How to Find Your IP Address on a Mac

Whether you're troubleshooting a network issue, setting up remote access, or just curious about your connection, knowing how to find your IP address on a Mac is a genuinely useful skill. The process is straightforward — but there's an important distinction to understand first, because your Mac actually has more than one IP address depending on what you're asking about.

Local IP vs. Public IP: Two Very Different Answers

Before diving into the steps, it helps to understand what you're actually looking for.

Your local IP address (sometimes called a private IP) is the address your router assigns to your Mac within your home or office network. It typically looks like 192.168.x.x or 10.0.x.x. This address is only visible to other devices on the same network.

Your public IP address is what the wider internet sees — the address assigned by your Internet Service Provider (ISP) to your entire network. Every device on your home Wi-Fi shares this same public IP.

The method you use depends entirely on which one you need.

How to Find Your Local IP Address on a Mac

Method 1: System Settings (macOS Ventura and Later)

Apple redesigned its system preferences in macOS Ventura, so the path is slightly different from older versions:

1. Click the Apple menu (🍎) in the top-left corner
2. Select System Settings
3. Click Network in the sidebar
4. Select your active connection — Wi-Fi or Ethernet
5. Click Details next to your connected network
6. Your IP address appears next to IP Address under the TCP/IP tab

Method 2: System Preferences (macOS Monterey and Earlier)

If you're running an older version of macOS:

1. Click the Apple menu → System Preferences
2. Open Network
3. Select your active connection in the left panel
4. Your local IP is displayed on the right side of the window

Method 3: Using Terminal (Any macOS Version)

For users comfortable with the command line, Terminal gives you fast, detailed output:

1. Open Terminal (found in Applications → Utilities, or via Spotlight with Cmd + Space)
2. Type the following command and press Enter:

ifconfig | grep "inet " 

You'll see a list of network interfaces. Look for the line starting with inet that shows an address like 192.168.x.x — that's your local IP. The 127.0.0.1 entry is your loopback address and can be ignored.

Alternatively, for a cleaner result tied to a specific interface:

ipconfig getifaddr en0 

Use en0 for Wi-Fi on most Macs, or en1 for Ethernet (this can vary by Mac model).

Method 4: Hover Over the Wi-Fi Icon

A less-known shortcut: hold down the Option key and click the Wi-Fi icon in your menu bar. A dropdown appears showing your IP address, router address, and other network details — no settings menus required.

How to Find Your Public IP Address on a Mac

Your Mac's network settings won't show your public IP directly — that information lives at the router or ISP level. The simplest methods:

• Open any browser and search "what is my IP" — Google and most search engines display it immediately at the top of results
• Use a dedicated lookup site like ipinfo.io or similar tools, which also show your approximate location and ISP

Both approaches work regardless of macOS version, browser, or network setup.

Key Differences at a Glance

Factors That Affect Which IP You See 🔍

A few variables determine what you'll find and what it means:

• Connection type: Wi-Fi and Ethernet connections each have their own local IP address on your Mac. If you're connected to both simultaneously, your Mac has two local IPs
• DHCP vs. static: Most Macs receive a local IP automatically via DHCP, meaning it can change when you reconnect. A static IP is manually assigned and stays fixed — relevant if you're running a server or using port forwarding
• IPv4 vs. IPv6: Modern networks increasingly use IPv6 addresses (which look like 2601:xxx:xxxx:...) alongside the more familiar IPv4 format. Your Mac may display both
• VPN usage: If a VPN is active, your public IP shown in a browser will reflect the VPN server's address — not your ISP's. Your local IP remains unchanged
• Network environment: On a corporate or university network, IP ranges and assignment rules are often managed centrally, which affects what addresses your Mac receives

When Local vs. Public IP Actually Matters

Most everyday tasks don't require you to know either address. But specific situations make the distinction critical:

• Remote desktop or SSH access from outside your network requires your public IP and router port forwarding
• Local file sharing or printing uses your local IP
• Network security audits or parental controls work at the local level
• Checking for IP conflicts on your network — duplicate local IPs — requires seeing your assigned local address

The right answer for your situation depends on your network setup, whether you're accessing your Mac remotely or locally, and what software or service is involved — and that's the part only your specific configuration can answer.