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Check your network settings

How to set your IP address and DNS server to "obtain automatically" – the most common reason a connection does not work.

Your device needs to get its IP address and DNS servers automatically from the network (DHCP). If it doesn't, you'll get no address or the wrong one, and the connection won't work.

Windows

Set automatic IP assignment on Windows 10/11

This path is identical on Windows 10 and Windows 11.

  1. Open network connections

    Press Windows key + R, type ncpa.cpl and press Enter.

  2. Open connection properties

    Right-click your LAN connection ("Ethernet"), then Properties.

    List of network connections with context menu open
  3. Open IPv4 properties

    Select Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4) and click Properties.

    Network connection properties dialog
  4. Set automatic assignment

    Enable Obtain an IP address automatically and Obtain DNS server address automatically, then confirm with OK.

    IPv4 properties with automatic assignment enabled

Restart your computer afterwards so the connection is established cleanly.

macOS

  1. Open network settings

    Go to Apple menu → System Settings → Network and click your Ethernet adapter in the list.

  2. Set IPv4 to DHCP

    Click Details …, then TCP/IP on the left. Configure IPv4 must be set to DHCP – that is the default. If you changed anything, confirm with OK.

    TCP/IP settings of the Ethernet adapter with Configure IPv4 set to DHCP

Linux

Network settings must be obtained automatically via DHCP. On most distributions this is the default as soon as a DHCP client (e.g. NetworkManager or dhcpcd) is active. Check your network manager to make sure the connection isn't configured with a static IP address.