Angry IP Scanner

Angry IP Scanner is a fast network scanner for Windows, macOS and Linux that shows which addresses on a subnet are alive, what they are called, which vendor made their network card and which TCP ports they answer on. The Angry IP Scanner download is free: the project is open source under GPL-2.0 and is maintained by Anton Keks on GitHub.

It is the tool you open when a new printer has grabbed a DHCP lease nobody wrote down, when you need to confirm that RDP is closed on a VLAN, or when you want a quick CSV of every live host before a migration. It is not a vulnerability scanner and keeps no inventory database. Version 3.10.0 raised the minimum Java to 21, bundles a Java runtime with the Windows installer and the macOS builds, runs natively on Apple Silicon and adds several security fixes, including a confirmation prompt before plugins are loaded.

Angry IP Scanner at a glance

What it does

• Scans an IP range, a subnet chosen with a netmask, random addresses or a list of addresses read from a text file.
• Detects live hosts with ICMP echo, UDP probes or TCP connection attempts, with adaptive timeouts based on measured round-trip time.
• Collects data through “fetchers”: ping time, packet loss, TTL, reverse DNS hostname, MAC address and MAC vendor, NetBIOS information, open and filtered TCP ports, web server detection and custom HTTP requests.
• Colour-codes results so dead hosts, live hosts and hosts with open ports are easy to tell apart, and can hide dead hosts (the default view since 3.10.0).
• Exports results to TXT, CSV, XML or an IP:port list that other tools can read.
• Opens a selected host in a browser, SSH, FTP, ping, traceroute or Windows shares through configurable “openers”.
• Runs scans from the command line and can be extended with Java plugins.

How sysadmins use it

Find a device that just joined the network

1. Open Tools > Fetchers and add MAC Address and MAC Vendor to the selected list.
2. Enter the subnet in the IP range fields (or type one address and pick the netmask, for example /24).
3. Press Start, then sort by MAC Vendor to spot the HP printer, the Ubiquiti access point or the Raspberry Pi you are looking for.
4. Right-click the host and use an opener (web browser or SSH) to reach it directly.

MAC addresses are only visible for hosts on the same Layer 2 segment as the scanning machine; across a router you will see the router’s view, not the device’s.

Check which hosts expose RDP, SSH or SMB

1. Go to Tools > Preferences > Ports and set the port list, for example 22,445,3389.
2. Make sure the Ports fetcher is enabled.
3. Scan the VLAN. Hosts that answer on one of the ports are shown in green; select them and export the list for the ticket or the change record.

Run a repeatable scan from a script

The command-line syntax is [options] <feeder> <exporter>. The output format follows the file extension you give to -o.

ipscan -f:range 192.168.10.1 192.168.10.254 -s -q -o lan-scan.csv
ipscan -f:file hosts.txt -s -q -a -o scan-history.txt

-s starts scanning immediately, -q quits after exporting and -a appends instead of overwriting. On Windows, call ipscan.exe with its full path from Task Scheduler. The command-line mode still starts the graphical toolkit, so a headless Linux server needs a virtual display; for purely headless jobs Nmap is the better fit.

Install and first run

Windows: the installer includes its own Java runtime, so nothing else is needed. A stand-alone executable is also offered; it requires a separately installed 64-bit Java 21 or newer. Installing needs admin rights; the stand-alone build does not.

macOS: separate bundles exist for Apple Silicon and Intel Macs, both with Java included. Because the app does not come from the App Store, the first launch needs a right-click and Open, or approval in System Settings under Privacy & Security.

Linux: DEB packages for Debian, Ubuntu and Mint, RPM packages for Fedora, RHEL and openSUSE, an “any architecture” DEB for Raspberry Pi OS and a JAR for everything else. All of them need Java 21 or newer (25 recommended).

sudo apt install openjdk-21-jre
sudo apt install ./ipscan_*_amd64.deb

Common gotchas:

• Hosts with a firewall that drops ICMP look dead. Switch the pinging method to TCP or UDP in Preferences, or enable scanning of dead hosts so ports are still checked.
• Endpoint security products may block or flag network scanners. Get an exclusion approved before you scan production networks.
• Large port lists multiply scan time. Start with a short list and widen it only where needed.
• Scanning networks you do not manage can breach policy or law. Get written permission for client networks.

Limitations

• No built-in scheduler, scan history or comparison between scans; use the CLI plus a script if you need trends.
• No operating system fingerprinting and no vulnerability checks.
• MAC and vendor data only work on the local segment.
• It depends on Java; the stand-alone and Linux builds need a Java 21+ runtime installed separately.
• It is a desktop tool for one operator, not a shared inventory or monitoring system.

Angry IP Scanner vs alternatives

FAQ

Is Angry IP Scanner free?

Yes. It is free and open source under GPL-2.0, with no paid edition and no feature limits.

Is there a portable version of Angry IP Scanner?

On Windows the stand-alone executable runs without installation, but it needs a 64-bit Java 21 or newer already on the machine. The installer version includes Java.

Does Angry IP Scanner work on Mac and Linux?

Yes. There are native bundles for Apple Silicon and Intel Macs, and DEB, RPM and JAR packages for Linux, including ARM builds for Raspberry Pi OS.

Is there an Angry IP Scanner for Android?

No. The project only publishes desktop builds for Windows, macOS and Linux; apps with similar names in mobile stores are not from this project.

What do blue and green mean in Angry IP Scanner?

Red marks hosts that did not respond, blue marks hosts that are alive but had none of the scanned ports open, and green marks live hosts with at least one open port from your list.

How do I scan a whole subnet with Angry IP Scanner?

Type any address from the subnet, choose the netmask (for example /24 or 255.255.255.0) next to the range fields and press Start. From the command line, use -f:range with the first and last address.

What is a good Angry IP Scanner alternative?

Nmap for scripted and deeper scans, SoftPerfect Network Scanner for Windows-centric discovery, and Open-AudIT if you need a persistent inventory.

Last checked against official sources: 1 October 2026 (developer website: angryip.org). Versions and licence terms change — confirm on the developer's site before deploying in production.