What is my IP? — The complete, simple & guide (step-by-step + examples)

Meta title: What Is My IP? — How to Find Your IP Address (Public & Private) — Step-by-Step Guide
Meta description: Learn “what is my IP” with easy, step-by-step instructions for Windows, Mac, Linux, Android, and iPhone. Understand public vs private IP, IPv4 vs IPv6, examples, troubleshooting, and privacy tips.

Table of Contents

1. Quick answer — What is my IP?

2. What is an IP address? (simple explanation)

3. Public IP vs Private IP — key difference

4. IPv4 vs IPv6 — short comparison

5. How to find my IP address — step-by-step (with examples)

   • Check your public IP (what websites see)

   • Check your local/private IP (device on your network)

   • Router / WAN IP (what your ISP gives your router)

6. Examples & sample command outputs (safe example IPs)

7. Why does my IP change? (dynamic vs static IP)

8. Can someone find my location from my IP? (geolocation explained)

9. How to hide or change your IP (VPN, proxy, Tor, mobile tether)

10. Troubleshooting common IP problems

11. Security & privacy tips related to your IP

12. High ranking keywords used in this blog

13. FAQ — 5 common questions & answers

14. Conclusion & next steps

1 — What is my IP?

Your IP (Internet Protocol) address is a unique number assigned to a device or to your router that allows other devices and servers on the internet to find and communicate with you. If you ask “what is my IP?” you usually want either:

• your public IP address (the address websites and services see), or

• your private/local IP address (the address your device uses inside your home or office network).

2 — What is an IP address? (simple)

An IP address is like a postal address for internet devices. It tells other computers where to send data (webpages, emails, video streams). IP addresses come in two flavors:

• IPv4 — looks like 192.168.1.10 (four numbers separated by dots). Most common today.

• IPv6 — looks like 2001:db8::1 (longer, hexadecimal), made to expand the number of available addresses.

3 — Public IP vs Private IP — key difference

• Public IP (External/WAN IP): Given by your Internet Service Provider (ISP). Websites and servers on the internet see this address. Example use: “what is my IP” shown by whatismyip sites.

• Private IP (Local/LAN IP): Assigned by your router to devices inside your network (phones, laptops). These are not directly routable on the public internet (common ranges: 192.168.x.x, 10.x.x.x, 172.16.x.x–172.31.x.x).

Your router uses NAT (Network Address Translation) to let many private devices share a single public IP.

4 — IPv4 vs IPv6 — short comparison

• IPv4: 32-bit, example 203.0.113.45. Limited number of addresses → exhaustion.

• IPv6: 128-bit, example 2001:db8::1. Essentially unlimited addresses; newer standard.
  Most home users still use IPv4 for public IPs, but IPv6 adoption is growing.

5 — How to find my IP address — step-by-step (with examples)

A. Check your public IP (what websites see)

Method 1 — Use a website (quickest)

1. Open your web browser.

2. Search in Google: what is my IP or go to websites like whatismyip.com, ipinfo.io, ifconfig.me.

3. The page will display your public IP.

Example result (documentation example): Your public IP is: 203.0.113.45

Method 2 — From a command line / terminal

• Windows (PowerShell):

(Invoke-RestMethod 'https://api.ipify.org')
# Example output:
# 203.0.113.45

• macOS / Linux (Terminal):

curl https://api.ipify.org
# Example output:
# 203.0.113.45

• Alternate (OpenDNS):

dig +short myip.opendns.com @resolver1.opendns.com
# Example output:
# 203.0.113.45

B. Check your local/private IP (device on your Wi-Fi or LAN)

Windows (GUI):

1. Press Windows + I → Settings → Network & Internet.

2. Click Wi-Fi (or Ethernet) → Click your connected network → scroll to IPv4 address.
   Windows (Command Prompt):

ipconfig
# Look for: IPv4 Address. Example:
# IPv4 Address. . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.1.10

macOS:

• System Preferences → Network → Select Wi-Fi or Ethernet → look under Status for IP.

• Terminal:

ipconfig getifaddr en0    # for Wi-Fi on many Macs
# Example output:
# 192.168.1.12

Linux (Ubuntu) Terminal:

ip addr show
# Or:
ip -4 addr show wlan0
# Example local IP:
# inet 192.168.1.20/24 brd 192.168.1.255 scope global dynamic wlan0

Android (Wi-Fi):

• Settings → Network & internet → Wi-Fi → tap the connected network → Advanced → IP address.

iPhone / iPad (iOS):

• Settings → Wi-Fi → tap the i icon next to your network → IPv4 Address section shows IP.

C. Find your router’s WAN (Internet) IP

1. Log in to your router admin page (common addresses: 192.168.1.1 or 192.168.0.1).

2. Login (admin credentials).

3. Go to Status / Internet / WAN page — you’ll see the WAN/Public IP that your ISP assigned.

6 — Examples & sample command outputs (safe example IPs)

Public IP example: 203.0.113.45 (this is a documentation IP — used as an example)
Private IP examples: 192.168.1.10, 10.0.0.5, 172.16.0.2
IPv6 example: 2001:db8::2 (documentation IPv6)

Windows ipconfig sample

Ethernet adapter Wi-Fi:

   Connection-specific DNS Suffix  . : example.com
   IPv4 Address. . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.1.10
   Subnet Mask . . . . . . . . . . . : 255.255.255.0
   Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.1.1

Terminal curl sample for public IP

$ curl https://api.ipify.org
203.0.113.45

7 — Why does my IP change? (dynamic vs static IP)

• Dynamic IP: Most home connections have dynamic public IPs assigned by the ISP via DHCP — they can change on reboot or after a lease expires.

• Static IP: A fixed IP you can buy from your ISP (useful for hosting servers, remote access).
  If you need a permanent address (for remote desktop, camera access), request a static IP from your ISP.

8 — Can someone find my location from my IP?

Yes, but only approximate. IP geolocation services map IPs to areas (city, region) based on ISP records. Accuracy varies:

• Often correct at the city or region level.

• Not precise to your street address — sometimes incorrect.

• VPNs and proxies can hide/alter geolocation.

9 — How to hide or change your IP (basic options)

• VPN (Virtual Private Network): Encrypts your traffic and shows the VPN server’s public IP instead of yours. Best for privacy & security.

• Proxy server: Routes HTTP(s) traffic through middleman IPs (less secure than VPN for full traffic).

• Tor Browser: Routes traffic through the Tor network; good for anonymity but slower.

• Mobile tethering: If you use your phone as hotspot, your public IP will be the mobile carrier’s IP (different from home ISP).

• Reboot router / release & renew IP: Sometimes changes public IP (depends on ISP). On Windows:

ipconfig /release
ipconfig /renew

10 — Troubleshooting common IP problems

• IP shows 169.254.x.x — APIPA address: your device didn’t get an IP from DHCP. Fix: reconnect to Wi-Fi, restart router, check DHCP settings.

• Duplicate IP conflict — Two devices with same private IP; fix by enabling DHCP or changing static IP.

• No internet, local IP OK — Check router’s WAN IP; if router has no WAN IP, contact ISP.

• IPv6 link-local fe80:: only — That’s a local address; global IPv6 may not be configured.

11 — Security & privacy tips related to your IP

• Don’t share your public IP on public forums — it can be used for targeted attacks.

• Use a strong router admin password; disable remote admin unless needed.

• Turn off UPnP if you don’t need it (can open ports automatically).

• Use a reputable VPN for privacy on public Wi-Fi.

• Keep router firmware and device OS updated.

12 — High ranking keywords used in this blog

• what is my IP

• how to find my IP address

• check my IP

• public IP vs private IP

• find IP address Windows

• find IP address Mac

• IPv4 vs IPv6

• how to hide my IP

• check IP address command line

(Use these naturally in headings, meta tags, and first 100 words of your page for better SEO.)

13 — FAQ — common quick answers

Q1: What is my IP address right now?
A: Use Google and type “what is my IP” or open Terminal and run curl https://api.ipify.org. That will show your current public IP.

Q2: Is it safe to share my IP address?
A: Usually okay with trusted people, but avoid posting your public IP publicly — it can be used for targeted scans or doxxing attempts.

Q3: How can I make my IP static?
A: Contact your ISP and request a static IP (usually a paid service). For local static IPs (device on LAN), set a static IP in router DHCP reservation.

Q4: Why does my IP show a different country?
A: Because your ISP routes traffic through a gateway in that country, or you are using a VPN/proxy.

Q5: Can my IP reveal my exact home address?
A: No — IP geolocation is approximate. ISPs have the most accurate mapping but they won’t give out your precise street address to the public.

14 — Conclusion & next steps

Now you know what is my IP, how to check both your public and private IPs, the difference between IPv4 and IPv6, why your IP may change, and how to protect your privacy.

Practical next steps:

• Try curl https://api.ipify.org to see your public IP.

• Run ipconfig (Windows) or ip addr (Linux/macOS) to find your local IP.

• If privacy matters, test a reputable VPN and compare your IP and geolocation before and after.

If you want, I can create:

• a short printable cheat-sheet with the commands for Windows / Mac / Linux / Android / iPhone, or

• SEO meta tags, social share text, and an image alt text for this article.

Which of those would help you most?