# IPv6 Quickstart

[IP addresses](https://www.digitalocean.com/community/tutorials/understanding-ip-addresses-subnets-and-cidr-notation-for-networking) let machines communicate across a network. DigitalOcean Droplets are assigned IPv4 addresses by default. Enabling IPv6 on a Droplet gives you access to its 16 additional IPv6 addresses.

## Enable IPv6 during Droplet Creation

Enabling IPv6 when you create a Droplet means all of the network configuration is automatically done for you.

To enable IPv6 while creating a Droplet:

1. From the [Droplet create page](https://cloud.digitalocean.com/droplets/new), in the **Additional Options** section, check **IPv6**.
2. Finish creating the Droplet as normal.

Once the Droplet is created, its IPv6 address is displayed in the header. You can also click the Droplet’s name, then click the **Networking** link to view more IPv6 network information.

## Enable IPv6 on Existing Droplets

To [enable IPv6 on an existing Droplet](https://docs.digitalocean.com/products/networking/ipv6/how-to/enable/index.html.md#on-existing-droplets):

1. Shut down the Droplet with `sudo shutdown -h now`.
2. On the **Droplets** page, click the name of the Droplet, then click **Networking** in the side menu.
3. In the **Public IPv6 network** section, click **Enable**.
4. Turn the Droplet back on by clicking the **On/Off** switch in the control panel.
5. Manually configure the IPv6 network on the Droplet itself.

   Instructions vary based on the Droplet’s operating system. Our [manual IPv6 configuration documentation](https://docs.digitalocean.com/products/networking/ipv6/how-to/enable/index.html.md#on-existing-droplets) has step by step details for supported distributions.
6. Reboot your Droplet with `reboot` for the changes to take effect.

Once the Droplet boots, its IPv6 address is displayed in the header. You can also click the Droplet’s name, then click the **Networking** link to view more IPv6 network information.