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

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  1. This will open the Power User Task menu.
  2. This will open the network connection status window.
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  3. Click on “Properties,” then place checkmarks next to “Obtain an IP address automatically” and “Obtain DNS server address automatically.
  4. 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

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  1. This will open the System Preferences menu.
  2. For example, if using an Ethernet Internet connection, select “Ethernet.”
  3. DHCP will now be enabled.
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Method 3
Method 3 of 4:

Windows 7 and Vista

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  1. This will open the Control Panel menu.
  2. This will open the Local Area Connection Status window.
  3. Click on “Properties,” then place checkmarks next to “Obtain an IP address automatically” and “Obtain DNS server address automatically.
  4. 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

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  1. This will open the Control Panel menu.
  2. DHCP will now be enabled.
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About This Article

Luigi Oppido
Co-authored by:
Computer & Tech Specialist
This article was co-authored by Luigi Oppido. Luigi Oppido is the Owner and Operator of Pleasure Point Computers in Santa Cruz, California. Luigi has over 25 years of experience in general computer repair, data recovery, virus removal, and upgrades. He is also the host of the Computer Man Show! broadcasted on KSQD covering central California for over two years. This article has been viewed 102,104 times.
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Co-authors: 4
Updated: September 11, 2024
Views: 102,104
Categories: Computer Networking
Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 102,104 times.

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