Find IPv6 Network Adapter Bindings in Regedit

This article explains the exact Windows Registry location where the operating system records the list of network adapters currently bound to the IPv6 protocol stack. By navigating to the appropriate service linkage keys, administrators can view, audit, or verify the unique interface identifiers (GUIDs) associated with IPv6 networking.

Primary Registry Key for IPv6 Protocol Bindings

The Windows Registry stores active network protocol bindings under the respective protocol’s service definition. For the IPv6 stack (known internally as Tcpip6), the list of bound network adapters is recorded in the following location:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Tcpip6\Linkage

Key Registry Values

Inside the Linkage key, several multi-string (REG_MULTI_SZ) values define how the IPv6 protocol binds to the system’s network interface cards:

• Bind: Contains an ordered list of device strings formatted as \Device\{GUID}, where each {GUID} corresponds to a specific network adapter currently bound to the IPv6 stack.
• Export: Defines the exported symbolic device names that the protocol stack exposes to higher-level network components (e.g., \Device\Tcpip6_{GUID}).
• Route: Specifies the internal routing paths and multi-string associations used by the protocol binding engine.

Mapping Adapter GUIDs to Interface Names

To identify the human-readable name of an adapter found in the Bind list:

1. Copy the {GUID} string from the Bind value.
2. Navigate to:
   HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Network\{4D36E972-E325-11CE-BFC1-08002BE10318}\{GUID}\Connection
3. Look at the Name string value (REG_SZ), which displays the adapter’s display name as seen in the Network Connections control panel (such as “Ethernet” or “Wi-Fi”).

Per-Adapter IPv6 Configuration Location

For individual IPv6 configuration parameters (such as static addresses, DNS servers, and router discovery settings) assigned to each bound adapter, navigate to:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Tcpip6\Parameters\Interfaces\{GUID}