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To give DHCP clients WINS settings, configure DHCP option 044 (WINS/NBNS Servers) with the IPv4 address or addresses of an existing WINS server. Add option 046 (NetBIOS Node Type) only if your clients need a specific NetBIOS lookup behavior. Set the options on the correct scope, renew a test client’s lease, and verify the result with ipconfig /all.
DHCP distributes these settings; it does not run WINS, register client names in WINS, or make NetBIOS work when it has been disabled. WINS is a legacy compatibility service for applications and devices that still rely on NetBIOS names. Microsoft describes WINS as a legacy name-resolution service, so use it only where a verified dependency remains.
What DHCP and WINS each do
WINS maps NetBIOS computer names to IP addresses. DHCP leases addresses and can provide clients with configuration values, including the address of a WINS server. A WINS-aware client uses that server to register or look up names; DHCP itself does not perform those WINS operations.
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WINS and DNS are separate systems. DNS is the normal choice for modern name resolution, but a legacy application that specifically asks for a NetBIOS name may not use DNS as a substitute. Microsoft documents WINS lookup integration with DNS for compatibility scenarios; that does not make WINS and DNS interchangeable.
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Before you configure the DHCP scope
- Confirm that an IPv4 DHCP server is operating and the clients use DHCP. In an Active Directory domain, the DHCP server must be authorized to lease addresses.
- Have one or more working WINS servers with static IPv4 addresses. Do not let the DHCP scope allocate those server addresses to other devices.
- Confirm clients can route to the WINS servers and that network firewalls permit the legacy traffic required by your deployment.
- Verify that the affected clients still use NetBIOS over TCP/IP. A client with NetBIOS disabled will not gain useful WINS resolution just because DHCP supplies a server address.
- For routed subnets, verify the DHCP relay or IP-helper configuration and that requests reach the DHCP server and scope for the client’s subnet.
Microsoft’s current DHCP setup guidance covers Windows Server 2025, 2022, 2019, and 2016, as well as Azure Local 2311.2 and later. The DHCP console labels can vary slightly by version. See the DHCP quickstart and DHCP deployment guidance for multiple subnets.
Choose the right DHCP options
Option 044: WINS/NBNS server addresses
Option 044 is the essential setting. Enter the IPv4 address of each WINS server that clients on the scope should use. If your WINS deployment has primary and secondary servers, provide both addresses. The Windows Server scope wizard calls this step WINS Servers; the DHCP PowerShell cmdlet exposes it as -WinsServer.
Option 046: NetBIOS node type
Option 046 controls how a client searches for NetBIOS names. It is separate from option 044 and is not required in every deployment.
| Value | Type | Lookup behavior |
|---|---|---|
0x1 |
B-node | Broadcast only |
0x2 |
P-node | WINS/server only |
0x4 |
M-node | Broadcast first, then WINS |
0x8 |
H-node | WINS first, then broadcast |
For a routed network that uses WINS, H-node (0x8) is a common choice because it queries WINS before falling back to local broadcast. It is not a universal rule: older applications, isolated networks, or existing client requirements may call for a different type. Check the design and test representative clients before setting it. The values are specified in RFC 2132; local adapter settings can also affect the client’s effective behavior.
Do not confuse option 046 with Microsoft’s vendor-specific 001 Microsoft Disable Netbios Option. That vendor option is for controlling NetBIOS disablement, not for enabling WINS. Microsoft documents a value of 0x2 for that purpose, and the client adapter must be set to use the DHCP-provided NetBIOS setting for it to take effect. See Microsoft’s DHCP-based NetBIOS disablement procedure.
Configure WINS in the DHCP console
Set the options at the scope level when only a particular subnet should receive them or different subnets need different WINS settings.
- Open DHCP from Windows Administrative Tools.
- Expand the DHCP server, then IPv4, then the relevant scope.
- Right-click Scope Options and select Configure Options.
- Select 044 WINS/NBNS Servers (wording may vary slightly) and enter the WINS server IPv4 address or addresses.
- If your deployment requires a particular node type, select 046 NetBIOS Node Type and enter the appropriate value, commonly
0x8for H-node on a routed WINS network. - Select OK. Confirm the options appear under that scope’s Scope Options node.
The New Scope Wizard also includes a WINS Servers page. If you do not have WINS servers, skip it; do not enter placeholder addresses. Microsoft’s DHCP quickstart describes the wizard flow.
Configure WINS with PowerShell
For example, set option 044 on the scope for the 10.10.10.0 subnet:
Set-DhcpServerv4OptionValue `
-ComputerName "DHCP1.contoso.com" `
-ScopeId 10.10.10.0 `
-WinsServer 10.10.10.20,10.10.10.21To set option 046 to H-node, first inspect the server’s option definition:
Get-DhcpServerv4OptionDefinition `
-ComputerName "DHCP1.contoso.com" `
-OptionId 46If option 046 is already defined with the expected type, set its value for the scope:
Set-DhcpServerv4OptionValue `
-ComputerName "DHCP1.contoso.com" `
-ScopeId 10.10.10.0 `
-OptionId 46 `
-Value 8Do not create a duplicate option definition blindly if 046 is missing. Check the option’s type and any existing vendor or class definitions first. Microsoft documents the commands to retrieve option definitions and retrieve configured option values.
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Get-DhcpServerv4OptionValue `
-ComputerName "DHCP1.contoso.com" `
-ScopeId 10.10.10.0Scope-level, server-level, or reservation-level?
- Scope level: Usually the safest choice. It targets one subnet and makes it straightforward to give different subnets different WINS settings.
- Server level: Use when the same WINS settings should apply broadly to all applicable scopes.
- Reservation level: Use for a specific reserved client that needs different values.
- Policy or class: Use only when a more complex deployment intentionally selects settings by policy, vendor, or user class.
DHCP options can be configured at server, scope, and reservation levels; use the narrowest level that matches the intended clients. See Microsoft’s scope documentation and Set-DhcpServerv4OptionValue reference.
Renew and verify a Windows client
On a test Windows client, open Command Prompt and run:
ipconfig /release
ipconfig /renew
ipconfig /allIn the relevant adapter’s output, confirm that:
- DHCP Enabled is Yes and the client is on the expected subnet.
- The listed DHCP server is the server you intended to answer the request.
- The WINS Servers field shows the expected address or addresses.
- NetBIOS over TCP/IP is not disabled if the application requires it.
This confirms that the client received configuration; it does not prove that the WINS service is running, that the target name is registered, or that a query succeeds. Test the actual application using its legacy NetBIOS name. For additional inspection, nbtstat -n displays local NetBIOS names, nbtstat -c displays the local name cache, and nbtstat -a SERVERNAME can query a specific NetBIOS name. Do not rely on ping SERVERNAME as a definitive WINS test: the name may resolve through DNS, a cache, or another mechanism.
Troubleshoot by symptom
No WINS address appears on the client
- Check that option 044 is set on the scope matching the client’s subnet, not a different scope.
- Confirm the client uses DHCP rather than a static IPv4 configuration, then release and renew the lease.
- Check the DHCP server shown by
ipconfig /all. A relay may be forwarding the request to a different server or scope. - Check for server-level options, policies, reservations, or local adapter settings that may change the effective value.
- In an AD domain, confirm that the intended DHCP server is authorized and investigate any unexpected DHCP server responding.
The WINS address appears, but name resolution fails
Check WINS service health and reachability, firewall rules, whether the target computer registered its name, and whether the client’s node type fits the deployment. Confirm the application actually uses NetBIOS/WINS. DHCP delivery alone establishes none of these.
Same-subnet lookup works, but cross-subnet lookup fails
NetBIOS broadcast discovery is local to a subnet and does not naturally cross routers. WINS can support routed name lookups, provided clients can reach the WINS server and the correct scope supplies its address. Check DHCP relay or IP-helper configuration as well as routing and firewall policy between the client, WINS server, and target network. See Microsoft’s multi-subnet DHCP deployment guidance.
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Only some clients get the wrong server or fail
Compare their subnet, DHCP server, adapter configuration, and lease. Multiple active DHCP servers, a policy or reservation, manual WINS settings, or different network adapters can explain inconsistent results. WINS and NetBIOS settings may differ by adapter, which matters on multihomed servers, VPNs, and machines with wired and wireless connections. Microsoft documents local TCP/IP and NetBIOS settings in its configuration reference.
NetBIOS is disabled
Option 044 does not re-enable NetBIOS over TCP/IP. Check the adapter’s NetBIOS setting and any policy or vendor-class DHCP configuration that disables it. Avoid disabling NetBIOS broadly until you have verified that no legacy application or device depends on it.
Safe rollback and modernization
If testing shows the WINS settings are wrong, remove or clear options 044 and 046 at the affected scope, or restore the previously documented values. Renew a test client and check the effective configuration again. Before removing WINS entirely or disabling NetBIOS, inventory and test the applications, file shares, printers, NAS devices, and other systems that may depend on NetBIOS names. Where no verified dependency remains, prefer DNS-based name resolution and a planned retirement rather than retaining WINS by default.
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