How to Find the IP Address of Your System (Any Device or OS)

Every device connected to a network has an IP address — a numerical label that identifies it on that network. Whether you're troubleshooting a connection issue, setting up remote access, or configuring network hardware, knowing how to find your system's IP address is a fundamental skill. The steps vary depending on your operating system and whether you need your local (private) IP or your public IP.

Local IP vs. Public IP: The Key Distinction

Before diving into steps, it's worth understanding what you're actually looking for.

• Local IP address — assigned by your router to your device within your home or office network. Typically starts with 192.168.x.x, 10.x.x.x, or 172.16.x.x. This is the address other devices on the same network use to communicate with yours.
• Public IP address — assigned by your Internet Service Provider (ISP) to your entire network. This is the address the outside internet sees. All devices on your network typically share one public IP.

Most troubleshooting scenarios (printer setup, local file sharing, SSH access within a network) require the local IP. Accessing your system from outside your home network requires the public IP.

How to Find Your IP Address on Windows 🖥️

Method 1: Command Prompt

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

Look for the IPv4 Address under your active adapter (Ethernet or Wi-Fi). That's your local IP address.

Method 2: Settings (Windows 10/11)

1. Go to Settings → Network & Internet
2. Click on Wi-Fi or Ethernet, depending on your connection
3. Select your network name and scroll to IPv4 address

The ipconfig output also shows your subnet mask and default gateway — the gateway address is your router's local IP, which is useful for network configuration.

How to Find Your IP Address on macOS

Method 1: Terminal

1. Open Terminal (via Spotlight or Applications → Utilities)
2. Type: ifconfig | grep "inet "
3. Press Enter

Look for an inet entry that isn't 127.0.0.1 (that's the loopback address, not your network IP). The address next to it is your local IP.

Method 2: System Settings

1. Go to System Settings → Network (or System Preferences → Network on older macOS)
2. Select your active connection (Wi-Fi or Ethernet)
3. Your IP address is displayed on the right panel

How to Find Your IP Address on Linux

Open a terminal and run:

ip addr show 

Or on older distributions:

ifconfig 

Look for your active interface — usually eth0 for Ethernet or wlan0 for Wi-Fi. Your inet value is the local IP address.

The ip addr command has largely replaced ifconfig on modern Linux distributions, though both are widely understood.

How to Find Your IP Address on Android and iOS 📱

Android:

1. Go to Settings → Wi-Fi
2. Tap the connected network name
3. Look for IP Address under network details (may require tapping an info icon or "Advanced")

iOS/iPadOS:

1. Go to Settings → Wi-Fi
2. Tap the (i) icon next to your connected network
3. Your IP address appears under the IPv4 Address section

Mobile devices typically show only the local IP through settings menus. Cellular IP addresses (assigned by your carrier) are generally not surfaced in standard settings.

How to Find Your Public IP Address

The simplest method works on any device with a browser: search "what is my IP" in Google, or visit a site like whatismyip.com or ipinfo.io. Your public IP will be displayed immediately.

You can also find it via terminal on any system:

curl ifconfig.me 

This returns your public IP directly in the terminal output.

Comparing Methods at a Glance

Variables That Affect What You See

The IP address you find depends on several factors:

• Connection type — Ethernet and Wi-Fi adapters have separate IP addresses. A laptop connected to both simultaneously will show two different local IPs.
• DHCP vs. static assignment — Most devices receive a dynamic IP from the router (DHCP), which can change. If you've manually set a static IP, that address will always appear.
• IPv4 vs. IPv6 — Most networks still use IPv4 (192.168.x.x format), but IPv6 addresses (longer, alphanumeric) are increasingly common. Commands like ipconfig and ifconfig show both.
• VPN usage — An active VPN changes both the public IP (to the VPN server's address) and sometimes the visible local adapter configuration, depending on the VPN type.
• Virtual machines — VMs may have their own virtual network adapter and IP address, separate from the host machine.

Why the Same Steps Don't Always Give the Same Result

A user on a corporate network may see an IP in the 10.x.x.x range managed by their IT department. A home user on a standard router will typically see a 192.168.x.x address. Someone using a mobile hotspot will get an address assigned by the carrier's internal network infrastructure. A device with a static IP configured by a network administrator won't change regardless of network restarts.

Which IP address matters to you — and what you'll do with it once you find it — depends entirely on your network setup, what you're trying to accomplish, and how your system is configured.