Your IP address is a number assigned to your device so other computers can find it on a network

An IP address is a unique identifier — like a mailing address for your device. When you connect to the internet or to your home network, your device gets assigned a number in the format 192.168.1.5 (for devices on your home network) or something like 203.45.67.89 (for your public-facing address that the wider internet sees). Every device that connects — your phone, laptop, printer, smart TV — gets its own address so data knows where to go.

You actually have two IP addresses working at the same time. Your local IP address is what devices use to talk to each other inside your home. Your public IP address is what websites and services see when you browse the internet. Your router sits between them, translating between the two so your home devices stay hidden from the outside world.

Key Takeaways

  • Your local IP address (usually starting with 192.168) identifies your device on your home network and is assigned by your router.
  • Your public IP address is assigned by your internet service provider and is what websites see when you visit them.
  • You can find your local IP address in your device settings or by typing a command into your terminal or command prompt.
  • Your public IP address can be found when ready by visiting a website like whatismyipaddress.com or by asking your router's admin page.
  • Your IP address changes periodically — your public one when your internet provider reassigns it, your local one when you restart your router.

How to find your local IP address on Windows

Open the Command Prompt by pressing the Windows key, typing "cmd", and pressing Enter. Type ipconfig and press Enter. Look for the line that says "IPv4 Address" — that number is your local IP address. It will usually start with 192.168 or 10.0.

If you prefer not to use the command prompt, you can find it in Settings instead. Go to Settings > Network & Internet > Wi-Fi (or Ethernet if you're wired), click the network you're connected to, and scroll down to find "IPv4 address".

How to find your local IP address on Mac and Linux

Open Terminal (on Mac, search for "Terminal" in Spotlight; on Linux, right-click the desktop and select "Open Terminal"). Type ifconfig and press Enter. Look for the section labeled with your connection type (en0 for Wi-Fi on most Macs, or eth0 for wired on Linux). The "inet" line shows your local IP address.

On Mac, you can also go to System Preferences > Network, select your connection, and the IP address appears in the window.

How to find your local IP address on phones and tablets

On an iPhone or iPad, go to Settings > Wi-Fi, tap the network you're connected to, and your IP address appears under "IPv4 Address". On Android, go to Settings > About Phone > Status (or Network on some devices) and look for "IP Address".

If you're using cellular data instead of Wi-Fi, your phone has a local IP address on your carrier's network, but you won't see it in settings — it's managed automatically.

How to find your public IP address

The fastest way is to visit a website that displays it for you. Go to whatismyipaddress.com, myip.com, or straightforward search "what is my IP" in any search engine. The page will show your public IP address when ready — this is the address that websites see when you visit them.

You can also find your public IP address by logging into your router's admin page. Open a browser, type 192.168.1.1 or 192.168.0.1 into the address bar, and log in (the default username and password are usually printed on the router itself or in its manual). Look for a section labeled "WAN" or "Internet" to find your public IP address there.

Why your IP address changes and when it matters

Your local IP address usually stays the same as long as you keep the same device and router, but it can change if you restart your router or if your router's settings are configured to reassign addresses. Your public IP address changes whenever your internet service provider reassigns it — this might happen every few days, every few months, or only when you restart your modem, depending on your provider's setup.

For most people, these changes don't matter. But if you're setting up a home server, a network printer, or remote access to a device on your home network, you may need to know your local IP address so other devices can find it reliably. If you're troubleshooting a connection problem or checking whether a website is blocking you, you might need your public IP address.

How to keep your IP address stable if you need it to be

If you need a device to stay at the same local IP address, you can assign it a static IP address through your router's settings. Log into your router's admin page (usually 192.168.1.1), find the DHCP or Local Network settings, and look for an option to reserve an IP address for a specific device. You'll need the device's MAC address (a unique identifier you can find in the device's network settings). Once reserved, that device will always get the same local IP address when it connects.

Your public IP address is harder to keep stable because your internet provider controls it. Some providers offer a static public IP as an add-on service, but most home internet plans use dynamic addresses that change periodically. If you need a stable public IP for remote access or hosting, contact your internet provider to ask whether they offer that option.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is my IP address the same on Wi-Fi and cellular?

No. When you're on Wi-Fi, your router assigns you a local IP address on your home network, and your public IP is your router's address. When you switch to cellular, your phone gets a different local IP address from your carrier's network, and your public IP changes to your carrier's address. Websites see a different public IP depending on which connection you're using.

Can someone find my location from my IP address?

Your public IP address can be traced to your internet service provider and roughly to your city or region, but not to your exact street address or home. Your local IP address (192.168.x.x) is only visible to devices on your own network, so it reveals nothing to the outside world. If you want to hide your public IP from websites, you can use a VPN service.

Why do I have multiple IP addresses listed in ipconfig?

If you're connected to both Wi-Fi and Ethernet at the same time, or if you have a VPN running, you'll see multiple IP addresses — one for each active connection. Each one is valid for its own connection. You can ignore the ones you're not using.

What if I can't find my IP address in settings?

Make sure you're connected to the network first — if you're not connected to Wi-Fi or Ethernet, there's no local IP address to display. If you're connected and still can't find it, try the command prompt method (ipconfig on Windows, ifconfig on Mac or Linux) instead, as it's more reliable than the settings menu.