Which IP address do you need?
For an allowlist at an external service, you usually need the public address through which you reach that service. For a printer or a device on your home network, you often need a local address instead. Open My IP to see your public connection, then follow the steps relevant to your task. A network adapter address is not necessarily the address a website sees.
Public and local IP addresses: An example
Your laptop might use 192.168.1.20 on Wi-Fi and reach its router at 192.168.1.1. IPv4 NAT often lets devices share a public connection. If a provider also uses carrier-grade NAT, that public connection may be shared with other customers. An IPv6 adapter can have multiple addresses, including global and link-local addresses. Addresses on your home network are not valid targets for a public network check.
Find your IP on Windows
- Open Terminal or Command Prompt.
- Run
ipconfig. - Find your active Wi-Fi or Ethernet adapter. VPNs and virtual adapters may add more entries.
- Distinguish the IPv4 address, IPv6 addresses and default gateway. The gateway is normally the next router, rather than your device's own address.
Find your IP on macOS and Linux
On macOS, check the active connection in network settings; ifconfig lists interfaces in Terminal. On Linux, use ip address. Identify the active adapter in each case. 127.0.0.1 and ::1 refer to the device itself, rather than a publicly reachable internet connection.
View your phone's IP address
On Android or iOS, open the details of the connected Wi-Fi network. Menu names vary by version. Switching to mobile data uses a different connection and can change your public address. Reload the home page before and after switching to compare.
Why does my VPN show a different address?
A VPN or proxy can carry certain internet connections. Compare the same address family before and after connecting. A changed IPv4 address does not establish that IPv6 and DNS follow the same path. Where useful, add the DNS leak test and WebRTC check; individual observations are not complete proof of anonymity.
Why is IPv4 or IPv6 missing?
Detection can fail because of missing protocol support, a VPN, browser filtering or an unreachable lookup service. Retry and compare the result with your adapter information. A configured local IPv6 address alone does not prove that internet access over IPv6 works.
Can an IP address reveal my exact location?
The displayed city is a database estimate. It may represent your provider or a distant network node. It does not reliably identify your home or a person. An unchanged IP is not proof of identity either. Use the IP lookup for another public connection, and read What is an IP address? for the basics.