How to Reset TCP/IP Stack on Windows & Mac (2022)

TCP/IP review: when to reset it?

TCP/IP is a network protocol that is used everywhere in the world to commit the networking. To read this article, you used TCP/IP to connect to the server and get the required information. The abbreviation of TCP/IP stands for Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol. This network standard appeared in 1972, and since it was developed for army needs (early variants of it were called as Department of Defence (DOD) model), its reliability and sustainability is very high. The Internet we know and love is based mostly on this protocol, and its alterations appear mostly in online games.

“just spent nearly 4 hours fixing a windows box. in the end it was the same as tech support in ‘97…”, — writes Twitter user @kastner.

However, besides all these characteristics, the problems can appear. You may observe browser errors like “This page cannot be reached” or “Unable to connect the Internet”, regardless of the fact that the website is up and Internet connection is established. Sometimes, besides the mentioned errors, error codes may appear – DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN or INET_E_RESOURCE_NOT_FOUND. These problems are 100% client-based (i.e. the problem is in your computer), so the only solution to fix it is to reset the TCP/IP settings.

Feel free to apply the navigation panel to quickly scroll down to the data on how to reset TCP IP depending on your Windows OS version.

Review of CMD commands for resolving the network issues

You may apply various commands for resetting particular network parameters. Nevertheless, be sure to execute the Command Prompt with Admin’s rights initially. Failure to do so will result in TCP/IP reset not functioning. Otherwise, you may experience the Access is Denied error.

• Netsh int ip reset – restores the Internet Protocol Settings to the default value. The command performs rewriting of two registry keys: SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Tcpip\Parameters\
  SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\DHCP\Parameters\
• Netsh Winsock reset – Resets Winsock Catalog to fresh condition. Winsock commonly deals with Internet application input/output requests.
• netsh interface ipv4 reset – resets all amendments to IPv4 parameters.
• netsh interface ipv6 reset – resets all amendments to IPv6 parameters.
• Ipconfig /release command renounces the client’s IP address obtained via the DHCP server. The /release command transmits the server a DHCP release alert so that the previous IP address could be flagged as vacant and applied by other customers.
• Ipconfig /renew – this command is applied for requesting a new IP address as well as refreshing DNS data via the DHCP server.
• ipconfig /flushdns command is applied for clearing the DNS cache and forcing hostnames to be obtained freshly and with the application of the new DNS data. Inspect our complete tutorial on flushing DNS on Windows, Mac, Linux, Ubuntu.
• netsh advfirewall reset – resetting Windows Firewall rules to the default values.

The below-given tutorial applies netsh int ip reset command. Nevertheless, feel free to apply extra commands set forth above in the case of necessity.

Resetting TCP/IP on Windows

Windows 10

1. Taking into consideration the type of your taskbar, either perform a click on magnifying glass icon in the taskbar to reveal Windows search or, if the search bar is obvious, type CMD in the field.
2. Search will give you Command Prompt result. Right-click it and select Run as Administrator.
3. Now, the User Account Control window should come up. Select Yes. If needed, provide the Admin’s password.
4. In the command prompt, specify netsh int ip reset and hit Enter. Take time until the TCP/IP resetting is completed.
5. Restart your PC.

Windows 8/8.1

If you need to reset TCP/IP on Windows 7, implement the below-given measures.

1. Apply the Windows key + R to start Run prompt. Specify cmd in it and use the Ctrl+Shift+Enter hotkey to start it as Administrator.
2. In User Account Control Window area, select Yes. If needed, provide the Administrator’s password to proceed.
3. In CMD, specify netsh int ip reset and hit Enter.
4. Take time until a full reset is completed and restart your workstation.

Windows 7/Vista

1. Proceed to the Windows icon in the bottom left area and then specify CMD in the search area.
2. Windows 7 search will display either CMD or Command Prompt under the Programs section. Right-click this matching result and choose Run as Administrator.
3. Click OK or indicate the Admin’s password to proceed.
4. In Command Prompt, specify netsh int ip reset and hit Enter.
5. Take time until TCP IP reset is successfully accomplished and then restart your workstation.

TCP/IP Reset on Mac

On MacOS or Mac OS X devices, TCP IP reset is known as Renew DHCP Lease. Refer to the given guidelines for resetting your Internet protocol parameters.

1. Proceed to the Apple icon in the top-left area and then choose System Preferences.
2. Then, select Network.
3. Click on Internet connection showing the status Connected. The next step is to click the Advanced button in the bottom left area.
4. Proceed to TCP/IP tab and select Renew DHCP Lease.
5. Hit OK for completing the task.
6. Reboot Mac.

Upon successful implementation of these guidelines, your TCP/IP stack should be reset.

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