How to Set Up Port Forwarding on a Router

Port forwarding opens certain ports on your home or small business network, usually blocked from access by your router, to the Internet. Opening specific ports can allow games, servers, BitTorrent clients, and other applications to work through the usual security of your router that otherwise does not permit connections to these ports. Follow this guide to forward the ports you need, regardless of your operating system.

Steps

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   Enter your router’s IP address into the address bar of a web browser. This will open your router’s configuration page. For most routers, this will be 192.168.0.1, 192.168.1.1, or 192.168.2.1. However, if you want to figure out the IP, here's how to do it:^[1]
   • For Windows: Open the command prompt and enter ipconfig /all. The router’s IP address is usually the same as the Default Gateway.
   • For Mac: Open the terminal and enter netstat -nr.
   • For Linux: Open the terminal and enter route.
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   Enter your username and password. If you've already configured the security settings for your router, enter the username and password you chose then. If not, here are some of the most common default logins:^[2]
   • On Linksys routers, type "admin" for both the username and the password.
   • On Netgear routers, type "admin" for the username and "password" for the password.
   • On other routers, try leaving the username empty and entering "admin" for the password.
   • You can visit sites such as RouterPasswords.com and enter in your router’s model to find the default password.
   • If you've forgotten your login information, you can press the reset button on your router to reset it to factory defaults. You can then look up the factory default settings online.
3. 
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   Find the Port Forwarding section. Each router will be slightly different. Common labels are Port Forwarding, Applications, Gaming, Virtual Servers. If you don't see one of these or something similar, try Advanced Settings and look for a Port Forwarding subsection.
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   Find a preconfigured entry. Many routers will have a dropdown menu with preconfigured options for well-known applications. If you need to open ports for one of these applications, select it from the list.
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   Create a custom entry. If the program you want to add is not listed, you will need to create a custom port forwarding entry. Each router will have a slightly different way of doing this, although the required information is the same for any router:
   • Enter a name for the service. Name it something related to the program so that you know what the entry is for.
   • Choose the service type. This can be TCP, UDP, or both. The service type depends on what program you are unblocking. If you are unsure, select the TCP/UPD option.
     
   • Select the ports you wish to use. If you only want one port open, enter the same number in Start and End. If you wish to open a range of ports (say 5), you might type 3784 in Start and 3788 in End.
     
   • Select the internal IP address to assign the port forwarding to. This is the IP address of the computer running the application that you are unblocking. Check out the guides for PC or Mac to find your internal IP.
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   Save your settings. You may have an Apply button instead of Save. You might need to restart your router for them to take effect.