How to Add a Second IP Address on Windows Server 2016

If you’ve already worked with adding a second IP on Ubuntu or Debian, the idea is pretty similar on Windows Server. Sometimes a single IP just isn’t enough especially when your server needs to communicate with two separate networks that aren’t routed to each other. In situations like this, assigning an additional IP address to your Windows VPS Server is the simplest solution. In this guide, we’ll walk through the steps to add a second IP address on Windows Server 2016. The same method also works on Windows Server 2008, 2012, and similar versions.

Steps to Add a Second IP in Windows Server 2016

1- Sign in to your Windows Server desktop.

2- Press Win + R to open the Run dialog.

3- Type ncpa.cpl and press Enter. This will take you to the Network Connections window.

Note that the way to open network adapter settings is the quick access method. To access your network interface settings, do the following:
a. Right-click on the network connection in the Windows taskbar
b. Select Open Network and Sharing Center to access your main network settings.
c. Select Change Adaptor Setting from the right side of the page

4- Right-click on the desired interface to add a second IP address and select Properties.

5- In your server’s network adapter settings window, double-click Internet Protocol Version 4 to open it.

6- In this window, you will see the first IP address registered on your 2016 server; Click Advanced.

Note: The second IP address can only be set if the first IP address is manually set.

7- After entering the Advanced section, click Add. Enter the IP address along with your network’s Subnet Mask and finally click OK.

If necessary, you will be able to add a new Default Gateway in the same window to access your new network.

8- After setting, close the opened windows by clicking OK.

Settings to add a second IP to Windows Server 2016 are complete. Now you can connect to your new network.

Troubleshooting

Sometimes the new IP won’t respond until you disable and re-enable the network adapter, or clear the ARP cache using arp -d *. These small steps often fix the issue instantly.

Conclusion

That’s really all there is to it. After you’ve done this once or twice, adding a second IP on Windows Server 2016 becomes something you can do almost without thinking.

If the new IP doesn’t respond right away maybe it won’t ping at first or the gateway seems a bit off don’t stress about it. Windows networking can be finicky, and small issues like these usually sort themselves out with a quick adapter reset or a minor tweak.

If you’re still stuck after trying that, feel free to post your question in the Ask section on Eldernode. Many users and members of our team share their own fixes there, and it’s common to find someone who’s run into the same issue and already solved it.

Tags

Windows Tutorials