How to Find Your IP Address

Nizam Ud Deen2 weeks agoLast Updated: July 8, 2026

0 50 9 minutes read

To find your IP address, read the private IP on the device itself and the public IP through a browser. On Windows, open Command Prompt, type ipconfig, and read the IPv4 Address line, such as 192.168.1.20; on a Mac or phone the same value sits in the network settings. For the public IP, search the phrase what is my IP or open a lookup site, which shows the one address the internet provider gave the whole network. The Default Gateway line in the same ipconfig output is the router IP. The two are found in different places because they do different jobs: the private IP names your device on the home network, while the public IP is what the internet sees.

ipconfigWindows command that prints the private IPv4, IPv6, and gateway

192.168.x.xmost common private range on home networks (RFC 1918)

1 public IPshared by every device on the same network

IPv4 + IPv6a device often shows both formats at once

This guide finds both the private and public IP addresses of a device, so the correct address is known for network setup, remote access, or troubleshooting. A private IP, such as 192.168.1.20, is assigned by the router and used inside the home, while a public IP is assigned by the internet provider and seen by outside websites. The process covers four readings: the private IP on Windows, the private IP on Mac and phone, the public IP through a browser, and the router gateway IP. Each reading names the exact command, menu, or site involved.

Table of Contents

Private IP vs Public IP: Which One Do You Need?

A device has two IP addresses at once, and the one you need depends on the task. The private IP is found on the device; the public IP is found through the internet. Match the card below to the address you are looking for.

Private IP (local)

The address the router assigns to one device inside the home, such as 192.168.1.20. It identifies that device on the local network only and is reused on millions of other networks. Read it with ipconfig or in the device network settings. Use it for: printers, file shares, a static IP, and port forwarding.

Public IP (internet)

The single address the internet provider gives the whole network, such as 203.0.113.45. It is what outside websites and services see, and every device shares it. Read it by searching what is my IP or opening a lookup site. Use it for: remote access, allowlists, gaming, and seeing what the internet sees.

The router sits between the two and performs the translation, which is why each address is found in a different place. The full meaning of each is covered in the overview of what an IP address is.

What You Need to Find Your IP Address

Finding an IP address requires only the access below, since the values are already assigned. Confirm each item first so each reading is accurate.

Access to the device itself. The private IP is read from the device whose address is needed.
A command window or settings menu. Windows uses ipconfig or the Settings app, and other systems use their network settings.
A web browser for the public IP. The public IP is shown by a search or a lookup website.
The same network for an accurate public IP. The public IP reflects the network the device is connected to at the time.
Router access for the gateway address. The gateway IP is confirmed from a connected device or the router label.

How Do You Find the Private IP Address on Windows?

Finding the private IP on Windows reveals the address the router assigned to the computer on the local network. The ipconfig command and the Settings app both report this address.

Open Command Prompt. Press the Windows key, type cmd, and open Command Prompt.
Run the command. Type ipconfig and press Enter.
Read the IPv4 Address line. Under the active adapter it shows a value such as 192.168.1.20, which is the private IP.
Note the Default Gateway. The line on the same adapter is the router address.
Or use Settings instead. Open Settings, Network and Internet, then the adapter Properties to read the same IPv4 address without a command.

The IPv4 Address is the private IP, and it stays within the home network. The Default Gateway on the same screen is the router own address. Microsoft documents that ipconfig with no options prints the IPv4 address, IPv6 address, subnet mask, and default gateway for every adapter.

How Do You Find the Private IP on Mac and Phone?

Finding the private IP on a Mac or phone reveals the address the router assigned to that device. Each system shows the address in its network settings.

On macOS, open System Settings. Select Network, choose the active Wi-Fi or Ethernet connection, and read the IP address shown under Details.
On iPhone, open Settings. Tap Wi-Fi, tap the connected network, and read the IP Address under the IPv4 section.
On Android, open Settings. Tap Network and internet, tap the connected Wi-Fi, and read the IP address under the network details.
On any system, use the terminal. The ifconfig or ip addr command on macOS and Linux prints the same private address.

How Do You Find the Public IP Address?

Finding the public IP reveals the single address the internet provider assigned to the whole network. A browser search or a lookup site returns this address directly.

Open a browser. Use any device connected to the network.
Search the phrase. Type what is my IP in a search engine, which displays the public IP at the top of the results.
Or open a lookup site. Visit whatismyipaddress.com or a similar site to read the same public address.
Note the sharing. Every device on the same network shares this one public IP.
Recheck after reconnecting. Some providers assign a new public IP over time, so the value can change.

The public IP is what outside websites and services see. It differs from the private IP because the router translates between the one public address and the many private addresses inside the home.

The private IP is for inside; the public IP is for outside. The private IP, such as 192.168.1.20, identifies your device on the home network and never leaves it. The public IP is the one address the internet provider gives the whole network, and it is what every website, game server, and remote service actually sees. The router maps the shared public address to each private one, which is why you read the private IP on the device and the public IP through the internet.

How Do You Find the Router Gateway IP Address?

Finding the gateway IP reveals the router own address, used to open the admin page and manage the network. The gateway appears in ipconfig output and on the router label.

Find the Router Gateway IP Address - How to Find Your IP Address

Read the ipconfig output. Run ipconfig in Command Prompt and read the Default Gateway line, commonly 192.168.1.1.
Check the router label. Read the printed default gateway address if the command is unavailable.
On macOS, open Network settings. Select the connection and read the Router field under Details.
On a phone, open the network details. Read the Gateway or Router value for the connected Wi-Fi.
Open the admin page. Type the gateway address into a browser to reach the router settings.

The gateway is the door between the local network and the internet. The address it controls can be changed in the guide to change your DNS, and the wider setup is covered in the guide to set up a Wi-Fi router.

Find Connected Device IP Addresses in the Router

Finding device addresses in the router admin page lists the private IP of every device on the network in one place. The router holds this list because it assigns each private IP through DHCP.

Sign in to the router admin page at the default gateway address, such as 192.168.1.1.
Open the section labeled Attached Devices, DHCP Clients, or Device List.
Read the table that pairs each device name and MAC address with its assigned private IP.
Match a device by its name or MAC address to confirm which private IP belongs to it.
Note the address range the router assigns, which sets the pool the private IPs fall within.

The router list shows every private IP at once, unlike the per-device readings above. This view is useful for confirming an address before a device is given a fixed one with a static IP.

Find Your IP Address with Command-Line Tools

Reading the IP address from the command line returns the same values without opening any settings menu. Each system provides a command that prints the device addresses directly.

On Windows, run ipconfig /all. The command prints the IPv4 Address, the IPv6 Address, the Default Gateway, and the DNS servers for every adapter.
On Windows PowerShell, run Get-NetIPAddress. The command lists each interface with its IPv4 and IPv6 address in a single table.
On macOS or Linux, run ip addr. The command prints the private address beside each network interface name.
For the public IP, run a lookup command. The command curl ifconfig.me returns the public address from a terminal without a browser.

Public and Private IP Address Reference

IP Type	Example	Assigned By	Where to Find It
Private IPv4	192.168.1.20	The router	ipconfig IPv4 line or device network settings
Public IPv4	203.0.113.45	The internet provider	Search what is my IP or a lookup site
Gateway	192.168.1.1	The router	ipconfig Default Gateway or router label
Private IPv6	fe80::1c2d	The router or device	ipconfig IPv6 line under the adapter

Why Does a Device Show Both IPv4 and IPv6?

A device may show both an IPv4 and an IPv6 address, and each serves the same purpose in a different format. The points below explain the difference.

IPv4 uses four numbers. An IPv4 address such as 192.168.1.20 uses four groups separated by dots and remains the common format on home networks.
IPv6 uses hexadecimal groups. An IPv6 address such as fe80::1c2d uses longer hexadecimal groups separated by colons to allow far more addresses.
Both can be active at once. Many networks run IPv4 and IPv6 together, so ipconfig lists both under the same adapter.
The private and public split applies to both. IPv4 separates private and public ranges, while IPv6 uses link-local (fe80::/10) and global addresses for a similar division.

A full side-by-side of the two protocols, including address size and why the change happened, is covered in IPv4 vs IPv6.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Confusing the private IP with the public IP. The 192.168 address is private and internal; the public IP comes from a browser lookup.
Reading the gateway as the device address. The Default Gateway is the router, not the computer; the IPv4 Address line is the device.
Assuming the public IP never changes. Many providers assign dynamic public IPs that change over time.
Reading the wrong adapter. ipconfig lists every adapter, so the active Ethernet or Wi-Fi entry is the one to read.
Sharing the public IP carelessly. The public IP identifies the network to outside services and should be shared only when required.

Last Thoughts on Finding Your IP Address

An IP address is found by reading the private IP with ipconfig or the device network settings, the public IP through a browser search, and the gateway IP from the Default Gateway line. The private IP identifies the device inside the home, while the public IP identifies the whole network on the internet, and the router translates between them. A device often shows both an IPv4 and an IPv6 value under the same adapter, which is normal because most networks now run both. The full meaning of each address is covered in the overview of what an IP address is.

Fixing a device to one private address is covered in the guide to set up a static IP, and the gateway value opens the configuration in the guide to set up a home network. The collected reference guides sit on the PC tutorials hub.

Key Takeaways:

Use ipconfig for the private IP; the IPv4 Address line shows the device address on Windows, and the network settings show it on Mac and phone.
Search what is my IP, or open a lookup site, to read the public IP the internet provider assigned.
The Default Gateway line is the router address, used to open the admin page at something like 192.168.1.1.
One public IP serves the whole network, while every device keeps its own private IP inside it.
A 192.168 address is a private IP from the RFC 1918 range and is not visible on the internet.
IPv4 and IPv6 can both be active, so a device may list both formats under the same adapter.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What is the difference between a public and private IP?

A private IP, such as 192.168.1.20, identifies a device inside the home network and is reused on millions of networks. A public IP identifies the whole network on the internet and is unique. The router translates between the two.

How do I find my IP address on Windows?

Open Command Prompt, type ipconfig, and press Enter. The IPv4 Address line shows the private IP the router assigned, and the Default Gateway line shows the router address. The Settings app shows the same value under Network and Internet.

How do I find my public IP address?

Open a browser and search the phrase what is my IP, or visit a lookup site such as whatismyipaddress.com. The page displays the public IP the internet provider assigned to the network. From a terminal, the command curl ifconfig.me returns the same value.

Why does my IP address start with 192.168?

An address that starts with 192.168 is a private IP from the 192.168.0.0/16 range reserved by RFC 1918 for use inside a local network. It is not visible on the internet, and 10.x and 172.16 to 172.31 are the other private ranges.

Does every device have the same public IP?

Yes. Every device on one network shares a single public IP assigned by the internet provider. Each device keeps its own separate private IP inside the network, and the router maps between the shared public address and each private one.

Why does ipconfig show two IP addresses?

Most networks now run IPv4 and IPv6 at the same time, so ipconfig lists both under one adapter. The IPv4 Address is the dotted form such as 192.168.1.20, and the IPv6 Address is the colon-separated hexadecimal form such as fe80::1c2d. Both are normal.