How to Find My IP Address: Public and Private IP on Any Device

If you are wondering how to find my IP address, the first thing to know is that you actually have two: a private IP address that your router gives each device at home, and a public IP address that your internet provider gives your whole connection. A printer setup screen or a router guide usually wants the private one; a website, a game server or a remote-access tool usually wants the public one. This guide shows where to find both on Windows, Mac, iPhone and Android, and explains what the numbers mean.

You do not need to install anything. Every method below uses settings that are already on your device. This is an independent guide, not affiliated with Microsoft, Apple or Google.

Public and private IP addresses in plain English

Think of your home network as an office building. The building has one street address (the public IP), and each desk inside has its own extension number (the private IP). Your router sits at the front door and passes traffic between the street and the right desk.

Private addresses come from ranges set aside for home and office networks, so the same numbers are reused in millions of homes without clashing. The three ranges are:

Range	Typical example	Where you see it
192.168.0.0 to 192.168.255.255	192.168.1.23	Most home routers
10.0.0.0 to 10.255.255.255	10.0.0.15	Some home routers and many offices
172.16.0.0 to 172.31.255.255	172.16.0.8	Less common at home

Anything outside those ranges (and outside a few special cases below) is a public address. You may also see a longer address with colons, such as 2001:db8::1a2b. That is an IPv6 address; many providers now give both an IPv4 and an IPv6 address, and either can be correct.

How to find your IP address on Windows 11

Using Settings:

1. Press Windows + I to open Settings.
2. Select Network & internet.
3. Choose Wi-Fi or Ethernet, depending on how you are connected.
4. Select the connection’s properties (on Wi-Fi, click the network name or “[network] properties”).
5. Scroll down to find IPv4 address. The IPv6 address and the DNS servers are listed nearby.

Using Command Prompt (faster once you know it):

1. Press Windows, type cmd and press Enter.
2. Type ipconfig and press Enter.
3. Look under the adapter you are using, such as “Wireless LAN adapter Wi-Fi”. The IPv4 Address line is the device’s private IP, and the Default Gateway line is usually your router’s address, which you need to log in to your router settings.

If ipconfig shows an address starting with 169.254, the PC did not receive an address from the router. That is a fault, not a real IP; follow our guide to fixing a self-assigned IP or limited connectivity.

How to find your IP address on a Mac

1. Open the Apple menu > System Settings.
2. Click Wi-Fi (or Network, then your connection, if you use a cable).
3. Click Details next to the network you are connected to.
4. Select TCP/IP. The IP address and the Router address are shown there.

On older versions of macOS the same information is under System Preferences > Network, with the IP address shown in the status text for the active connection.

How to find your IP address on iPhone and iPad

1. Open Settings > Wi-Fi.
2. Tap the info button (i) next to the network you are connected to.
3. Scroll to the IPv4 Address section and read the IP Address line. The Router line underneath is your router’s address.

This only shows the address on Wi-Fi. On mobile data, your phone uses an address from the mobile network, and the phone settings do not usually display it.

How to find your IP address on Android

Menus differ between phone makers, but the steps are similar:

1. Open Settings and go to Network & internet (or Connections, or Wi-Fi).
2. Tap Wi-Fi or Internet, then tap the network you are connected to, or the gear icon beside it.
3. Look for IP address. On some phones it is inside an Advanced or Network details section.

If you cannot find it, search the Settings app for “IP address”; most Android versions have a search box at the top. Many phones also show the IP under Settings > About phone > Status.

How to find your public IP address

There are two reliable ways:

• Ask your router. Log in to the router (the address is the Default Gateway from the steps above) and open its status or internet page. The WAN or internet IP address shown there is the address your provider assigned.
• Ask a website. Typing “what is my IP” into a major search engine shows the public address your connection is using. Any device on the same home Wi-Fi will show the same public IP, because they all share it.

If the router’s WAN address starts with 100.64 to 100.127, your provider uses carrier-grade NAT, which means several customers share one public address. Websites will show a different address from your router. This matters mainly if you want to host a game server or reach a home camera from outside; ask your provider whether a dedicated public IP is available.

If you use a VPN, websites see the VPN server’s address instead of yours. That is how a VPN is meant to work, and it is mainly useful on networks you do not trust or to hide your address from the sites you visit.

What your IP address does and does not reveal

A public IP address is not a secret in the way a password is: every website you visit sees it, because it needs to know where to send the page. What it typically reveals is your internet provider and an approximate location, often a city or region, and sometimes not even that accurately. It does not, on its own, give your name or street address. Your provider can link an address to a customer account, but generally only discloses that under a legal process.

Be wary of emails or pop-ups that say “we have your IP address” to frighten you into paying or calling a number. That claim on its own means very little; see how to spot and stop fake tech support calls and how to recognise a phishing email.

When your IP address matters

• Setting up a printer or smart device. Some printers need the computer’s or the printer’s private address. If a printer keeps changing address and dropping offline, reserving an address for it in the router (often called a DHCP reservation) helps; see reconnecting a printer after a router change.
• Fixing connection problems. A 169.254 address, or no IPv4 address at all, is a strong clue. Our guides to resetting network settings in Windows and changing DNS servers cover the next steps.
• Changing your public IP. On most home connections, the public address is dynamic and may change after the router has been off for a while. There is rarely a reason to change it; if you are worried about privacy, a trustworthy VPN or simply keeping your devices updated is more effective.

For more connection help, browse the Wi-Fi and internet topic hub.