How to Configure Static IP Address on Ubuntu 26.04, 24.04 and 22.04

A static IP address keeps SSH bookmarks, port-forwarding rules, DNS records, and self-hosted services from changing every time DHCP hands out a new lease. To configure a static IP address on Ubuntu, start with the least risky option for your network: a router DHCP reservation when you control the router, Netplan on Ubuntu Server, and GNOME Settings or nmcli on Ubuntu Desktop.

The workflows here apply to Ubuntu 26.04 LTS, 24.04 LTS, and 22.04 LTS. The examples use IPv4 because that is the common home lab, office LAN, and server management case, but the same planning rules apply to IPv6: choose an address your network actually routes, keep DNS explicit, and make the change from a console or rollback-safe session when remote access matters.

Choose a Static IP Method on Ubuntu

Pick the method that matches where the address should be controlled. A router reservation is usually safest on a home or office LAN because Ubuntu can keep using DHCP, while local static configuration is better when the machine must own its address independently.

Method	Best For	What Changes	Main Caution
Router DHCP reservation	Home servers, media servers, printers, and port forwarding when you manage the router	The router always leases the same address to Ubuntu’s MAC address	Router menus vary, so use the vendor UI and avoid duplicate reservations
Netplan YAML	Ubuntu Server, headless systems, cloud images you fully control, and SSH-managed hosts	`/etc/netplan/*.yaml` defines the address, gateway, DNS, and renderer	Use `sudo netplan try` over SSH so a bad address can roll back
GNOME Settings	Ubuntu Desktop users who prefer a graphical workflow	NetworkManager stores the manual IPv4 settings and applies them to the selected connection	Reconnect the edited connection after applying the change
`nmcli`	Desktop systems, scripts, and NetworkManager-managed servers	The active NetworkManager connection profile gets manual IPv4 values	Bringing a connection down and up can interrupt remote sessions

Use a local static IP only when you know the subnet, gateway, DNS servers, and DHCP pool boundaries. If your router leases 192.168.1.100 through 192.168.1.200, choose an unused address outside that pool, or create a DHCP reservation instead.

Collect Ubuntu Network Details Before Editing

Record the current interface, address prefix, default gateway, and active NetworkManager profile before changing anything. These values tell you which interface to edit and give you a quick rollback reference.

ip -br link
ip -br -4 addr show scope global
ip route show default

A typical wired Ubuntu VM or server may show one active Ethernet device, one DHCP address, and one default route:

lo               UNKNOWN        00:00:00:00:00:00 <LOOPBACK,UP,LOWER_UP>
enp0s3           UP             08:00:27:6b:d6:84 <BROADCAST,MULTICAST,UP,LOWER_UP>
enp0s3           UP             192.168.50.219/24
default via 192.168.50.1 dev enp0s3 proto dhcp src 192.168.50.219 metric 100

In this example, enp0s3 is the interface, /24 is the prefix length, and 192.168.50.1 is the gateway. Your interface might be ens18, eno1, wlp2s0, or another predictable device name.

If NetworkManager is active, list the connection profile as well. This matters for the nmcli method because profile names often differ from interface names.

nmcli -t -f NAME,TYPE,DEVICE connection show --active

Ubuntu Desktop systems can report a profile created through Netplan or a normal wired profile:

netplan-enp0s3:802-3-ethernet:enp0s3
lo:loopback:lo

If you need to confirm the release before choosing a method, check the Ubuntu version first. Static IP commands do not require a package install on a normal Ubuntu system, but they do require administrator access.

Configure Static IP on Ubuntu Server with Netplan

Netplan is the standard network configuration layer on current Ubuntu releases. Ubuntu Server commonly renders Netplan through systemd-networkd, while Desktop commonly uses NetworkManager behind the graphical tools.

Find and Back Up the Netplan File

List the YAML files under /etc/netplan and identify the one that defines your active interface.

sudo find /etc/netplan -maxdepth 1 -type f -name '*.yaml' -print | sort

These commands use sudo because Netplan files belong to the system. If your account is not an administrator yet, add a new user to sudoers on Ubuntu before editing network configuration.

Common file names include installer and NetworkManager profiles:

/etc/netplan/00-installer-config.yaml
/etc/netplan/01-network-manager-all.yaml

Back up the file you plan to edit. Replace the file name if your system uses a different Netplan file.

sudo cp /etc/netplan/00-installer-config.yaml /etc/netplan/00-installer-config.yaml.backup

Write the Static IPv4 Netplan Configuration

Open the Netplan file with your editor. The file name must match the backup step you used.

sudo nano /etc/netplan/00-installer-config.yaml

Use a configuration like this for a server interface managed by systemd-networkd. Replace enp0s3, 192.168.1.50/24, 192.168.1.1, and the DNS addresses with values from your network.

network:
  version: 2
  renderer: networkd
  ethernets:
    enp0s3:
      dhcp4: false
      addresses:
        - 192.168.1.50/24
      routes:
        - to: default
          via: 192.168.1.1
      nameservers:
        addresses:
          - 1.1.1.1
          - 8.8.8.8

Keep the spacing exactly as YAML requires. Use spaces, not tabs, and keep nested lines aligned under the correct parent key. The routes block is the current form for the default gateway on supported Ubuntu LTS releases; avoid older gateway4 examples when writing fresh Netplan configuration.

Validate and Apply Netplan Safely

Validate the YAML before changing the running network. A clean configuration is silent; errors usually point to indentation, a misspelled key, or an invalid address format.

sudo netplan generate

Use Netplan’s rollback prompt when you are connected over SSH or any remote console that could be cut off by a bad address. If the new settings break the connection and you cannot confirm the prompt, Netplan rolls back after the timeout.

sudo netplan try --timeout 120

Confirm the prompt only after a second terminal or another machine can still reach the new address. If you are working from a local console and intentionally skipped the rollback prompt, apply the saved file directly.

sudo netplan apply

If the change fails at a local console, restore the backup and apply it again.

sudo cp /etc/netplan/00-installer-config.yaml.backup /etc/netplan/00-installer-config.yaml
sudo netplan apply

Set a Static IP on Ubuntu Desktop with Settings

GNOME Settings is the cleanest desktop path because it edits the selected NetworkManager connection instead of asking you to hand-write YAML. Use it when you are sitting at the machine or have graphical remote access.

Open Settings.
Select Network for wired connections or Wi-Fi for wireless connections.
Open the gear icon for the active connection.
Select the IPv4 tab and change the method from automatic DHCP to Manual.
Enter the address, netmask, and gateway. For example, 192.168.1.50, 255.255.255.0, and 192.168.1.1 represent the same network as 192.168.1.50/24.
Turn off automatic DNS if you want fixed DNS servers, then enter one or more DNS addresses.
Apply the change and reconnect the edited network connection.

If the desktop is also your remote access host, make the change from the local screen or a provider console. A wrong gateway or duplicate address can disconnect SSH, remote desktop, and file shares at the same time.

Set a Static IP with nmcli on Ubuntu

Use nmcli when the system is managed by NetworkManager and you want a repeatable terminal workflow. This is common on Ubuntu Desktop and on servers intentionally configured with NetworkManager.

Start by listing active profiles and choose the profile attached to the device you want to change.

nmcli -t -f NAME,TYPE,DEVICE connection show --active

Set a shell variable for the connection name. Keep the quotes because many desktop profile names contain spaces.

CONNECTION="netplan-enp0s3"

Change the profile to manual IPv4 addressing. Replace the address, gateway, and DNS servers with values that fit your subnet.

sudo nmcli connection modify "$CONNECTION" \
  ipv4.method manual \
  ipv4.addresses "192.168.1.50/24" \
  ipv4.gateway "192.168.1.1" \
  ipv4.dns "1.1.1.1 8.8.8.8"

Review the saved profile before reconnecting. The first line should be manual, and the remaining lines should match your chosen address, gateway, and DNS servers.

nmcli -g ipv4.method,ipv4.addresses,ipv4.gateway,ipv4.dns connection show "$CONNECTION"

Reconnect the profile from a local terminal or console. Running these two commands over SSH can interrupt the session before the second command finishes.

sudo nmcli connection down "$CONNECTION"
sudo nmcli connection up "$CONNECTION"

Verify the Static IP Address on Ubuntu

After applying the change, confirm the local address, default route, DNS servers, gateway reachability, and name resolution. Replace enp0s3 and 192.168.1.1 with your interface and gateway.

ip -br -4 addr show dev enp0s3
ip route show default
resolvectl dns enp0s3
ping -c 3 192.168.1.1
ping -c 3 1.1.1.1
getent hosts ubuntu.com

Read the checks in order. The address check should show your static IPv4 address, the route check should show the correct gateway, the DNS check should show your chosen resolvers, the gateway ping should prove local LAN access, the public IP ping should prove outbound routing, and getent hosts should prove DNS resolution.

If IP connectivity works but DNS does not, review the nameserver lines in Netplan or the DNS fields in NetworkManager. For deeper resolver checks, the guide to fixing curl could not resolve host covers common DNS failure patterns.

Avoid IP Conflicts on Ubuntu Networks

A static address must be unique on the subnet. The safest address is outside the DHCP pool but still inside the network prefix. On a typical 192.168.1.0/24 LAN, an address like 192.168.1.50 is valid only if the router uses 192.168.1.1, the netmask is 255.255.255.0, and no other device already owns 192.168.1.50.

Check the router or DHCP server before assigning the address. Many routers let you shrink the automatic pool or reserve a specific address for Ubuntu’s MAC address. A reservation avoids most duplicate-IP problems because the router remains the source of truth.

Duplicate address symptoms include intermittent SSH drops, one machine disappearing when another boots, failed pings that work a few seconds later, and router client lists that show the same IP beside different MAC addresses. If you see those signs, move the Ubuntu host to a different unused address or create a router reservation.

Handle Cloud-init and Provider Networks

Cloud images, VPS templates, and appliance images can regenerate Netplan files during boot. If a file under /etc/netplan says it is managed by cloud-init, do not treat a manual edit as durable until you confirm how that image is meant to receive network configuration.

For public cloud servers, prefer the provider’s static private IP, reserved public IP, floating IP, or cloud-init network configuration path. Disabling cloud-init networking by hand can lock you out of a remote instance if the provider expects cloud-init to restore routes, DNS, or interface names at boot.

On a local VM or lab image that you fully control, manual Netplan can be fine after you document the current file and keep console access available. When in doubt, snapshot the VM or confirm the provider rescue console before editing network ownership.

Troubleshoot Static IP Problems on Ubuntu

Netplan Reports a YAML Error

Netplan’s debug output names the file and line that failed. Most errors come from tabs, uneven indentation, missing colons, or values placed under the wrong parent key.

sudo netplan generate --debug

SSH Drops After Applying the Address

Use sudo netplan try --timeout 120 for remote changes so Netplan can roll back automatically. If you applied directly and lost access, use the VM console, physical console, or provider recovery console to restore the backup file.

The Gateway Works but DNS Fails

Check the DNS servers attached to the interface. For Netplan, make sure nameservers is indented under the same interface as the static address. For NetworkManager, make sure automatic DNS is off only when you entered manual DNS servers.

resolvectl dns enp0s3
getent hosts ubuntu.com

NetworkManager Reverts the Desktop Setting

Confirm that you edited the active profile and not a disconnected profile with a similar name. If the system uses Netplan-generated NetworkManager profiles, use GNOME Settings or nmcli for normal desktop changes instead of editing generated files under /run.

nmcli -t -f NAME,TYPE,DEVICE connection show --active

Older Netplan Gateway Examples Use gateway4

Use the routes block with to: default and via: on Ubuntu 26.04, 24.04, and 22.04. The older gateway4 key appears in many outdated examples, but new Netplan files should use the route syntax.

Return Ubuntu to DHCP

Undo the static address when the router will manage the reservation, when you move the machine to a different network, or when troubleshooting requires a clean automatic lease.

Restore DHCP in Netplan

For a server Netplan file, reduce the interface back to DHCP and remove the static address, route, and nameserver blocks unless you still need custom DNS.

network:
  version: 2
  renderer: networkd
  ethernets:
    enp0s3:
      dhcp4: true

Validate and apply the DHCP configuration with rollback protection.

sudo netplan generate
sudo netplan try --timeout 120

Restore DHCP with nmcli

For a NetworkManager profile, switch IPv4 back to automatic addressing and clear the manual address, gateway, and DNS properties.

sudo nmcli connection modify "$CONNECTION" \
  ipv4.method auto \
  ipv4.addresses "" \
  ipv4.gateway "" \
  ipv4.dns ""

Reconnect locally after confirming you are ready for the address to change.

sudo nmcli connection down "$CONNECTION"
sudo nmcli connection up "$CONNECTION"

Ubuntu Desktop users can make the same rollback in Settings by changing the IPv4 method from Manual back to Automatic DHCP and reconnecting the network.

Conclusion

Ubuntu now has a stable address path that matches the way the system is managed: router reservation for simple LAN ownership, Netplan for server configuration, and Settings or nmcli for NetworkManager profiles. After the address is stable, protect remote access with SSH on Ubuntu and review exposed services with the Ubuntu UFW firewall guide.