Finding Your IP Address on Windows

The fastest way to find your IP address on Windows is through the Command Prompt. Open the Start menu, type cmd, and press Enter. When the Command Prompt window opens, type ipconfig and press Enter. Your computer will display a list of network information.

Look for the section labeled Ethernet adapter or Wireless LAN adapter, depending on how you connect to the internet. Find the line that says IPv4 Address — the number next to it (usually starting with 192, 10, or 172) is your local IP address. This is the address other devices on your home or office network use to find your computer.

If you want to see your public IP address instead — the one your internet provider assigns to your entire network — type ipconfig /all in Command Prompt. Scroll through the results and look for Default Gateway. Your public IP is different and is what websites see when you visit them.

Finding Your IP Address on Mac

On a Mac, open System Preferences (or System Settings on newer versions) from the Apple menu. Click Network in the left sidebar. Select the network connection you are using — either Wi-Fi or Ethernet — and your local IP address appears on the right side of the window next to IP Address.

If you need your public IP address, open a web browser and search for "what is my IP" or visit a site like whatismyipaddress.com. The browser will show you the address your internet provider assigned to your network.

Finding Your IP Address on Linux

Open a terminal window and type hostname -I, then press Enter. Your local IP address will appear on the screen. This command works on most Linux distributions including Ubuntu, Fedora, and Debian.

For more detailed network information, type ifconfig or ip addr show in the terminal. Both commands display your local IP address along with other network details. If you need your public IP, open a web browser and search "what is my IP" just as you would on Mac or Windows.

Key Takeaways

  • Your local IP address (the one for your home or office network) appears in Command Prompt on Windows when you type ipconfig, in Network settings on Mac, or in the terminal on Linux with hostname -I.
  • Local IP addresses usually start with 192, 10, or 172 and are used only by devices on your same network.
  • Your public IP address (assigned by your internet provider) is visible when you search "what is my IP" in any web browser.
  • You need your local IP when connecting to a printer, security camera, or other device on your home network.
  • You need your public IP when troubleshooting internet problems with your provider or setting up remote access from outside your home.

Why You Might Need Your IP Address

Knowing your IP address becomes necessary in several common situations. If you are setting up a printer, security camera, or network storage device on your home network, you often need to type your computer's local IP address into a web browser to reach the device's settings page. Your local IP also helps when you are troubleshooting network problems — tech support may ask for it to understand how your computer connects.

Your public IP address matters when you are troubleshooting internet speed issues with your provider, setting up remote access to your computer from another location, or checking whether your location is being blocked by a website. Some services also use your public IP to estimate your geographic location, which is why websites sometimes know what city you are in.

The Difference Between Local and Public IP Addresses

Your local IP address is assigned by your home or office router and is used only within your network. Every device on your network — your phone, laptop, printer, smart TV — has its own local IP address. These addresses never leave your network, so they are not visible to the outside internet. Local addresses always fall into a few ranges: they start with 192.168, 10, or 172.16 through 172.31.

Your public IP address is assigned by your internet service provider and is how the rest of the internet identifies your entire network. When you visit a website, that website sees your public IP, not your local one. Your public IP changes periodically — sometimes daily, sometimes monthly, depending on your provider — while your local IP usually stays the same until you restart your router or change your network settings.

What to Do If You Cannot Find Your IP Address

If the Command Prompt method on Windows does not show your IP address, check that you are connected to the internet. Look at the bottom right corner of your screen — if the network icon shows a red X or warning symbol, your connection is not active. Reconnect to your Wi-Fi network or plug in an Ethernet cable, wait 10 seconds, and run ipconfig again.

On Mac, if Network settings shows "Not Connected" next to your network name, click Wi-Fi in the left sidebar and select your network from the list. Wait a few seconds for the connection to establish, then check the IP Address field again. On Linux, if hostname -I returns nothing, your network interface may not be active — type sudo systemctl restart networking to restart your network connection, then try the command again.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is my IP address the same as my MAC address?

No. Your IP address is a number like 192.168.1.5 that identifies your computer on a network. Your MAC address is a different code (like 00:1A:2B:3C:4D:5E) that identifies your network card itself. They serve different purposes — IP addresses route data across networks, while MAC addresses work only on your local network.

Can someone find my location from my public IP address?

Roughly, yes. Websites and services can see your public IP and use it to estimate your city or region, though the accuracy varies. They cannot pinpoint your exact home address from the IP alone. If you want to hide your public IP, you can use a VPN (virtual private network), which masks your real IP and shows a different one instead.

Why does my IP address keep changing?

Your internet provider assigns public IP addresses dynamically, meaning they change periodically — sometimes daily, sometimes monthly. Your local IP usually stays the same unless you restart your router or your device loses and reconnects to the network. If you need a stable local IP for a device like a printer, you can set a static IP in your router settings.

What if I see multiple IP addresses when I run ipconfig?

That is normal. You may see one for Ethernet, one for Wi-Fi, and others for virtual network adapters. Use the IP address for whichever connection type you are actually using — if you are on Wi-Fi, use the Wi-Fi adapter address; if you are plugged in with a cable, use the Ethernet address.