How to Find Out an IP Address: Your Own, Someone Else's, or a Website's
Every device connected to the internet has an IP address — a unique numerical label that identifies it on a network. Whether you're troubleshooting a connection, setting up a home server, or just curious, knowing how to find an IP address is a genuinely useful skill. The method you'll use depends entirely on which IP address you're looking for.
What Is an IP Address, Exactly?
An IP address (Internet Protocol address) is a string of numbers that acts like a mailing address for your device on a network. There are two main versions in use:
- IPv4 — the classic format: four sets of numbers separated by dots (e.g.,
192.168.1.1) - IPv6 — a newer, longer format using hexadecimal notation (e.g.,
2001:0db8:85a3::8a2e:0370:7334), created to handle the explosion in internet-connected devices
There are also two fundamentally different types of IP address to understand before you start looking:
| Type | What It Is | Who Can See It |
|---|---|---|
| Public IP | Your address on the open internet, assigned by your ISP | Any server you connect to |
| Private IP | Your device's address within your local network (home, office) | Only devices on the same network |
This distinction matters because the method for finding each one is completely different.
How to Find Your Own Public IP Address 🌐
Your public IP is assigned by your Internet Service Provider and is the address the wider internet sees when you browse, stream, or send data. Your router holds this address — not your individual device.
The fastest way to find it:
- Search directly in your browser — type
what is my IPinto Google, Bing, or DuckDuckGo. The result appears at the top of the page instantly. - Visit an IP lookup site — services like
whatismyipaddress.comoripinfo.iodisplay your public IP along with general location data derived from it. - Check your router's admin panel — log into your router (usually via
192.168.0.1or192.168.1.1in a browser), and your public IP is typically shown on the status or overview page.
Note that if you're using a VPN, the public IP you'll see is the VPN server's address — not your actual ISP-assigned one. This is intentional and is how VPNs mask your real address.
How to Find Your Private (Local) IP Address
Your private IP is what your router assigns to each device inside your network. You'll need this for tasks like setting up port forwarding, connecting devices locally, or troubleshooting network issues.
On Windows
- Open Command Prompt (search for
cmd) - Type
ipconfigand press Enter - Look for IPv4 Address under your active network adapter
On macOS
- Open System Settings → Network
- Select your active connection (Wi-Fi or Ethernet)
- Your IP address is listed in the connection details
On iPhone or iPad
Go to Settings → Wi-Fi → tap the (i) next to your network — your IP appears under the IPv4 Address section.
On Android
Go to Settings → About Phone → Status (or Wi-Fi → tap your network name) — location varies slightly by manufacturer and Android version.
On Linux
Open a terminal and run ip a or ifconfig. Look for the inet value under your active interface (often eth0 for wired or wlan0 for wireless).
How to Find the IP Address of a Website or Domain
Every website is hosted on a server that has its own public IP. To find it:
- Use the
pingcommand — open Command Prompt (Windows) or Terminal (Mac/Linux) and typeping example.com. The IP address returned in brackets is the server's address. - Use
nslookup— typenslookup example.comin a terminal. This queries your DNS server and returns the IP associated with that domain. - Use an online DNS lookup tool — sites like
mxtoolbox.comordnschecker.orglet you look up a domain's IP without using the command line.
Keep in mind that large websites often use content delivery networks (CDNs) or load balancers, which means a single domain might resolve to different IPs depending on your location or the query time.
How to Find the IP Address of Another Device on Your Network
If you need to locate a specific device — say, a smart TV, printer, or another computer — on your local network:
- Router admin panel — most routers list all connected devices with their assigned private IPs under a section called "Connected Devices," "DHCP Clients," or similar.
- Network scanner tools — apps like Advanced IP Scanner (Windows) or LanScan (macOS) scan your local network and return a list of all active devices and their IPs.
arp -acommand — running this in a terminal on Windows or macOS shows a table of IP-to-MAC address mappings for devices your machine has recently communicated with.
What You Cannot Reliably Find 🔒
It's worth being clear about limitations. You cannot look up someone's precise home address from an IP address — geolocation based on IP is approximate and often only accurate to the city or region level. ISPs hold the records that tie a specific IP to a specific customer, and that information is only released through legal processes.
Similarly, if someone is behind a NAT router (which is almost everyone on a home network), their public IP is shared across all devices in the household — it doesn't identify a specific person or device.
The Variables That Shape Your Approach
Which method works best depends on several factors specific to your situation: your operating system, whether you need a public or private IP, whether the target is a device or a domain, your technical comfort level with command-line tools, and what you're ultimately trying to accomplish. Someone diagnosing a home network issue has a very different path ahead than someone investigating where a website is hosted or what IP their gaming console is sitting on.