IPv6 is a new version of the Internet Protocol (IP) designed to make it easy for many billions of devices to connect to the Internet. Mac OS X has shipped support for IPv6 since Mac OS X v10.1, and enabled it by default since Mac OS X v10.3. For more information about IPv6, see "What is IPv6".

One key advantage of IPv6 is that it configures itself automatically. In most cases, your computer and applications will detect and take advantage of IPv6-enabled networks and services without requiring any action on your part. However, there may be times when you wish to disable or manually configure IPv6. You can do this for each network interface using Advanced settings on the Network pane of System Preferences.

To disable IPv6 on your computer

1. Choose Apple menu > System Preferences, and then click Network.
2. If the Network Preference is locked, click on the lock icon and enter your Admin password to make further changes.
3. Choose the network service you want to use with IPv6, such as Ethernet or AirPort.
4. Click Advanced, and then click TCP/IP.
5. Click on the Configure IPv6 pop-up menu (typically set to Automatically) and select Off.

To manually set up your computer to use IPv6

You should only do this if your network administrator or Internet service provider has specifically told you to manually configure IPv6.

1. Choose Apple menu > System Preferences, and then click Network.
2. If the Network Preference is locked, click on the lock icon and enter your Admin password to make further changes.
3. Choose the network service you want to use with IPv6, such as Ethernet or AirPort.
4. Click Advanced, and then click TCP/IP.
5. Click on the Configure IPv6 pop-up menu (typically set to Automatically) and select Manually.
6. Enter the IPv6 address, router address, and prefix length you received from your network administrator or Internet service provider. Your router address may be referred to as your gateway address by some ISPs.