Windows Registry Network Interface GUIDs and IP Keys

This article provides the exact Windows Registry paths where the operating system stores network interface Globally Unique Identifiers (GUIDs), friendly adapter names, and their associated static or dynamic IP address configurations.

Primary Location for IP Configurations and Interface GUIDs

The primary registry location for IP address configurations associated with each network interface is located under the Tcpip service parameters:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Tcpip\Parameters\Interfaces\

Inside this path, each subkey is named using the unique GUID of a network interface (for example, {a1b2c3d4-e5f6-7a8b-9c0d-1e2f3a4b5c6d}). Selecting an individual GUID key reveals the IP configuration parameters for that adapter:

• EnableDHCP: A DWORD value where 1 indicates DHCP is enabled, and 0 indicates a static IP assignment.
• IPAddress: A multi-string value containing statically assigned IPv4 addresses.
• SubnetMask: A multi-string value containing subnet masks for static IPs.
• DefaultGateway: A multi-string value containing static gateway addresses.
• DhcpIPAddress: A string value representing the current IP leased from a DHCP server.
• DhcpSubnetMask: A string value representing the current subnet mask assigned by DHCP.
• DhcpDefaultGateway: A multi-string value listing the gateway assigned by DHCP.
• NameServer: A string value containing statically assigned DNS servers.
• DhcpNameServer: A string value containing DNS servers provided by DHCP.

For IPv6-specific configurations, the registry stores data under the sibling path:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Tcpip6\Parameters\Interfaces\

Mapping Interface GUIDs to Adapter Names

Because the interface keys use raw GUIDs rather than recognizable names like “Ethernet” or “Wi-Fi,” you can correlate the GUID with its human-readable connection name using the following key:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Network\{4d36e972-e325-11ce-bfc1-08002be10318}\

Under this key, navigate to the subkey matching the interface’s {GUID}, and open the Connection subfolder:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Network\{4d36e972-e325-11ce-bfc1-08002be10318}\{GUID}\Connection

• Name: A string value containing the connection name displayed in the Windows Network Connections panel (e.g., “Ethernet 1” or “Wi-Fi”).

Mapping Network Hardware to GUIDs

To match physical or virtual network hardware drivers to their respective GUIDs, check the Network Adapter Class key:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Class\{4d36e972-e325-11ce-bfc1-08002be10318}\

This directory contains numbered folders (0000, 0001, 0002, etc.) for every network adapter detected by the system. Inside each folder:

• DriverDesc: Shows the hardware name of the network card (e.g., “Intel(R) Ethernet Connection”).
• NetCfgInstanceId: Contains the matching GUID used across the network and TCP/IP registry paths.