Should I disable IPv6 or not?

cheaterslick · Mar 7, 2026

Hello,

I've heard arguments either way about this, but basically

The Hidden Cybersecurity Risks of IPv6: Why Blocking it Matters, Especially with AT&T and Microsoft 365

As the digital landscape evolves, so too must the infrastructure that powers it.

teamivity.substack.com

IPv6 - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

I'd like to hear other people's input on this.

Thanks

TairikuOkami · Mar 7, 2026

IPv6 is nothing but trouble. IPv6 is a privacy and performance nightmare. Many network issues can be solved by disabling it.
IPv6 was introduced due to a limited IPv4, which is "unlimited", my ISP does not even support IPv6, so why should I use it?

allan · Mar 7, 2026

In most cases, there is really no reason to disable it. In fact, most experts and network-knowledgeable sources suggest leaving IPV6 enabled. Here's one trusted source:

IPv6 on or off: Learn when and how to disable it | ExpressVPN

Not sure if IPv6 should be on or off? Learn when to disable it, how it affects VPNs and speed, and how to change IPv6 settings on any device.

www.expressvpn.com

cereberus · Mar 7, 2026

TairikuOkami said:
IPv6 is nothing but trouble. IPv6 is a privacy and performance nightmare. Many network issues can be solved by disabling it.
IPv6 was introduced due to a limited IPv4, which is "unlimited", my ISP does not even support IPv6, so why should I use it?

"my ISP does not even support IPv6, so why should I use it?"

Stunning argument lol.

Slavic · Mar 7, 2026

IPv6 isn't inherently evil, moreover, many smart home devices use this protocol (otherwise remote access wouldn't be easily available). But I should definitely agree with "my ISP does not even support IPv6, so why should I use it?".

Maybe your ISP will support this protocol soon or later, which will require upgrading or replacing your endpoint device (router, home Internet center, Wi-Fi access point). In modern devices IPv6 may be already supported, but is not activated (disabled). You may enable it, of course with proper firewall settings.

BTW, some VPN services allow connection to IPv6 resources even if you don't use it. This can be checked, for example, here: ip6.biz

pseymour · Mar 7, 2026

“We don't recommend that you disable IPv6 or IPv6 components or unbind IPv6 from interfaces. If you do, some Windows components might not function.

We recommend using Prefer IPv4 over IPv6 in prefix policies instead of disabling IPV6.”

“We don't recommend unbinding IPv6 from an Ethernet or WiFi network adapter without a justifiable need. Windows is tested with, and some products and features expect, IPv6 to be bound and functional.”

Configure IPv6 for advanced users - Windows Server

Provides step-by-step guidance for how to use the Windows registry to disable IPv6 or certain IPv6 components in Windows.

learn.microsoft.com

Marcus Vinicus · Mar 7, 2026

Got to say as a retired IT Manager of Microsoft 365 for a nationwide organisation some of the stuff in that Substack post by that Frank guy simply isn't correct.

cheaterslick · Mar 7, 2026

Marcus Vinicus said:
Got to say as a retired IT Manager of Microsoft 365 for a nationwide organisation some of the stuff in that Substack post by that Frank guy simply isn't correct.

In what way?

cheaterslick · Mar 7, 2026

pseymour said:
“We don't recommend that you disable IPv6 or IPv6 components or unbind IPv6 from interfaces. If you do, some Windows components might not function.

“We don't recommend unbinding IPv6 from an Ethernet or WiFi network adapter without a justifiable need. Windows is tested with, and some products and features expect, IPv6 to be bound and functional.”

Configure IPv6 for advanced users - Windows Server

Provides step-by-step guidance for how to use the Windows registry to disable IPv6 or certain IPv6 components in Windows.

learn.microsoft.com

That link doesn't say what components won't function.

~

EDIT: I should also qualify that I currently have IPv6 unbound

And am considering enabling it. If there's a good enough reason.

So far I haven't noticed nothing not working, though...

Marcus Vinicus · Mar 7, 2026

cheaterslick said:
In what way?

The reason Frank’s comments about Microsoft 365 Business/Enterprise aren’t accurate is that he’s applying very old, general IPv6 ‘transition’ guidance to a modern cloud service that doesn’t work that way anymore. To make this clear, this guy Frank specifically talks about Microsoft 365 when used in business operations.

Microsoft 365 doesn’t rely on LAN‑level IPv6 behaviour at all — it relies on TLS 1.2/1.3, certificate pinning, OAuth tokens, Conditional Access and Zero Trust identity. Those layers make MITM, DNS spoofing, tunnelling and similar IPv6‑era concerns irrelevant.

The documents he cites (CISA IPv6 guidance, NIST SP 800‑119, AT&T IPv6 notes) are from 2010–2012 and were written for on‑prem networks deploying IPv6 for the first time. They’re not about Microsoft 365, and they predate modern cloud security entirely.

Microsoft’s own guidance is clear: don’t disable IPv6, don’t unbind it, and don’t treat it as a security risk. Windows and Microsoft 365 are designed and tested with IPv6 enabled.

In short: Frank’s sources are outdated and don’t apply to Microsoft 365’s architecture, which is secured at the identity and TLS layers, not the network layer.

cheaterslick · Mar 7, 2026

Thanks for the response.

Marcus Vinicus said:
Microsoft’s own guidance is clear: don’t disable IPv6, don’t unbind it, and don’t treat it as a security risk. Windows and Microsoft 365 are designed and tested with IPv6 enabled.

Well that's Microsoft's stance, which is what I suspected, anyway.

Was looking for others in general, besides them.

Marcus Vinicus said:
In short: Frank’s sources are outdated and don’t apply to Microsoft 365’s architecture, which is secured at the identity and TLS layers, not the network layer.

Yeah, his article was from the end of 2024 which I thought might be more current.

Marie SWE · Mar 7, 2026

Disabling IPv6 on windows will not break windows.
If so no one with IPv4 routers would be able to use it if it was so.

IPv6 is better now then it was in the past as less persons knew how to set it up right. Misconfigured settings in firewalls and others is the main problem of networking. A lot more persons know how to configure IPv4 and therefore less mistakes are made.
But NAT is a protecting layer that IPv6 network dont use, so it is more vulnerable for exploits.
as for privacy its a nightmare as every device get a unique IP. (this point is deep and will make a long post so i skip the details)
On servers IPV4 is preferred as better security as its easier to block attackers as its a limited number if addresses.
If you set a block on three tries / IP and when using IPv6 you can set a big ip-range to switch IP every three tries. and then bruteforce is easy when you never get stopped.

So would i disable IPv6?... answer is yes i have both for security and privacy reasons.
I also have disabled IPv6 over IPv4 tunneling.

But everyone do as they want.. what i do and what others does is their choice.

Test to disable ipv6 in the router over lan.. and also on the computer.. reboot them both and see if it works flawless.. I have a strong feeling you wont end up in any problems... you can always enable it again. Just remember what you disable and in what menu/settings

BobOmb · Mar 7, 2026

If im making any changes to an internal network i usually disable IPv6 to keep everything easily human readable, then you only need to know the last octet (and maybe multiple subnets)

Otherwise I dont touch it, although even on a regular network setup i will disable it on network printers internally and always set them as static because WSD breaks all the time

RazorKat83 · Mar 8, 2026

TairikuOkami said:
IPv6 is nothing but trouble. IPv6 is a privacy and performance nightmare. Many network issues can be solved by disabling it.
IPv6 was introduced due to a limited IPv4, which is "unlimited", my ISP does not even support IPv6, so why should I use it?

My ISP doesn't support it either, but I was told I needed to keep it turned on. They couldn't give me a reason why. Something to do about DNS or something. I haven't touched it

XxXxX · Mar 8, 2026

instead of disabling IPv6 you can change the priority to make sure IPv4 is used first
that way IPv6 is still available but for the system priority IPv4 is used and IPv6 is basically a fallback.

How to Prefer IPv4 over IPv6 in Windows Networks | Windows OS Hub

best of luck Steve ..

cheaterslick · Mar 8, 2026

XxXxX said:
instead of disabling IPv6 you can change the priority to make sure IPv4 is used first
that way IPv6 is still available but for the system priority IPv4 is used and IPv6 is basically a fallback.

Currently I just untick the IPv6 box in the network adapter settings and I make sure that's done for each connection, whether it be ethernet or wireless. I could delete the entry but have so far resisted doing that.

XxXxX · Mar 8, 2026

cheaterslick said:
Currently I just untick the IPv6 box in the network adapter settings and I make sure that's done for each connection, whether it be ethernet or wireless. I could delete the entry but have so far resisted doing that.

thats fine now if you prioritise IPv4, IPv6 will sit there redundant
but is available as a fallback if needed.

best of luck Steve ..

hader · Mar 8, 2026

IP6 is just the new IP standard because there the number of unique IP4 addresses is slowly running out. (32-bit; 2^32 addresses, roughly 4.3 billion addresses) In order to get ahead of time IP6 (128-bit; 2^128 addresses, roughly 340 undecillion addresses.) came out but the market is slowly adapting to this new standard. When there are issues with IP6, it's not the problem of this standard but old sites and equipment who has not adapted this new standard. That has in the end nothing to do with IP6!

Sir_George · Mar 8, 2026

cheaterslick said:
That link doesn't say what components won't function.

~

EDIT: I should also qualify that I currently have IPv6 unbound

View attachment 165269

And am considering enabling it. If there's a good enough reason.

So far I haven't noticed nothing not working, though...

I can assure you that won't change.

allan · Mar 8, 2026

This is not a comment directed at the OP, just a general observation from having been involved with Windows support forums since they first appeared.

I've never understood why some folks feel a need to change something if everything is working fine just because they read that someone suggests they make the change. And then, as often as not, those same folks come to the forums looking for help because something isn't working as it should.

I like tinkering and tweaking as much as the next guy (& gal), but I know what I'm doing and I always have multiple recent disk images just in case. Yeah I'm old school, but my advice has always been: If it ain't broke......

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