My IP address location:
Internet service provider:
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Hide My IP Address
- Why change your IP
- What is an IP address?
- Finding your IP
- IPv4 vs. IPv6
- IPv6: what’s the holdup?
- Public vs. private IP
- More on IP addresses
- FAQ
Why you should change your IP address
Gaming, streaming, browsing — whatever you do online, it will remain hidden from all third parties once you establish a VPN connection.
An IP address that’s only yours
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What is an IP address?
Your internet service provider assigns a numeric label, called the Internet Protocol (IP) address, to identify your device among billions of others. In a way, an IP address functions as an online home address because devices use IPs to find and communicate with each other.
Here’s how an IP address directs data to its destination. First, you type in a website name (example.com) into the browser. However, your computer does not understand words — only numbers. So it first finds out the IP address of that website (example.com = 103.86.98.1.), finds it on the web, and finally loads it on your screen.
How to find my IP address
Finding your IP address is pretty easy. Here are a few examples of how you can look it up.
How to find my public IP address
To find your public IP address, you can scroll up to the top of this page. It will show you your IP, the location you’re connecting from, your service provider, and whether or not your traffic is secured.
How to find my IP address on Windows 11
Here’s how to look up your IP on Windows 11 if you’re connected to Wi-Fi:
Here’s how to look up your IP if you’re connected to the Ethernet network:
How to find my IP address on Windows 10
Here’s how to look up your IP on Windows 10 if you’re connected to Wi-Fi:
Here’s how to look up your IP if you’re connected to the Ethernet network:
How to find my IP address on Mac
Here’s how to find your IP address on Mac if you’re connected to Wi-Fi:
Here’s how to find your IP address on Mac if you’re connected to the Ethernet:
How to find my phone’s IP address
Here’s how to find the IP address on the Android phone:
Here’s how to find the IP address on your iPhone:
IPv4 vs. IPv6 addresses
How an IP address looks depends on the Internet Protocol version it’s using — IPv4 or IPv6.
IPv4
Most internet service providers still use IPv4. It’s based on 32 binary bits, consists of four numbers from 0 to 255, and is separated by dots. For example, 103.86.98.1.
However, IPv4 can generate only 4.3 billion unique IP addresses. That’s nowhere near enough in this digital age — IPv4 addresses will soon run out.
IPv6
IPv6 addresses are made up of 8 blocks of numbers. Each block is written as four hexadecimal digits and separated by colons. For example, 2400:BB40:1100:0000:0000:0000:
0000:0001.
Number groups containing only 0 are often omitted to save space. Instead, a colon is added to indicate the gap. For example, 2400:BB40:1100::1.
Why hasn’t IPv6 been fully implemented yet?
Unlike the IPv4 protocol, IPv6 won’t ever run out of unique IP addresses — it can provide nearly 3.4×10^38 of them. Furthermore, some argue that IPv6 is a more efficient technology, providing better quality and connectivity.
However, IPv6 has not been fully implemented for two reasons:
1. IPv6 isn’t backward compatible with IPv4. You can’t access IPv4 websites if your device runs on an IPv6 protocol.
2. It’s hard to adopt the new technology without immediate gain. IPv4 still suits our needs, and until we reach its limit, a worldwide shift is unlikely.
Public vs. private IP addresses
When you ask “what is my IP address” or “what is my ipv4 address” you usually mean “what is my public IP.” It’s the IP address provided by your internet service provider. Devices on the same network share this IP address when accessing the internet.
Take your home network as an example. It’s made up of your computer, phone, tablet, and every other device on your router. When these devices connect to the internet, they use the public IP address that’s been assigned to the router.
Routers assign private IPs to each device on their network, so that devices can identify and find each other. When these devices connect to the internet, their private IP addresses remain hidden, and only the public IP addresses of routers are visible. And your public IP address can say a lot about you. A simple IP lookup can reveal your location and ISP or even help track down your identity.
Learn more about IP addresses and how they work
What’s the difference between IPv4 and IPv6?
What can someone do with my IP address?
4 ways to find your printer’s IP address
How to fix the “Failed to obtain IP address” error on Android
What is a subnet mask?
How to change your IP and location with a VPN
What is IP spoofing and how can you protect yourself?
What is an IP Fragmentation Attack?
What’s the difference between IPv4 and IPv6?
What can someone do with my IP address?
4 ways to find your printer’s IP address
How to fix the “Failed to obtain IP address” error on Android
What is a subnet mask?
How to change your IP and location with a VPN
What is IP spoofing and how can you protect yourself?
What is an IP Fragmentation Attack?
Frequently asked questions
What does my IP address reveal about me?
Your IP address reveals a lot about you, ie. the place you surf from, including your country, region, postcode, and city. Moreover, cunning websites can compare this information with other details retrieved from cookies and metadata, thus creating an even more revealing picture of your identity.
Who can use my IP address?
It is unlikely that anyone will actually take over your IP address and use it as their own. But some people do have access to your IP address and can collect data related to it. For example, your ISP can always see what websites you have visited on the web. Meanwhile, the websites that you visit can track your location and actions to customize their offering. If you search for flights, the website can detect that you are, for example, surfing from a wealthy European country and, therefore, automatically raise the prices.
How do I protect my IP address?
It is possible to protect your IP address by hiding it. This is done by using a VPN service, which routes your connection through another IP address, thus hiding your real one. Besides that, VPNs have many other benefits too. You get more online privacy and security as your internet traffic is encrypted and cannot be read by third-parties or misused by hackers.
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