What Is My IP Address?

You actually have two IP addresses. Your public IP is the address the internet sees — assigned by your ISP, shared by all devices on your home network. Your private IP is the address your router assigned to your specific device on the local network. They serve completely different purposes and answering "what's my IP?" depends on which one you need.

Find Your Public IP

Your public IP is what websites see when you visit them. The simplest way to find it:

• Google "what is my IP" — it shows it right in the search results
• Visit ifconfig.me — clean, minimal, just your IP
• Visit ipinfo.io — shows IP plus location, ISP, and organization

From the command line:

# Works on Mac/Linux
curl ifconfig.me

# Or
curl ipinfo.io/ip

# Windows (PowerShell)
(Invoke-WebRequest ifconfig.me).Content

Find Your Private IP

Your private IP is the address your router gave your device on the local network (e.g., 192.168.1.105). This is what you need for local tasks like setting up static IPs, accessing your router, or connecting to local servers.

Windows

ipconfig
# Look for "IPv4 Address" under your WiFi or Ethernet adapter

Mac

ipconfig getifaddr en0    # WiFi
ipconfig getifaddr en1    # Ethernet (if applicable)

Or: System Settings → Network → WiFi → Details → TCP/IP → IP Address

iPhone / iPad

Settings → Wi-Fi → tap the (i) next to your network → IP Address

Android

Settings → Wi-Fi → tap your connected network → look for "IP address" in the details

Linux

ip addr show
# Or the shorter version
hostname -I

Public vs Private IP

Private IP Ranges

These IP ranges are reserved for local networks and never appear on the public internet. This is why your device can have the same IP (like 192.168.1.5) as someone else's device across the world — they only exist within their respective local networks.

IPv4 vs IPv6

IPv4 addresses look like 192.168.1.1 — four numbers separated by dots. There are only about 4.3 billion possible IPv4 addresses, and we've essentially run out. IPv6 was created to solve this: addresses like 2001:0db8:85a3:0000:0000:8a2e:0370:7334 provide an effectively unlimited supply.

In practice, most of the internet still runs on IPv4 with NAT (Network Address Translation) — your ISP gives your household one public IPv4 address, and your router translates between that single address and the private IPs of all your devices. IPv6 adoption is growing but isn't universal yet.

Static vs Dynamic IP

Dynamic IP (most common) — your ISP assigns your public IP automatically, and it can change. Your router assigns private IPs to devices automatically via DHCP. This is the default for virtually all home networks.

Static IP — an IP that never changes. For public IPs, ISPs charge extra for this (useful for running servers). For private IPs, you can set these yourself in your router's DHCP reservation settings — useful for devices that need a consistent address like printers, servers, or smart home hubs.

Can Someone Find My Location from My IP?

Your public IP reveals your approximate location — usually accurate to the city level, sometimes to the neighborhood. It also reveals your ISP. It does not reveal your exact street address, name, or other personal information. Websites use this for localization (showing local news, correct currency, nearby stores).

If you want to hide your public IP, a VPN routes your traffic through a different server, making websites see the VPN's IP instead of yours.