How to Find Your IP Address on a Computer (Windows, Mac & More)

Your IP address is your computer's unique identifier on a network — think of it like a postal address, but for internet traffic. Knowing how to find it is one of those basic tech skills that comes up more than you'd expect: troubleshooting a slow connection, setting up remote access, configuring a router, or helping IT support diagnose a problem.

The catch? There are actually two different IP addresses most computers have, and finding the right one depends entirely on what you're trying to do.

Public IP vs. Local IP — Know Which One You Need

Before you start clicking through menus, it helps to understand the difference:

• Public IP address — This is the address the outside internet sees. It's assigned by your Internet Service Provider (ISP) and shared across all devices on your home or office network. Every device behind the same router shows the same public IP to the outside world.
• Local (private) IP address — This is the address your computer has within your network. Your router assigns it, and it's only visible to other devices on the same Wi-Fi or Ethernet network.

Most networking tasks — like port forwarding, connecting two devices locally, or printer setup — need your local IP. Checking geo-location or verifying VPN status usually means looking at your public IP.

How to Find Your IP Address on Windows 🖥️

Method 1: Settings App (Windows 10/11)

1. Open Settings → Network & Internet
2. Click on Wi-Fi or Ethernet depending on how you're connected
3. Click on your active connection name
4. Scroll down to find IPv4 address

Method 2: Command Prompt

This is the fastest method and works on virtually every Windows version:

1. Press Windows key + R, type cmd, hit Enter
2. In the Command Prompt window, type: ipconfig
3. Hit Enter

Look for the section labeled with your active adapter (Wi-Fi or Ethernet). Your IPv4 Address is your local IP. You'll also see the Default Gateway — that's typically your router's address.

If you want more detail (DNS servers, MAC address, etc.), run ipconfig /all instead.

How to Find Your IP Address on macOS

Method 1: System Settings / System Preferences

• macOS Ventura and later: Go to System Settings → Network → click your active connection → details will show your IP address
• Earlier macOS versions: Go to System Preferences → Network → select your connection on the left → your IP appears on the right

Method 2: Terminal

1. Open Terminal (search with Spotlight: ⌘ + Space, type "Terminal")
2. For Wi-Fi connections, type: ipconfig getifaddr en0
3. For Ethernet, try: ipconfig getifaddr en1

The output is just the IP — clean and direct.

How to Find Your IP Address on Linux

Open a terminal and run:

ip addr show 

or the older command:

ifconfig 

Look for your active interface (commonly eth0 for Ethernet, wlan0 for Wi-Fi). Your local IP appears next to inet.

How to Find Your Public IP Address (Any Device)

Finding your public IP is the same regardless of operating system. Open any browser and search:

"what is my IP"

Google displays it directly at the top of results. You can also visit sites like whatismyipaddress.com or ipchicken.com — they show your public-facing IP instantly.

Worth noting: if you're using a VPN, the public IP shown will belong to the VPN server, not your actual ISP connection. That's the point of a VPN — but it's something to be aware of when troubleshooting.

IPv4 vs. IPv6 — Why You Might See Two Addresses 🔢

Modern computers often display both an IPv4 address (the familiar four-number format like 192.168.1.5) and an IPv6 address (a longer alphanumeric string like fe80::1a2b:3c4d).

• IPv4 is still the dominant format for most home networking tasks
• IPv6 is the newer standard, designed to handle the growing number of internet-connected devices
• Most home routers and networks currently operate on IPv4, though IPv6 adoption is increasing

For everyday tasks like troubleshooting or local device setup, your IPv4 address is almost always the relevant one.

Why Your IP Address Might Change

Local IP addresses are usually assigned dynamically by your router through a process called DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol). This means:

• Your local IP can change when you reconnect to a network or restart your router
• Different networks (home, office, café) assign completely different local IPs
• Your public IP can also change, sometimes daily, depending on your ISP

If you need a device to always have the same local IP — for a home server, a NAS drive, or port forwarding rules — you'd set a static IP either on the device itself or through your router's DHCP reservation settings. That's a separate configuration step with its own trade-offs depending on your setup and router model.

Whether you need your public IP, your local IP, or a stable static address really comes down to what you're trying to accomplish — and that's where your specific setup, operating system, and networking goal become the deciding factors.