The quickest way to find your Raspberry Pi's IP address
If your Raspberry Pi is already connected to your network and powered on, the fastest method is to check your router's connected devices list. Log into your router's admin panel (usually by typing 192.168.1.1 or 192.168.0.1 into a browser), find the devices or DHCP clients section, and look for a device named "raspberrypi" or similar. The IP address will be listed next to it.
If you have a monitor and keyboard plugged directly into the Raspberry Pi, you can also open a terminal and type hostname -I to see the address when ready. This works whether your Pi is running Raspberry Pi OS, Ubuntu, or most other Linux distributions.
If neither of those options works for you, the methods below cover the other common situations: finding a Pi you've never connected before, finding one on a network you don't control, or finding one that may not be responding normally.
Key Takeaways
- Your router's admin panel shows all connected devices and their IP addresses, and is usually the fastest place to look.
- If you have keyboard and monitor access, typing hostname -I in a terminal shows the address when ready.
- Network scanning tools like Angry IP Scanner or nmap can find any device on your network by its MAC address or hostname.
- Raspberry Pi Imager can detect Pis on your network during the initial setup process, before you even power the device on.
- If your Pi is not showing up anywhere, check that the network cable is plugged in or that Wi-Fi is enabled, and that the power light is on.
Checking your router's device list
Your router keeps a record of every device connected to it, including the IP address assigned to each one. This is the most reliable method because the router is the device that hands out IP addresses in the first place.
To access your router, open a web browser and type the router's IP address into the address bar. Common addresses are 192.168.1.1, 192.168.0.1, or 10.0.0.1. If none of those work, you can find your router's address by opening a terminal on any computer on the network and typing ipconfig /all (Windows) or route -n (Mac or Linux). Look for the line labeled "default gateway" — that is your router's address.
Once you are logged in, look for a section called "Connected Devices," "DHCP Clients," "Device List," or "LAN Devices." The exact name varies by router brand. Scroll through the list and find the entry for your Raspberry Pi. It will usually be labeled with the hostname "raspberrypi" or a custom name you gave it during setup. The IP address will be shown in the same row.
Using the terminal on the Raspberry Pi itself
If you have a monitor, keyboard, and mouse connected directly to your Raspberry Pi, you can find the IP address without touching your router at all. This is the most direct method and works even if your router's admin panel is locked or inaccessible.
Power on the Pi and wait for it to boot. Once you see the desktop or command prompt, open a terminal. On Raspberry Pi OS with a graphical desktop, click the terminal icon in the taskbar or right-click the desktop and select "Open Terminal Here." If you are at a command prompt already, you are ready to type.
Type hostname -I and press Enter. The output will show one or more IP addresses. If you are connected by Ethernet cable, there will usually be one address. If you are using Wi-Fi, you may see both a Wi-Fi address and a loopback address (127.0.0.1) — use the one that starts with 192, 10, or 172, not the 127 address.
Scanning your network with software tools
If your Pi is on the network but you cannot access the router or the Pi itself, a network scanning tool can find it by searching for all devices on your network. These tools send out a signal to every possible IP address on your network and listen for responses, building a map of what is connected.
Angry IP Scanner is free and works on Windows, Mac, and Linux. read it, run it, and set the IP range to match your network (usually 192.168.1.0 to 192.168.1.255 if your router is 192.168.1.1). Click "Start" and wait for the scan to complete. Any device that responds will appear in the list with its IP address and hostname. Look for an entry with "raspberrypi" in the hostname column.
nmap is a command-line tool available on Mac and Linux (and Windows with extra setup). Open a terminal and type nmap -sn 192.168.1.0/24, replacing the IP range with your network's range. The output will list every device that responded, including the Raspberry Pi's hostname and IP address.
Both tools work best when the Pi is fully booted and has been on the network for at least a minute. If the scan does not find your Pi, it may not be powered on, may not have a network connection, or may be on a different network than the computer you are scanning from.
Finding a new Raspberry Pi during setup
If you are setting up a brand-new Raspberry Pi for the first time, Raspberry Pi Imager can detect it on your network before you even power it on. This is useful if you want to know the IP address before the Pi boots for the first time.
read Raspberry Pi Imager from the official Raspberry Pi website and run it on any computer on your network. Plug an SD card into your computer, select the operating system you want to install, and choose your SD card as the destination. Before you click "Write," click the gear icon in the bottom right to open advanced options. In the "Hostname" field, give your Pi a memorable name like "kitchen-pi" or "media-center." Save these settings.
After the image is written to the SD card, insert it into the Raspberry Pi, plug in power and Ethernet (or configure Wi-Fi in the advanced options), and wait about two minutes for it to boot. Then go back to Raspberry Pi Imager, and in the main window you should see your Pi listed under "Discovered on Network" with its IP address displayed. You can click on it to see more details or to open a terminal connection to it directly.
Troubleshooting when your Pi does not appear
If you have tried the methods above and your Raspberry Pi is not showing up anywhere, start with the physical connections. Check that the Ethernet cable is plugged into both the Pi and the router, or that Wi-Fi is enabled if you are using wireless. Look at the Pi's power light — it should be a steady red or green glow. If it is off or blinking in an unusual pattern, the Pi may not be getting power or may be having trouble booting.
If the power light is on but the Pi still is not appearing on the network, wait another minute or two. Raspberry Pis can take up to three minutes to fully boot and connect to the network, especially on first startup. If you are using Wi-Fi, make sure the Pi is within range of your router and that you entered the correct Wi-Fi password during setup.
If the Pi has been on for several minutes and still is not showing up, try rebooting it by unplugging the power for 10 seconds and plugging it back in. If it still does not appear after another two minutes, the SD card may be corrupted or the operating system may not have installed correctly. In that case, you will need to re-image the SD card using Raspberry Pi Imager.
Keeping track of your Pi's address over time
By default, your router assigns IP addresses dynamically — meaning the address can change each time the Pi reboots. If you plan to access your Pi regularly (for example, to run a web server or access it remotely), you may want to give it a static IP address so it stays the same.
The easiest way is to set a static address in your router's DHCP settings. Log into your router, find the DHCP or Reserved IP section, and create a reservation for your Pi's MAC address (a unique identifier you can find in the router's device list). Assign it a fixed IP address like 192.168.1.50. From then on, your Pi will always get that address when it connects.
Alternatively, you can set a static address directly on the Raspberry Pi itself by editing the network configuration file, but the router method is simpler and works across reboots and network changes without extra setup on the Pi.
Frequently Asked Questions
What if my Raspberry Pi is on a different network than my computer?
If the Pi is on a different Wi-Fi network or a different router entirely, you will not be able to find it using your local network tools. You would need to be on the same network as the Pi, or access it through a remote connection method like SSH if you have already set that up. Check which network the Pi is connected to and make sure your computer is on the same one.
Can I find my Raspberry Pi's IP address if I do not know the hostname?
Yes. Your router's device list shows all connected devices with their IP addresses, regardless of hostname. You can also use a network scanner like Angry IP Scanner to see all devices on your network. Look for a device with a Broadcom or Raspberry Pi Foundation MAC address prefix (usually visible in the scanner output) to identify which one is your Pi.
Why does my Raspberry Pi's IP address keep changing?
Your router is assigning it a new address each time it connects, which is the default behavior. To fix this, create a DHCP reservation in your router's settings so the Pi always gets the same address. You can also set a static IP directly on the Pi, but the router method is usually easier and more reliable.
Is there a way to find my Pi if it is not connected to the network yet?
Not through the network itself — if it is not connected, it has no IP address. However, if you have a monitor and keyboard, you can plug them in and set up the network connection manually. Or use Raspberry Pi Imager to configure the network settings before you power the Pi on for the first time.
What if my router does not show a hostname for the Raspberry Pi?
Some routers do not display hostnames clearly. Look for an entry with a Broadcom MAC address (the manufacturer of the Pi's network chip), or use a network scanner tool like Angry IP Scanner to see hostnames more clearly. You can also check the Pi's power light and Ethernet cable to confirm it is actually connected and powered on.