How to Find the IP Address of a Computer (Any OS, Any Setup)

Every device connected to a network has an IP address — a numerical label that identifies it and allows data to travel to and from it correctly. Whether you're troubleshooting a connection, setting up remote access, configuring a router, or just curious, knowing where to find this address is a fundamental networking skill.

The tricky part? There are actually two different IP addresses most computers have at any given time, and people often confuse them. Knowing which one you need changes where you look.

The Two Types of IP Addresses You Should Know

Local (Private) IP Address This is the address your computer has within your home or office network. Your router assigns it, and it typically looks like 192.168.x.x, 10.x.x.x, or 172.16.x.x. Other devices on the same Wi-Fi or Ethernet network use this address to communicate with your machine.

Public (External) IP Address This is the address the rest of the internet sees. It belongs to your router (assigned by your ISP), and every device on your network shares it. If someone in another city needs to connect to your computer, this is the address they'd use — not the local one.

Most troubleshooting tasks (shared printers, local file sharing, gaming on a LAN) involve the local IP. Tasks like setting up remote desktop access from outside your home involve the public IP.

How to Find Your Local IP Address 💻

On Windows

Method 1 — Settings (Windows 10/11):

1. Open Settings → Network & Internet
2. Click your active connection (Wi-Fi or Ethernet)
3. Scroll down to Properties — your IPv4 address is listed there

Method 2 — Command Prompt:

1. Press Windows + R, type cmd, press Enter
2. Type ipconfig and press Enter
3. Look for IPv4 Address under your active adapter (e.g., Wireless LAN or Ethernet)

The ipconfig method is faster and shows all adapters at once, which is useful if your machine has both wired and wireless connections active.

On macOS

Method 1 — System Settings:

1. Open System Settings (or System Preferences on older macOS) → Network
2. Select your active connection on the left
3. Your IP address appears in the details panel

Method 2 — Terminal:

1. Open Terminal
2. Type ifconfig | grep "inet " and press Enter
3. The address next to inet (not 127.0.0.1, which is the loopback address) is your local IP

On Linux

Open a terminal and run:

ip addr show 

or the older command:

ifconfig 

Look for inet followed by an address under your active interface — typically eth0 for Ethernet or wlan0 for Wi-Fi.

On Chrome OS

1. Click the clock in the bottom-right corner
2. Select your Wi-Fi network
3. Click the network name → your IP address appears under the Network tab

How to Find Your Public IP Address 🌐

This one is simpler regardless of OS. Open any browser and search:

"what is my IP address"

Google, Bing, and most search engines display it directly at the top of results. Alternatively, visiting a site like ipinfo.io or checkip.amazonaws.com will show your public IP immediately.

Your public IP is assigned dynamically by your ISP in most residential setups, meaning it can change periodically. Business connections often have a static public IP that doesn't change — relevant if you're hosting servers or services.

Quick Reference: Where to Look

IPv4 vs. IPv6 — Does It Matter?

Most local networks still operate primarily on IPv4, the familiar four-part number format. IPv6 is the newer standard designed to handle the massive expansion of internet-connected devices — it uses a longer hexadecimal format.

Many systems now show both addresses simultaneously. For most everyday tasks, the IPv4 address is the one you'll use. IPv6 matters more in enterprise environments, ISP infrastructure, and increasingly in modern cloud networking.

Variables That Affect What You Find

A few factors shape which addresses appear and how they behave:

• Network type — Home networks, corporate networks, and mobile hotspots assign local IPs differently
• DHCP vs. static configuration — Most home computers get a dynamically assigned local IP; servers and some workstations use manually set static IPs
• VPN usage — If a VPN is active, your visible public IP will be the VPN server's address, not your actual ISP-assigned one
• Multiple adapters — Laptops with both Wi-Fi and Ethernet active will have a separate IP for each interface
• NAT and carrier-grade NAT — Some ISPs place multiple customers behind a shared public IP, which can complicate inbound connections even when you know your "public" address

When the Address Changes on You

Local IPs assigned via DHCP can change when a device reconnects to the network or when the router refreshes its lease table. If you need a device to always have the same local IP — a home server, a printer, a NAS device — you'd either configure a static IP on the device itself or set up a DHCP reservation in your router settings, which ties a specific IP to that device's MAC address.

The right approach for any of this depends heavily on what you're actually trying to accomplish, how your network is structured, and whether you're working in a home, small business, or enterprise environment.