What Is a Default Gateway and How to Find It
Your default gateway is the address your device sends all internet-bound traffic to. In home networks, it is always your router. Type this address in a browser to reach your router admin panel.
What Is a Default Gateway
When your laptop wants to load a website, it looks at the destination IP address. If that address is outside your local network - which websites always are - your device sends the packet to the default gateway. The gateway is the device responsible for routing traffic between your local network and the rest of the internet.
In a home network, the default gateway is your router. Every device on your network is configured with the same gateway address - usually 192.168.1.1 or 192.168.0.1. Your router receives the outgoing packet, performs NAT (replaces your local IP with your public IP), and forwards the packet to your ISP, which routes it to the destination server.
Default gateway = your router. Typically 192.168.1.1, 192.168.0.1, or 10.0.0.1 depending on your router brand.
Default gateway = corporate router or firewall. Could be any private IP - set by the IT team.
Default gateway = hotspot device. Often 192.168.43.1 (Android hotspot) or 172.20.10.1 (iPhone hotspot).
Default gateway = whatever the venue configured. Could be 10.x.x.x or 172.x.x.x range addresses.
How to Find Your Default Gateway
Windows
Open Command Prompt and run ipconfig. The Default Gateway line shows your router IP address.
Open Terminal and run ip route show default. The first entry is your default gateway.
Type the gateway IP in a browser with http:// to confirm you can reach your router admin panel.
Subnet Mask . . . . . . . . : 255.255.255.0
Default Gateway . . . . . . : 192.168.1.1
macOS
Open Terminal (Applications → Utilities).
Run: netstat -nr | grep default
The first IP in the output is your gateway. Or: System Settings → Network → your connection → Details → TCP/IP → Router field.
Linux
Open a terminal.
Run: ip route show default
The IP after "via" is your gateway address.
iPhone
Settings → Wi-Fi → tap the ⓘ icon next to your network.
The Router field shows your gateway IP.
Android
Settings → Wi-Fi → tap the gear icon next to your network.
Tap Advanced or View More → find the Gateway field.
Cannot Reach Your Default Gateway
If you type your gateway IP in a browser and nothing loads, here are the most common causes:
The most common cause. If you are connected to mobile data instead of Wi-Fi, your device will show a gateway IP that belongs to your carrier - not your home router. Connect to your home Wi-Fi first, then check ipconfig again.
Active VPN software tunnels all traffic through an external server, making local addresses unreachable. Disconnect your VPN, then try the gateway address again. See: How to Disable VPN for Router Access.
Modern browsers automatically try HTTPS for sites they recognize. A router at 192.168.1.1 does not have an SSL certificate, so https://192.168.1.1 will fail with a certificate error. Type http://192.168.1.1 explicitly with http:// to force the browser to use plain HTTP.
Run ipconfig to confirm the actual gateway IP. If your router has been reconfigured to use a non-default address, the factory default listed on the label may no longer work. The ipconfig output always shows the correct current address.
FAQ
Can I change my default gateway address?
Yes. Log into your router admin panel, go to LAN settings, and change the router IP address. After saving, the router reboots and the new address becomes the gateway for all devices. Devices using DHCP will get the new gateway automatically after refreshing their IP lease. Note the new address before making the change - if you forget it, you will need to run ipconfig again or factory reset the router.
My gateway is 192.168.43.1 - is that a router?
192.168.43.1 is the default gateway used by Android mobile hotspots. If you see this address, your device is connected to someone's phone hotspot rather than a traditional router. iPhone hotspots typically use 172.20.10.1. Neither of these addresses has a web admin panel.