How to Find Your System's IP Address on Any Device

Every device connected to a network has an IP address — a unique numerical label that identifies it on that network. Whether you're troubleshooting a connection issue, setting up remote access, configuring a router, or just curious, knowing how to find your system's IP address is one of those fundamental skills that pays off repeatedly.

Before diving into the steps, it helps to understand that there are actually two different IP addresses your system may have — and most people need to distinguish between them.

Local IP Address vs. Public IP Address 🌐

These two types serve completely different purposes:

A typical home has one public IP (assigned to the router by the ISP) and multiple local IPs (one for each device — laptop, phone, smart TV, etc.). When people say "my system's IP address," they usually mean the local IP — but the right answer depends on what you're actually trying to do.

How to Find Your Local IP Address

Windows

The fastest method uses the Command Prompt:

1. Press Windows + R, type cmd, and hit Enter
2. In the command window, type ipconfig and press Enter
3. Look for IPv4 Address under your active network adapter (usually labeled "Ethernet adapter" or "Wireless LAN adapter Wi-Fi")

The address will look something like 192.168.1.x or 10.0.0.x — these are standard private IP ranges defined by RFC 1918 and won't be routable on the public internet.

You can also check via Settings → Network & Internet → Wi-Fi or Ethernet → Properties to find the IP without opening a command line.

macOS

1. Open System Settings (or System Preferences on older versions)
2. Go to Network
3. Select your active connection (Wi-Fi or Ethernet)
4. Your IP address is displayed directly on that screen

Alternatively, open Terminal and run ifconfig | grep inet — the output lists all network interfaces and their assigned addresses.

Linux

Open a terminal and run:

ip addr show 

or the older equivalent:

ifconfig 

Look for the inet entry under your active interface (commonly eth0 for wired, wlan0 or enp variants for wireless). The number following inet is your local IP.

iPhone and iPad

Go to Settings → Wi-Fi, tap the (i) icon next to your connected network, and scroll to the IPv4 Address section. The IP address is listed there directly.

Android 📱

The path varies slightly by manufacturer, but generally:

Settings → Network & Internet → Wi-Fi → tap your connected network name → Advanced or the network details icon.

Some Android versions show the IP directly on the main Wi-Fi connection screen.

How to Find Your Public IP Address

Your public IP isn't stored locally in the same way — it's assigned dynamically by your ISP and can change unless you pay for a static IP. The simplest way to find it:

• Open any browser and search "what is my IP address" — Google and most search engines display it immediately at the top of results
• Visit a site like ipinfo.io or whatismyipaddress.com — these return your public-facing IP along with approximate location data

Your router's admin panel (typically accessed at 192.168.1.1 or 192.168.0.1) also displays your public IP under the WAN or internet status section.

Understanding IPv4 vs. IPv6

You may notice two types of addresses when you run these checks:

• IPv4: The familiar four-number format (e.g., 192.168.1.105) — still the most commonly used for local network addressing
• IPv6: A longer alphanumeric format (e.g., fe80::1a2b:3c4d:5e6f:7g8h) — the newer standard designed to handle the exhaustion of IPv4 addresses

Most home networks use IPv4 locally. IPv6 is more commonly seen in ISP-assigned public addresses and enterprise environments, though dual-stack configurations (both active simultaneously) are increasingly common.

Why Your IP Address Changes

Local IPs are typically assigned by your router using DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol), which hands out addresses automatically and can reassign them when a device reconnects. If you need your device to always have the same local IP — for port forwarding, network-attached storage, or remote desktop setups — you'd configure a static local IP either in your device's network settings or by reserving the address in your router's DHCP table.

Public IPs change for similar reasons — most residential ISP accounts use dynamic public IPs that can shift when your router reboots or after a lease period expires.

The Variables That Shape Your Situation

Finding your IP is technically straightforward, but what you do with that information depends on factors specific to your setup: which operating system version you're running, whether you're on Wi-Fi or a wired connection, whether your network uses standard or custom IP ranges, and whether you need the local address, the public address, or both. Someone configuring a home server has very different needs than someone troubleshooting a printer connection — and the right IP to look at, and what to do next, shifts accordingly.