4 (TCP/IPv4)", then click on "Properties". Then set it to obtain IP and DNS automatically. Follow these steps:

Restart your computer. If the Internet does not work after that, or if you had it originally set to connect automatically, you can try to set the necessary parameters manually.

Static IP addresses: as a conflict resolution option

Using static IP addresses is not the best idea. It is better to set all devices to receive IPs automatically. Otherwise, sooner or later, the error will pop up again. But if you need to solve this problem urgently, the option with static addresses may come in handy. Follow these steps:

1. Open the settings as was shown. Only instead of automatic settings, toggle a switch next to "Use the following IP address".
2. And then, we need to prescribe the IP address itself, the subnet mask, and the default gateway.

• IP address - here you need to specify the address that our computer gets from the router. You first need to know the IP address of the router. This is probably 192.168.1.1, or 192.168.0.1. Then, change the last digit. It is desirable to prescribe higher than 100. For example: If my router has an IP address of 192.168.1.1, then I prescribe 192.168.1.110.
• The subnet mask will be assigned automatically.
• The default gateway is the IP address of the router.
• You can write the DNS addresses too: 8.8.8.8 / 8.8.4.4