Windows Network Profiles IP Assignment & DNS Server Assignment

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Windows Network Profiles IP Assignment & DNS Server Assignment

Johann Schiffmacher 5

Would anyone know where is Windows saving Settings > Network & Internet > Wi-Fi > {Wi-Fi Profile Name} > IP Assignment & DNS Server Assignment? Cannot find it anywhere. I will need to save different IP addresses details for different Windows Wi-Fi Profiles. Those settings here are saved & kept even if a different addresses are used with different profiles. I want to change those with a script similar to:

netsh wlan add profile filename="WiFiProfileXmlPath" interface="IfcName"

Screenshot 2026-03-09 152700

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Chen Tran 10,720 Independent Advisor

Hello Johann,

Thank you for posting question on Microsoft Windows Forum!

Well! The actual IP/DNS values are kept with the TCP/IP adapter configuration in the registry/NetTCPIP store. Not inside the WLAN profile XML that netsh wlan manages. The Settings UI for Wi-Fi profiles is just a modern (UWP) front-end that tells Windows which TCP/IP settings to apply to the adapter. Since Windows requires elevated privileges to change adapter TCP/IP values, there is no supported non-elevated netsh wlan equivalent to set IP assignment to Manual for a profile.

Per-interface IP/DNS values, Windows stores, are persisted under the TCP/IP parameters in the registry HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Tcpip\Parameters\Interfaces<Interface-GUID>. These keys reflect the adapter’s IPv4/IPv6 addresses, gateways, DNS entries, DHCP flags. On the other hand, the Wi-Fi profile XMLs that netsh wlan can add/export do not include TCP/IP static IP or DNS settings. Those are separate. The Settings app uses the newer networking APIs and UWP context to flip the adapter’s TCP/IP configuration; the classic CLI/API (netsh / NetTCPIP) touches the same HKLM keys and therefore requires elevated/network-config privileges. As a result, the IP/DNS are applied to the adapter, not stored inside the wlan profile XML.

Hope the above information is helpful! If it is. Free feel to hit "Accepted" for benefitting others in community having the same issue too.

Johann Schiffmacher 5 Reputation points

2026-03-09T13:53:36.8766667+00:00

I understood it when I was paying arround. The IP config is pushed from settings to the interface adapter once the network profile is in use. I am trying to understand how I can save IP settings into the settings network profiles. Where are those values saved in Windows?
Chen Tran 10,720 Reputation points Independent Advisor

2026-03-09T17:17:50.9033333+00:00
Hi Johann,

Thank you for the information!

Regarding the Wi-Fi profile files (SSID, auth, key, security) which lives as an XML under C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Wlansvc\Profiles\Interfaces{interface-GUID}{profile}.xml. In fact, you can export/import these with netsh wlan export/import. However those XMLs do not contain the per-adapter static IP/DNS state that the Settings UI uses at run-time. On the other hand, IP/DNS settings (DHCP vs static, IP address list, DNS server list, default gateway) are stored under the TCP/IP registry keys for the adapter. The registry path is HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Tcpip\Parameters\Interfaces{Adapter-GUID} .There you will see values like EnableDHCP (DWORD), IPAddress / DhcpIPAddress (REG_MULTI_SZ), NameServer / DhcpNameServer, DefaultGateway. Those values are what Windows reads/applies for the interface.

For Network profile metadata (or Network List Manager). Navigating to this registry path HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\NetworkList\Profiles to find stored profile names, category (Public/Private), and GUIDs that map to interfaces. This is where Windows keeps the profile information (not the low‑level IP values).

You can consult the following articles for more information regarding your query.

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/troubleshoot/windows-client/networking/tcpip-and-nbt-configuration-parameters

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/powershell/module/nettcpip/set-netipinterface?view=windowsserver2025-ps

Hope the provided information is helpful! If it is. It is appreciated to consider clicking "Accept Answer".

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Windows Network Profiles IP Assignment & DNS Server Assignment

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