IPv6 Test — Check Your IPv6 Connectivity Online

IPv6 is the next-generation internet protocol. It provides enough IP addresses for every device to have its own unique address. But not every ISP supports it yet. Not every network is configured correctly. Our IPv6 test tool checks whether your connection is actually using IPv6 and identifies any problems.

The test checks multiple things: whether your device has an IPv6 address, whether your ISP provides IPv6 connectivity, whether your DNS resolver supports IPv6, and whether you can reach IPv6-only websites. The results tell you exactly where your IPv6 setup stands.

What the IPv6 Test Checks

The test performs several checks to give you a complete picture of your IPv6 readiness. First, it detects the IP addresses of your device. It shows both your IPv4 and IPv6 addresses if you have them. If you have an IPv6 address, the test confirms that your device is configured for IPv6.

Next, the test verifies that your ISP supports IPv6. It tries to connect to an IPv6-only server. If the connection succeeds, your ISP provides working IPv6 routing. If it fails, your ISP either does not support IPv6 or has broken IPv6 routing.

Then the test checks DNS. It queries an IPv6 DNS resolver and checks whether the response is valid. It also checks whether your configured DNS server supports IPv6 queries. Some DNS servers work fine for IPv4 but fail for IPv6.

Finally, the test evaluates whether you can reach popular IPv6-enabled websites. This confirms that your IPv6 connectivity works end-to-end for real-world traffic.

Interpreting Your Results

If all checks pass, your IPv6 is working correctly. You have global IPv6 connectivity and your DNS resolves over IPv6. No action needed.

If your device has an IPv6 address but the ISP connectivity check fails, your router might not be requesting an IPv6 prefix from your ISP. Log into your router and check the IPv6 settings. It should be set to DHCPv6 or SLAAC. Some ISPs require specific IPv6 settings.

If the DNS check fails, you might need to configure IPv6 DNS servers explicitly. Even if your ISP supports IPv6 traffic, they might not provide IPv6 DNS servers. Set your DNS to a public provider that supports IPv6, like Cloudflare or Google.

If you have no IPv6 address at all, your ISP or router does not support IPv6. Contact your ISP to ask about IPv6 support. Some ISPs enable it by default. Others require you to request it. Some still do not offer it at all.

Why IPv6 Matters for DNS

IPv6 is not optional anymore. The world ran out of IPv4 addresses years ago. ISPs are using carrier-grade NAT (CGNAT) to share IPv4 addresses among multiple customers. CGNAT causes problems for online gaming, peer-to-peer connections, and hosting services. IPv6 eliminates the need for NAT entirely.

DNS over IPv6 is faster in many cases. IPv6 eliminates the NAT traversal step that IPv4 requires. The network path is often more direct. Major DNS providers report that IPv6 queries are slightly faster than IPv4 queries on average.

DNS security also benefits from IPv6. DNSSEC, DNS over HTTPS, and DNS over TLS all work over IPv6. You get the same security features regardless of which transport protocol you use.

If you manage a website, adding AAAA records is essential. Over 40% of internet users have IPv6 capability. If your site does not have AAAA records, those users experience degraded performance or complete failure depending on their network configuration. Our guide on DNS record types explains how to add AAAA records properly.

How to Fix IPv6 Connectivity Issues

If the test reveals problems, start with your router. Log into the admin panel and look for IPv6 settings. Common options include Native, Passthrough, DHCPv6, SLAAC, and 6to4. Native or DHCPv6 are the best choices if your ISP supports them. Passthrough works if your ISP handles IPv6 directly.

If your router supports IPv6 but your ISP does not, consider using a tunnel broker like Hurricane Electric. Tunnel brokers encapsulate IPv6 traffic inside IPv4 packets and route it to an IPv6-capable endpoint. This gives you IPv6 connectivity without waiting for your ISP.

On Windows, ensure the IPv6 protocol is enabled in your network adapter settings. Some VPN software disables IPv6. Check your VPN configuration and re-enable IPv6 if necessary.

For detailed DNS configuration with IPv6, see our DNS over IPv6 guide which covers AAAA records and IPv6 DNS server addresses in detail.