How to Find Your Computer’s IP Address

Every device you connect to the internet gets an IP address. In fact, it gets two IP addresses – an internal or private IP address and an external or public IP address. Your public IP address bears significantly more importance. It identifies your unique place on the global internet.

That said, public IP addresses are not permanent. Your internet provider assigns you an address that might change every time you reboot your router or at certain intervals. That’s why it comes handy to know how to find the IP address of your device, be it a Mac, Windows PC, or Chromebook.

We built a tool specifically for that. So anytime you need to find out your public IP address, just visit this page and scroll to the next section to find out your IP address.

How to Find Your Computer’s IP Address

Here’s your current public IP address:

Don’t worry; we didn’t hack your device. Like we said earlier, your public IP address is your unique address on the internet. Anytime you access a website, your device sends and receives data from it. And that data your device sends includes your IP address so the website knows where to send data back – kind of like a return address. The tool above simply displays the information we received from you. And don’t fret; your IP address displayed above is for your eyes only.

What Is an IP Address?

IP stands for Internet Protocol, and it’s the protocol that makes the entire internet run. So when you connect to the internet, you get a unique address – your public IP address. The IP uses that to know where to direct every bit of data sent through the internet. For example, if you try to download a file from a website, the website looks at your IP address to know where to send the file. Without IP addresses, the internet just won’t work.

» Learn more: How to get a UK IP Address

How Do I Get an IP Address?

If you’re just opening your Macbook Pro for the first time, you may be wondering how you get an IP address. Is there a special club you have to join?

As much fun as that sounds, the answer is no. IP addresses are assigned. When you connect your device to a router, the router gives it a private IP address. And once that device connects to the internet, the internet provider assigns it a public IP address. Basically, if it’s a device on the internet, it already has an IP address.

» Read About: How to get a US IP Address

Are IP Addresses Permanent?

Much like life itself, IP addresses are not permanent. Rather, you can change your IP address using a VPN, proxy server, or the Tor browser. You can also change your IP address manually in your computer’s settings. But why would someone want to change or hide their IP address in the first place? For further reading, see our guide explaining the difference between a static and dynamic IP address.

Can Someone Track Me With My IP Address?

IP addresses reveal the location of your computer, which includes your country, region/city, and postal code. While this isn’t enough information to track you on its own, some people compare IP address data with metadata and cookies to paint a clearer picture of your identity. So combined with other data, in the wrong hands, IP addresses can lead to identity theft.

Public vs. Private IP Addresses

Alright, let’s finally talk about public and private IP addresses.

As we said above, your public IP address bears significantly more importance. That’s because out of the billions of devices connected to the internet, your public IP address is unique. It may change from time to time, but your public IP address assigned by your internet provider will always be unique – it’s not shared with any other devices.

In contrast, your private IP address is unique only within your local network. For example, let’s assume your device is connected to a router right now, along with nine other devices. Each of those devices gets a different private IP address, from 1.1.1.1 to 1.1.1.10. Your router uses those IP addresses to know where to direct traffic to locally connected devices.

The short of it is that your public IP address is your address on the internet, while your private IP address is your address within your local network.

To give you an analogy, let’s liken your IP addresses to your office phone number. To contact you, we’d need to know your office phone number – let’s say 123-4567. On top of that, we need to know your extension code. Let’s say 45. Your office phone number is unique, which is kind of like your public IP address. Your extension code, however, is not. The office next door might have another employee with the same extension code as you have. So much like your private IP address, your extension code identifies you only within your office, not every office in the U.S.

Recap

That’s all we have on how to find your computer’s IP address, but be sure to read about how to find your iPhone’s IP address. Digital security starts with your devices, and finding your IP address is the first step to online anonymity. Now, all you have to do is change your IP address to hide your real location.