ARCHIVED: What is IPv6, and how do I disable it?

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IPv4 is the current Internet protocol; however, because the number of available IP addresses is diminishing, IPv6 will eventually become the standard protocol. IPv6 increases the number of IP addresses available and improves IPv4's routing and network auto-configuration abilities. For more, see Microsoft's IPv6 and IPv6 networking at IU.

If you want to disable IPv6 (e.g., for troubleshooting), see the appropriate instructions for your operating system:

On this page:


Windows 7 and Vista

  1. From the Start menu, select Control Panel. Make sure you are in the Large or Small icons view (Windows 7), or Classic View (Vista).
  2. Open Network and Sharing Center.
  3. On the left, select Change adapter settings (Windows 7) or Manage network connections (Vista).
  4. Right-click the connection for which you want to disable IPv6, and select Properties.
  5. Uncheck Internet Protocol Version 6 (TCP/IPv6) and click OK.

Mac OS X

In Mac OS X, you'll need to disable the IPv6 protocol both for your Ethernet card (wired connections) and for AirPort (wireless connections).

Mac OS X 10.5 and later

  1. While logged into an account with administrative privileges, from the Apple menu, select System Preferences....
  2. In System Preferences, select Network.
  3. Click Ethernet and then click Advanced....
  4. Click the TCP/IP tab, and from the pull-down menu next to "Configure IPv6:", choose Off or Link-local only. Click OK.
  5. Click Wi-Fi or AirPort and then click Advanced....
  6. Click the TCP/IP tab, and from the pull-down menu next to "Configure IPv6:", choose Off or Link-local only. Click OK.

This is document aqig in the Knowledge Base.
Last modified on 2018-01-18 14:31:09.