How to Find Your IP Address on Any Device

Public IP vs local IP

Your device can have more than one IP address at the same time. A public IP address is the address that websites and internet services see when your traffic reaches them. A local or private IP address identifies a device inside a home, office or other private network.

On many home networks, several phones, computers and smart devices share one public IPv4 address through network address translation (NAT). Each device still has its own local address, commonly in private ranges such as 192.168.x.x, 10.x.x.x or 172.16.x.x through 172.31.x.x.

IPv6 works differently. A device may have multiple IPv6 addresses with different scopes and lifetimes. That is normal and does not mean the device is connected to multiple internet providers.

How to find your public IP address

Open IPWander. If your hosting configuration can see the visitor’s public address directly, the home page displays it under the lookup field as Your IP. Selecting it runs the full lookup so you can inspect approximate location, ASN, provider and privacy-related signals.

If you are connected through a VPN, proxy or corporate gateway, the public IP shown by a website is normally the exit address of that service rather than the address assigned directly by your internet provider. This is exactly why a public-IP check is useful when testing a VPN connection.

Find your IP address on Windows

1. Open Settings → Network & internet.
2. Select the active Wi-Fi or Ethernet connection.
3. Open its properties and look for the IPv4 and IPv6 address fields.

You can also open Command Prompt and run ipconfig. The local IPv4 address is usually listed under the adapter currently connected to the network. The default gateway is normally your router, not your computer’s public IP.

Find your IP address on macOS

1. Open System Settings → Network.
2. Select the active network connection.
3. Open Details and review the TCP/IP information.

In Terminal, commands such as ifconfig can show interface addresses, although the graphical network settings are easier for most people to interpret.

Find your IP address on iPhone or iPad

For the local Wi-Fi address, open Settings → Wi-Fi, tap the information button next to the connected network, and review the IPv4 and IPv6 sections. The address shown there is normally the local address assigned by that Wi-Fi network.

To see the public address that internet sites see, use the IPWander home page in Safari or another browser. Mobile carriers may use carrier-grade NAT, so the public IPv4 address can be shared with many subscribers.

Find your IP address on Android

The exact labels vary by manufacturer, but the local address is generally available under Settings → Network & internet → Wi-Fi → connected network. Look for IP address, network details or advanced settings.

For the public address, open IPWander in the browser. If a VPN is active, compare the result before and after connecting to confirm whether the visible IP changes.

Find your IP address on Linux

On modern Linux systems, ip addr is the most common command for viewing addresses assigned to interfaces. ip route helps identify the default route and gateway. The older ifconfig command may still be available on some systems but is not installed by default on many distributions.

Why your IP address can change

Many residential and mobile internet connections use dynamic addressing. Your ISP can change the public IP after a reconnect, router reboot, lease renewal or network change. VPNs intentionally replace the visible public address with an exit server address. Mobile devices can also move between Wi-Fi and cellular networks, producing an immediate address change.

If you are troubleshooting an address that appears different from yesterday, a change by itself is not evidence of compromise.

Related IP concepts

Once you know the address, the next useful step is understanding what an IP lookup can and cannot reveal. Read what IP geolocation means, compare IPv4 and IPv6, or use the IP lookup guide for an overview of the fields shown in an IPWander report.