How to find brother printer IP address

Knowing how to find brother printer IP address is one of those tasks that sounds technical but takes only a minute once you know where to look. Whether you're troubleshooting a dropped connection, setting up the printer again after a router change, or sharing the device across your home office — as explained in our guide on how to connect a printer to multiple computers — the IP address is the essential starting point. This guide walks through every reliable method: the printer's own control panel, Windows, Mac, and the browser-based management interface Brother builds into every network-capable model.

Brother produces some of the most popular printers on the market, from compact inkjet all-in-ones to heavy-duty laser models built for small businesses. Almost all modern Brother printers support Wi-Fi and wired Ethernet, and each network-connected unit is assigned an IP address so your computer, phone, or tablet can communicate with it. That address can change if your router reassigns it — which is why knowing multiple ways to retrieve it is worth your time.

Why You Need Your Brother Printer's IP Address

Every device on a local network — including your Brother printer — is assigned an IP address, a numerical label that identifies it on the network. For printers, this address is used by your computer to send print jobs, by the Brother iPrint&Scan app to discover the device, and by any web-based management tools you might use to adjust settings remotely.

The most common situations where you need the IP address include:

• Re-adding the printer after a router replacement or network reconfiguration
• Setting up the printer on a second computer or mobile device
• Accessing the built-in web management page to update firmware or adjust network settings
• Diagnosing why print jobs are getting stuck in the queue
• Configuring firewall or port forwarding rules — relevant if you've read about how to secure a wireless printer on your home network

A typical Brother printer IP address looks like 192.168.1.105 — four numbers between 0 and 255, separated by dots. If the printer shows 0.0.0.0, it has not successfully connected to the network yet.

How to Find Brother Printer IP Address from the Control Panel

The quickest method that requires no computer at all is to check directly on the printer itself. Brother printers expose network information through either a printed report or the on-screen menu, depending on the model.

Printing a Network Configuration Report

Every Brother printer with network capability can print a Network Configuration Report (sometimes labeled as a Network Configuration Page or Print Configuration). This single sheet lists the full IP address, subnet mask, default gateway, MAC address, and wireless SSID — all in one place.

To print the report:

1. Press the Menu button (or swipe to the Settings icon on touchscreen models).
2. Navigate to Print Reports or All Settings > Print Reports.
3. Select Network Configuration (or Network Config) and press OK or Yes.
4. The printer outputs a single page. Look for the line labeled IP Address.

On older monochrome LCD models like the HL-L2300 series, the navigation is through physical arrow keys. On newer color touchscreen models like the MFC-J995DW, it's a tap-based menu. The report is identical either way.

Checking the LCD or Touchscreen Directly

Many Brother models let you view the IP address on screen without printing anything:

1. Press Menu → scroll to Network → press OK.
2. Select WLAN (for wireless) or Wired LAN (for Ethernet).
3. Choose TCP/IP → IP Address.
4. The current address appears on screen.

On touchscreen models, tap the Wi-Fi icon at the top of the home screen. A status panel appears showing the connected network and IP address without navigating any menus.

How to Find Brother Printer IP Address on Windows

If you'd rather not touch the printer, Windows stores the IP address of every installed printer and you can retrieve it in seconds.

Through Devices and Printers

1. Open Control Panel → Hardware and Sound → Devices and Printers.
2. Right-click your Brother printer and choose Printer properties.
3. Click the Ports tab.
4. Look for the port with a checkmark. The IP address appears in the Port column, formatted as IP_192.168.1.105 or similar.

Alternatively, right-click the Brother printer icon → See what's printing → Printer menu → Properties → Ports.

Using Command Prompt

If you know the printer is currently online, the ARP table method is fast:

1. Open Command Prompt (press Win + R, type cmd, press Enter).
2. Type arp -a and press Enter.
3. A list of all devices on the network appears with their IP and MAC addresses.
4. If you know your printer's MAC address (from the Network Configuration Report), match it here to confirm the IP.

You can also send a test ping if you have a rough idea of the address range: ping 192.168.1.1 through .254 isn't practical manually, but tools like Brother's BRAdmin Light utility automate this discovery. It's a free download from Brother's support site and scans your network segment, listing every detected Brother device with its IP address, model name, and status.

How to Find Brother Printer IP Address on Mac

Mac users can retrieve the IP address through System Settings without any third-party tools.

Via System Settings or System Preferences

1. Open System Settings (macOS Ventura and later) or System Preferences (older macOS).
2. Click Printers & Scanners.
3. Select your Brother printer from the left-hand list.
4. Click Options & Supplies.
5. Go to the General tab. The IP address appears in the Device URI field, formatted as socket://192.168.1.105:9100 — the numbers between :// and : are the IP address.

On older macOS versions, you may see a Location field that also displays the IP directly. If the printer was added via AirPrint, the URI may show a hostname instead of a raw IP — in that case, use the control panel method or the Web-Based Management interface described below.

Mac users who manage multiple printers or often need to check settings may also find it useful to know how to change printer settings on Mac for a broader look at print configuration options.

Using Brother's Web-Based Management Interface

Once you have the IP address, Brother's built-in web server opens a full management dashboard in any browser — no software installation required. But this interface is also a useful secondary way to confirm or update the IP address after you've found it through one of the above methods.

1. Open any web browser on a computer connected to the same network as the printer.
2. Type the printer's IP address directly into the address bar (e.g., http://192.168.1.105) and press Enter.
3. The Brother Web Based Management page loads. The default username is admin and the default password is printed on the label on the back or bottom of the printer.
4. Navigate to Network → TCP/IP to see the full network configuration, including the current IP, subnet, gateway, and DNS settings.

This interface also lets you set a static IP, change the wireless network, update firmware, and adjust scan-to-email settings — all from the browser, without installing Brother's desktop software. If you're doing the same for network discovery purposes, understanding how to find a printer MAC address is a complementary skill, since the MAC address uniquely identifies your printer regardless of which IP it's been assigned.

Setting a Static IP to Avoid Future Searches

Most home routers use DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol) to assign IP addresses automatically. This is convenient but means the printer's IP can change when the router restarts or the DHCP lease expires. Assigning a static IP ensures the address never changes, so you won't need to look it up again.

Assigning a Static IP from the Printer

1. On the printer, go to Menu → Network → WLAN or Wired LAN → TCP/IP.
2. Change Boot Method from AUTO (DHCP) to STATIC.
3. Enter your chosen IP address — pick one outside your router's DHCP range (typically anything above .200 on a home network is safe).
4. Enter the subnet mask (usually 255.255.255.0) and default gateway (your router's IP, commonly 192.168.1.1 or 192.168.0.1).
5. Confirm and restart the printer.

Using DHCP Reservation on Your Router

A cleaner approach is to let the router always assign the same IP to the printer based on its MAC address — called a DHCP reservation or address reservation. Log into your router's admin page (usually at 192.168.1.1), find the DHCP section, and add a reservation linking the printer's MAC address to your preferred IP. This way the printer still uses DHCP but always gets the same address, and no changes are needed on the printer itself.

Quick Reference: All Methods at a Glance

The table below summarizes every method covered in this guide so you can pick the right one for your situation at a glance.

For most home users, printing the Network Configuration Report is the fastest and most reliable approach — it takes under 30 seconds and gives you every network detail without needing a computer at all. For IT environments or setups with many printers, BRAdmin Light or the web management interface scales better.

Once you have reliable network access to your printer, you might also want to explore other aspects of printer maintenance — for example, knowing how to clean a Brother printer properly can prevent the connection and print quality issues that often send people looking for the IP address in the first place.

Frequently Asked Questions