Yes. If your internet provider and router support IPv6, leave it on. For most home networks, keep both IPv4 and IPv6 enabled; this is called dual stack. Microsoft advises against disabling IPv6. If IPv6 causes a specific problem, turn it off only to test whether it's the cause.
Check if you have IPv6
Open test-ipv6.com in your browser. It shows whether your connection has an IPv6 address and whether IPv6 works.
You can also check from the command line:
# Windows and Linux
ping -6 google.com
# macOS
ping6 google.com
If you get replies, your device can reach the internet over IPv6.
How to get an IPv6 address
You need IPv6 support at three points:
- Your internet provider. The provider must assign IPv6 to your connection. Support varies a lot between providers, even in the same country. APNIC publishes IPv6 measurements per provider. If your provider doesn't offer IPv6, you can't get native IPv6 on that connection.
- Your router. The router must support IPv6 and have it turned on. In the router's admin page, the IPv6 settings are usually under Internet or WAN. Use the connection settings your provider gives you. Some providers, such as KPN, turn IPv6 on by default in the routers they supply.
- Your devices. Current versions of Windows, macOS, iOS, Android and most Linux desktops set up IPv6 automatically when the router announces it with SLAAC (stateless address autoconfiguration), so you usually don't need to change anything on the device. For broad device compatibility, keep SLAAC enabled on your router. Android doesn't support traditional DHCPv6 assignment of individual addresses (IA_NA), although most devices on Android 11 and later now support DHCPv6 Prefix Delegation.
Benefits of IPv6 at home
- Each device can get its own public address. IPv6 traffic doesn't need network address translation (NAT), which can make peer-to-peer connections, such as games and video calls, easier. Your router's firewall still controls incoming connections.
- IPv6 traffic avoids carrier-grade NAT. Some providers share one IPv4 address between many customers. IPv6 traffic doesn't go through that shared address.
IPv6 isn't automatically faster or more secure than IPv4. Speed depends on your provider's network, and security depends on your router's firewall and on keeping your devices updated.
Security and privacy
- Firewall: with IPv6, your devices have public addresses. RFC 6092 recommends that home routers block unsolicited incoming IPv6 traffic by default. Check that the IPv6 firewall in your router is on.
- Privacy: Windows, macOS, iOS and Android use temporary IPv6 addresses for outgoing connections by default and change them regularly, so your address doesn't show your device's hardware (MAC) address.
Should you turn IPv6 off?
Turning IPv6 off can cause problems, because some software expects it to be available. Microsoft says some Windows components might not work without it. Consider changing your IPv6 settings only in these cases:
- IPv6 may be broken on your network. If websites load slowly, run test-ipv6.com to check whether IPv6 is the cause. If it reports errors, ask your provider or check your router settings first.
- Your VPN may not handle IPv6. Some VPN apps only route IPv4 traffic, so IPv6 traffic can bypass the VPN. Other VPN apps, such as Proton VPN, block IPv6 traffic with leak protection. Check whether your VPN supports IPv6 or has IPv6 leak protection turned on. If it has neither, turn IPv6 off on that device while you use the VPN, or use a VPN that handles IPv6.
If you want Windows to use IPv4 first when both are available, follow Microsoft's instructions to prefer IPv4 over IPv6. This only changes which address Windows tries first. IPv6 stays enabled, so it doesn't prevent VPN leaks.
To turn IPv6 off for the whole network, use the IPv6 setting in your router.
IPv6 and web scraping from home
Switching between IPv4 and IPv6 doesn't hide your scraper. Both addresses belong to your home connection, so a website can still block them. ScrapingBee sends your requests through its own proxies, including premium (residential) proxies in a country you choose with country_code.