The number displayed above is your public IP address: the unique address your internet service provider assigned to your connection, and the one every website you visit can see. If you searched “what is my IP address,” that number is your answer, detected automatically the moment this page loaded, on any device, with nothing to install.
The rest of this page explains what that number actually means: the difference between public and private addresses, why you might see two of them, what your IP reveals about you (and what it cannot), why the location shown is sometimes wrong, and how to change or hide your address if you want to.
What Is an IP Address?
An IP address (Internet Protocol address) is a unique numerical label assigned to every device that connects to a network. It does two jobs at once: it identifies your device, and it tells the network where to deliver the data you request. Think of it as the return address on a letter. When you open a website, your request carries your IP address so the server knows exactly where to send the page back.
Every participant on the internet has one, not just your computer or phone. Every website, server, and router has an IP address too. In fact, a domain name like google.com is just a human-friendly label sitting on top of a numeric address; you can see this yourself by running any site through our free Domain to IP Converter, or by checking how names map to numbers with our DNS record checker. The global pool of addresses is coordinated by IANA, the authority that allocates global IP address space to regional registries around the world.
Public IP vs Private IP: Which One Are You Seeing?
The address at the top of this page is your public IP: the single outward-facing address your internet provider assigned to your whole connection. Every device in your home shares it when talking to the internet, and it is the address websites, apps, and online services see.
Your devices also have private IP addresses, which work only inside your local network. Your router hands these out automatically, and they usually look like 192.168.1.15 or 10.0.0.4. A private address cannot be reached from the internet; it exists so your router can tell your laptop apart from your phone. The router then translates between the two worlds using a system called NAT (Network Address Translation), which is why a dozen devices can share one public address without conflict.
So when someone asks for “your IP,” the answer depends on context: online services need the public one shown above, while printer setups, gaming consoles, and port forwarding usually need the private one. The next sections cover how to find both on any device.
IPv4 vs IPv6: Why You Might See Two Addresses
There are two versions of the Internet Protocol in use today, and many connections run both at once. IPv4 is the original format: a 32-bit address written as four numbers separated by dots, like 203.0.113.45. It allows roughly 4.3 billion unique addresses, which sounded infinite in the 1980s and ran out in practice years ago. IPv6 is its successor: a 128-bit address written in hexadecimal groups, like 2001:db8::8a2e:370:7334, with enough capacity that exhaustion is effectively impossible.
Because the transition is gradual, most modern networks are “dual stack,” meaning they hold a valid IPv4 and IPv6 address at the same time. If this page shows you two addresses, nothing is wrong: both are genuinely yours, and each website you visit simply uses whichever version it supports.
How to Find Your IP Address on Any Device
Your public IP is the easy part: it is displayed at the top of this page on any device with a browser. Finding your private (local) IP takes a few taps more, and the steps differ by platform.
On Windows
Open Command Prompt and run ipconfig. Your private address appears next to “IPv4 Address” under your active adapter. Prefer menus? Go to Settings, then Network and Internet, then Wi-Fi (or Ethernet), then Properties.
On Mac
Open System Settings, click Wi-Fi, then click Details next to your connected network. The IP address listed there is your Mac’s private address on the local network.
On iPhone
Open Settings, tap Wi-Fi, then tap the small info icon next to the network you are connected to. The IP Address field shows your iPhone’s private address. Your public address, the one the internet sees, is the number at the top of this page.
On Android
Open Settings, go to Network and Internet (or Connections), tap Wi-Fi, then tap your connected network. The details panel lists your device’s private IP address.
Your Router
Your router has two addresses: the public one it shares with the internet (shown above) and a private gateway address inside your network, usually 192.168.0.1 or 192.168.1.1. The gateway address is typically printed on a label on the router itself, and it is the address you type into a browser to open the router’s admin panel.
What Your IP Address Reveals About You (and What It Does Not)
An IP address reveals less than most people fear and more than most people assume. What it does show: your approximate location, usually accurate to the country and often to the city or region; your internet service provider; and your connection type. Websites use this for practical things, such as showing prices in your currency or content in your language, and advertisers use it to build patterns about the networks you browse from.
What it does not show: your name, your street address, or your exact position. On its own, an IP address cannot identify you as an individual; connecting an address to a specific person requires records held by the ISP, which are released only through legal process. One practical thing worth checking is whether your address has ended up on a spam blocklist, which can silently break your outgoing email; our free IP blacklist checker tests your address against the major databases in seconds.
Why Your IP Location Might Look Wrong
If the city shown above is not where you are sitting, your connection is working fine. IP geolocation is an estimate built from routing data and registry records, not a GPS reading. Several things routinely shift it: mobile carriers use a technique called CGNAT that can place thousands of users in one distant city; ISPs sometimes register whole address blocks to a headquarters location; geolocation databases update on their own schedules; and if you are on a VPN, the location shown is the VPN server’s, not yours. As a rule, country-level accuracy is reliable while city-level accuracy is approximate. To see these location details for any other address, not just your own, run it through our free IP Location Lookup.
Static vs Dynamic IP Addresses
Most home connections use dynamic IP addresses: your ISP assigns one from its pool, and it can change when you restart your router or when the lease renews. A static IP never changes; it is fixed to your connection, typically as a paid business feature. Static addresses matter when something needs to find you reliably, such as remote access to a home server, self-hosting, or an office allowlist that only admits known addresses. In North America, the address blocks that ISPs draw from are assigned by ARIN, the regional registry that assigns IP blocks in North America; you can see which organization any block belongs to with our free WhoIs lookup.
How to Change or Hide Your IP Address
There are several legitimate ways to get a different address, each with honest trade-offs. Restarting your router often works if your IP is dynamic, since the ISP may assign a new one on reconnect. Asking your ISP directly also works, though some charge for it. A VPN replaces your visible address with the VPN server’s and encrypts your traffic, at the cost of some speed and a subscription for a good one. A proxy swaps your address for a single app or browser without encrypting anything. Tor routes your traffic through multiple relays for strong anonymity, but it is noticeably slow for everyday browsing. None of these is “the” right answer; the right tool depends on whether your goal is a fresh address, privacy from tracking, or anonymity. For a broader look at reducing what you expose online, the FTC’s guidance on protecting your privacy online is a solid, vendor-neutral starting point.
Look Up Any Other IP Address
Your own address is only half the story. To see the location, ISP, and network details behind any other IP, paste it into our free IP Location Lookup and get the full picture in seconds.
