How to Find Your IP Address

Last Updated: October 2026

Whether you are troubleshooting a network issue, setting up a server, configuring a firewall, or simply curious, knowing how to find your IP address is a fundamental skill. This guide walks you through every method — on every major platform — for finding both your public and private IP addresses.

Understanding Public vs. Private IP Addresses

Before looking up your IP address, it helps to understand that you actually have two IP addresses — and they serve very different purposes.

Your public IP address is assigned by your Internet Service Provider (ISP) and is the address that websites and online services see when you connect. All devices in your household — your laptop, phone, tablet, smart TV — share the same public IP address because they all connect to the internet through the same router.

Your private (local) IP address is assigned by your router to each device on your local network. These addresses typically start with 192.168, 10.0, or 172.16. Private IP addresses are used for communication within your home or office network and are invisible to the outside internet.

Your router bridges the gap between these two worlds using Network Address Translation (NAT). When your laptop sends a request to a website, the router replaces your private IP with its public IP in the outgoing packet, records the mapping, and then forwards the website's response back to the correct device.

Finding Your Public IP Address

Your public IP is the address the rest of the internet sees. Here are several ways to find it.

Method 1: Use Our Online Tool

The easiest way is to visit our What Is My IP page. It instantly detects and displays your public IPv4 address, IPv6 address (if available), approximate location, ISP, and ASN — no installation or commands required.

Method 2: Command Line

If you prefer the terminal, you can query an external service to retrieve your public IP:

• Windows (PowerShell): Invoke-RestMethod ifconfig.me
• macOS / Linux: curl ifconfig.me or curl icanhazip.com
• Cross-platform alternative: nslookup myip.opendns.com resolver1.opendns.com

These commands reach out to a remote server that reports the IP address it sees your request coming from — which is your public IP.

Method 3: Router Admin Page

Your router's administration interface displays your public IP on its status or WAN page. Log in by typing your router's IP address (usually 192.168.1.1 or 192.168.0.1) into your browser and navigating to the WAN or Internet Status section. This method works even if you cannot access external websites.

Finding Your Private IP Address on Windows

Windows provides multiple ways to view your local IP address.

Method 1: ipconfig (Command Prompt)

1. Press Windows + R, type cmd, and press Enter to open Command Prompt.
2. Type ipconfig and press Enter.
3. Look for your active adapter — usually labeled Wi-Fi or Ethernet adapter.
4. Find the IPv4 Address line — this is your private IP (e.g., 192.168.1.105).
5. The Subnet Mask is typically 255.255.255.0.
6. The Default Gateway is your router's IP address.

For more detail, run ipconfig /all to see DNS servers, DHCP lease information, MAC address, and other adapter properties.

Method 2: Windows Settings

1. Open Settings (Windows + I).
2. Go to Network & Internet.
3. Select Wi-Fi or Ethernet depending on your connection.
4. Click on your network name or Hardware properties.
5. Scroll down to find your IPv4 address and IPv6 address.

Method 3: PowerShell

Open PowerShell and run: Get-NetIPAddress -AddressFamily IPv4 | Where-Object InterfaceAlias -notlike "Loopback*". This shows all IPv4 addresses assigned to non-loopback interfaces.

Finding Your Private IP Address on macOS

Method 1: System Settings

1. Open System Settings (Apple menu > System Settings).
2. Click Network in the sidebar.
3. Select your active connection (Wi-Fi or Ethernet).
4. Click Details.
5. Under the TCP/IP tab, your IP address is displayed along with the subnet mask and router address.

Method 2: Terminal

Open Terminal (Applications > Utilities > Terminal) and use one of these commands:

• ifconfig en0 — shows your Wi-Fi adapter's configuration. Look for the inet line.
• ifconfig en1 — shows Ethernet adapter configuration on some Macs.
• ipconfig getifaddr en0 — returns just the IP address with no extra output.

Finding Your Private IP Address on Linux

Method 1: ip addr (Recommended)

The modern way to view network information on Linux is the ip command:

• ip addr show — shows all network interfaces and their addresses.
• ip -4 addr show — shows only IPv4 addresses.
• ip addr show eth0 — shows the address for a specific interface (replace eth0 with your interface name, such as ens33 or wlan0).

Look for the inet line, which shows the IPv4 address and subnet prefix length (e.g., 192.168.1.50/24).

Method 2: hostname -I

For a quick one-liner, run hostname -I (capital I). This outputs all IP addresses assigned to the machine, separated by spaces. The first address is usually your primary private IP.

Method 3: ifconfig (Legacy)

On older Linux distributions, you can use ifconfig (you may need to install the net-tools package first). Look for the inet field under your active interface.

Finding Your IP Address on iPhone and iPad

1. Open the Settings app.
2. Tap Wi-Fi.
3. Tap the i (info) icon next to your connected network.
4. Your private IP address is displayed under IP Address.
5. You will also see the Subnet Mask and Router (default gateway) address.

To find your public IP on iOS, open Safari and visit computernetworkchecker.com/what-is-my-ip. There is no built-in command to view the public IP on iPhone without an internet connection.

Finding Your IP Address on Android

1. Open Settings.
2. Go to Network & Internet (or Connections on Samsung devices).
3. Tap Wi-Fi.
4. Tap your connected network name (or the gear icon next to it).
5. Your IP address is displayed in the network details — look for IP address.

On some Android versions, you can also go to Settings > About Phone > Status to see the IP address. To find your public IP, open Chrome and visit our What Is My IP tool.

Finding Your Router's IP Address (Default Gateway)

Your router's IP address — also called the default gateway — is the address you type into a browser to access the router's admin interface. Here is how to find it on each platform:

• Windows: Run ipconfig in Command Prompt and look for the Default Gateway line.
• macOS: Go to System Settings > Network > Details > TCP/IP, or run netstat -nr | grep default in Terminal.
• Linux: Run ip route | grep default to see the default gateway.
• iPhone/iPad: Settings > Wi-Fi > tap (i) next to your network > look for Router.
• Android: Settings > Wi-Fi > tap your network > look for Gateway.

The most common default gateway addresses are 192.168.1.1, 192.168.0.1, and 10.0.0.1. If you have never changed your router's admin password, check the label on the bottom of the router for the default credentials.

When Does Your IP Address Change?

Whether your IP address changes depends on the type of address and how it is assigned.

Public IP Changes

Most residential ISPs assign dynamic public IP addresses using DHCP. Your public IP may change in several situations:

• Router restart — Powering off your router and modem may trigger a new IP assignment when they reconnect.
• DHCP lease expiration — ISPs set lease durations ranging from 24 hours to 7 days. When the lease expires, you may receive a new address.
• ISP maintenance — Infrastructure changes can cause IP reassignments across an ISP's network.
• Network changes — Switching from Wi-Fi to mobile data, or connecting to a different network, gives you a completely different public IP.

In practice, many ISPs reissue the same address if the lease is renewed before it expires, so your public IP may stay the same for weeks or even months. If you need a permanent public IP, you can request a static IP from your ISP — usually for an additional monthly fee.

Private IP Changes

Your private IP is assigned by your router's DHCP server, typically with a lease of 24 hours. Most routers will reassign the same IP to a device if it reconnects before the lease expires. If you need a device to always have the same private IP (for a printer, NAS, or server), you can set a DHCP reservation in your router's admin settings or configure a static IP directly on the device.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the fastest way to find my public IP address?

Visit our What Is My IP tool — it instantly shows your public IPv4 and IPv6 addresses, location, ISP, and ASN. Alternatively, run curl ifconfig.me in a terminal.

How do I find my private IP address on Windows?

Open Command Prompt (Windows + R, type cmd, press Enter) and run ipconfig. Your private IP is listed as the "IPv4 Address" under your active adapter.

How do I find my private IP address on Mac?

Go to System Settings > Network > select your connection > click Details > TCP/IP. Your IP address is displayed there. Or open Terminal and run ipconfig getifaddr en0.

What is the difference between my public and private IP address?

Your public IP is assigned by your ISP and is visible to the entire internet. Your private IP is assigned by your router and is only used within your local network. All devices at home share one public IP but each has a unique private IP.

How do I find my router's IP address?

On Windows, run ipconfig and look for "Default Gateway." On Mac, go to System Settings > Network > Details > TCP/IP > Router. Common router IPs include 192.168.1.1, 192.168.0.1, and 10.0.0.1.

Why does my IP address keep changing?

Most ISPs use dynamic IP assignment via DHCP. Your IP may change when the router restarts, the DHCP lease expires, or the ISP performs maintenance. You can request a static IP from your ISP if you need a permanent address.

How do I find my IP address on iPhone?

Go to Settings > Wi-Fi > tap the (i) icon next to your connected network. Your private IP is listed under "IP Address." For your public IP, visit computernetworkchecker.com/what-is-my-ip in Safari.

Can I find my IP address without going online?

You can find your private IP without internet access using ipconfig (Windows), ifconfig (Mac), ip addr (Linux), or your device's network settings. However, finding your public IP requires contacting an external service because the public IP is assigned at your ISP's network edge, not on your device.