169.254.0.0/16 (Link-Local / APIPA)
Not routableRFC 3927
169.254.0.0/16 at a glance
| CIDR block | 169.254.0.0/16 |
|---|---|
| First address | 169.254.0.0 |
| Last address | 169.254.255.255 |
| Total addresses | 65,536 |
| Subnet mask | 255.255.0.0 |
| Prefix length | /16 |
| Type | Not routable |
| Publicly routable | No |
| Defined in | RFC 3927 |
Open in CIDR calculator/16 subnet details
What is 169.254.0.0/16 used for?
169.254.0.0/16 is the IPv4 link-local range (RFC 3927). A device picks an address here on its own, called APIPA on Windows, when it cannot get one from DHCP, so a 169.254.x.x address usually means a DHCP problem. Cloud providers also serve instance metadata at 169.254.169.254.
Common subnets of 169.254.0.0/16
FAQ
Why do I have a 169.254.x.x IP address?
Your device did not get an answer from a DHCP server and assigned itself a link-local (APIPA) address. Check the cable or Wi-Fi, the router's DHCP service and then renew the lease (ipconfig /renew).
What is 169.254.169.254?
The instance metadata endpoint on AWS, Azure, Google Cloud and other clouds. A VM queries it to get its credentials, network settings and user data; it is only reachable from inside the instance.