Why do I have so many ipv6 addresses on my Windows 10 pc

Jorge Vazquez 6 Reputation points
2022-12-12T15:23:40.19+00:00

I was looking at my computer ip configuration in Windows (ipconfig) from command prompt. and I noticed that I have like 5 different ipv6 addresses. I guess one must be assigned by dhcp, but I also have ipv6 that says "temporary" next to it. and finally, a local-link ip address v6. which ipv6 address is the one my computer uses to stablish communication with other computers? and why I have so many of them? this is output from ipconfig /all

Wireless LAN adapter Wi-Fi:  
  
   Connection-specific DNS Suffix  . : hsd1.fl.comcast.net  
   Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Intel(R) Dual Band Wireless-AC 3168  
   Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : B4-D5-BD-A9-94-DF  
   DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : Yes  
   Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes  
   IPv6 Address. . . . . . . . . . . : 2601:58a:887e:4a0::aa91(Preferred)  
   Lease Obtained. . . . . . . . . . : Sunday, December 11, 2022 9:48:07 PM  
   Lease Expires . . . . . . . . . . : Tuesday, December 13, 2022 5:23:59 AM  
   IPv6 Address. . . . . . . . . . . : 2601:58a:887e:4a0:5850:d0a6:5d52:74d3(Preferred)  
   Temporary IPv6 Address. . . . . . : 2601:58a:887e:4a0:d935:1afc:e20f:f510(Preferred)  
   Link-local IPv6 Address . . . . . : fe80::562a:e40b:54ae:32b3%14(Preferred)  
   IPv4 Address. . . . . . . . . . . : 10.0.0.90(Preferred)  
   Subnet Mask . . . . . . . . . . . : 255.255.255.0  
   Lease Obtained. . . . . . . . . . : Sunday, December 11, 2022 9:48:05 PM  
   Lease Expires . . . . . . . . . . : Wednesday, December 14, 2022 8:18:17 AM  
   Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . : fe80::9a52:4aff:fe9a:81ce%14  
                                       10.0.0.1  
   DHCP Server . . . . . . . . . . . : 10.0.0.1  
   DHCPv6 IAID . . . . . . . . . . . : 162846141  
   DHCPv6 Client DUID. . . . . . . . : 00-01-00-01-24-62-B9-10-80-CE-62-D5-B2-78  
   DNS Servers . . . . . . . . . . . : 2001:558:feed::1  
                                       2001:558:feed::2  
                                       8.8.8.8  
   NetBIOS over Tcpip. . . . . . . . : Enabled  
Windows for business | Windows Client for IT Pros | Networking | Network connectivity and file sharing
Windows for business | Windows Server | User experience | Other
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  1. alexceltare2 15 Reputation points
    2023-09-28T13:00:18.92+00:00

    Each IPv6 address is used for different purpose like DNS address, router/gateway address, your computer address and so on. The most common one you will encounter and probably confuse you is the "Temporary IPv6" or RFC 4941 address which are random IPv6 addresses assigned to your pc by Windows in order to protect your privacy. IPv6 real public addresses can identify stuff like your MAC address, location and ISP used so be thankful you have so many IPv6 addresses.

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