It’s quick and easy, if you know where to look.
If you’re looking for a quick answer to “What is my IP address?”, a simple solution is to go to WhatIsMyIP.com and get it there. But the real answer is a little more complicated, because your devices don’t have just one IP address. Every device on your network gets a private one from your router, and your whole home shares a single public one from your internet provider. The public address is the one websites see, while the private one only matters inside your own network.
Your router does the translating between the two, which is how a phone, a laptop and a TV can all browse at once while looking like a single address to the outside world. The router also hands out the private ones through a system called DHCP that usually lives inside the router itself. So the real answer depends on whether you’re looking for your public address or one of your private ones.
The quick way to find your public IP
Open a browser and go to DuckDuckGo. Type “what is my IP” into the search bar, and there it is. The answer shows up at the top of the results. Sites like WhatIsMyIP do the same thing and add your approximate location and your provider’s name.
If you’d rather stay out of the browser, there’s a faster way on both Mac and Windows. Open Terminal on a Mac, or Command Prompt on Windows, type the following and press Enter:
It produces your public IP and nothing else. If you’re after your private IP instead, here’s how.
Find your private IP on Windows and Mac
On Windows 11, right-click the network icon in the taskbar and choose Network and Internet settings. If you are on Wi-Fi, click Wi-Fi, then click the network you’re connected to. If you are connected through Ethernet, click Ethernet instead. Scroll down past the toggles until you reach a long list of technical details. Most of them have IPv6 in the name, and you can ignore those. Look for the line called IPv4 address. The numbers next to it, four groups separated by dots, are your private IP. Windows 10 is nearly the same, though on Wi-Fi you may need to click Hardware properties first.
You can do the exact same thing by opening Command Prompt and typing ipconfig. It works on every version of Windows, and the address is on the IPv4 Address line under your active connection.
On a Mac, the quickest route is to hold down Option and click the Wi-Fi icon in the menu bar. Your IP address is listed there, along with your router’s. The longer way works for wired connections too: Apple menu > System Settings > Network. Then pick your connection, click Details, and look under the TCP/IP tab.
On your phone and your router
On an iPhone, go to Settings, tap Wi-Fi, then tap the i next to your network and scroll down to the IP address. Android works the same way on many phones: open Settings, tap Wi-Fi, then tap the i or the gear icon next to your network and look for IPv4. On a Pixel, the path is Settings > Network & internet > Internet > gear icon > Network details. Manufacturers move things around, so your phone may differ a little.
The router has its own address, and it’s the one you type into a browser to reach its settings page. Your device lists it as the Default Gateway (or just Router), and it’s often 192.168.1.1, 192.168.0.1 or 10.0.0.1. On Windows, it’s right there in the ipconfig output.
Why you’d want to know your IP address
Mostly for troubleshooting. If your connection is laggy or dead and a restart didn’t help, your provider may ask for your device’s IP to work out whether the problem is on your end or theirs. It also comes up when you’re setting up a printer, a game server or remote access to a machine at home.
Your public IP probably won’t stay put. Most home connections use dynamic addresses, which can change when you restart your modem or router. Static ones exist, but they’re mostly for servers, such as the ones hosting big websites or running email.
A common question is whether you can look up someone else’s IP. The answer is no, not from your end. Random people on the internet can’t see yours, and a public IP usually points to a whole network, not one person or device. Websites and advertisers can see it, though, and sometimes use it to build a picture of what you like. A VPN hides it from them, and a proxy does too, some proxies do not encrypt your traffic, and a VPN always does. If you want to try one, you can check out this guide on how to use a VPN.
