What Is My IP Address?
Your public IP address, location, and ISP — detected instantly. No signup required.
⏱ 5 min read · Complete guide below
Detecting your IP address…
Your Public IP vs Your Private IP
Your public IP address is what this tool shows — the address your internet service provider assigns to your connection, visible to every website you visit. It typically identifies your city or region, not your exact location.
Your private IP address is different: it is assigned by your router to your specific device and is only visible within your local network. It usually looks like 192.168.x.x or 10.x.x.x. Websites cannot see your private IP.
What Your IP Address Reveals
An IP address can reveal your approximate city, your ISP, and your country. It cannot reveal your street address, your name, or which device you are using. ISPs can connect an IP to a specific customer if required to by law, but this information is not publicly accessible.
IPv4 vs IPv6
There are two versions of IP addresses in use today. IPv4 is the original format and looks like four numbers separated by dots, such as 203.0.113.42. It allows for about 4.3 billion unique addresses — a number that seemed limitless in the 1980s but has long since run out as billions of phones, computers, and smart devices came online. IPv6 was created to solve that shortage. It uses a longer format of hexadecimal groups separated by colons, such as 2001:0db8:85a3::8a2e:0370:7334, and provides a practically inexhaustible supply of addresses. Depending on your network, this tool may show you an IPv4 address, an IPv6 address, or both — many connections now run the two side by side during the ongoing transition.
How to Hide or Change Your IP Address
If you would rather not expose your real IP, the most common tool is a VPN (Virtual Private Network), which routes your traffic through a server elsewhere so websites see that server's address instead of yours. The Tor network offers stronger anonymity by bouncing your traffic through several relays, at the cost of speed. To simply get a new IP from your own ISP, you can often restart your router, since most home connections use dynamic addresses that change periodically. A quick way to confirm any of these worked is to check this page before and after — if the address shown has changed, your traffic is now taking a different route.
Common Reasons to Check Your IP
Verify Your VPN
Check that your VPN is actually masking your real IP by comparing what this tool shows before and after connecting.
Remote Access
Know your IP to configure port forwarding, remote desktop, or connect to your home network from outside.
Whitelist Access
Share your IP with an IT team so they can whitelist it for access to a VPN, server, or internal system.
Troubleshoot Connectivity
Confirm your connection is working and identify your ISP when diagnosing network or access issues.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a public IP address?
A public IP address is the address your internet service provider assigns to your connection. Websites and online services see this address when you visit them. It identifies your network on the internet — not your specific device.
Why is my IP address different from what I expect?
Several things can change the IP you see: a VPN routes your traffic through a server in another location, your ISP may use Carrier-Grade NAT (CGNAT) giving many customers the same external IP, and dynamic IPs change each time you reconnect.
Can websites track me using my IP address?
Yes — websites can log your IP and use it to approximate your location (usually city or region level), detect returning visitors, and enforce regional restrictions. Your IP alone does not reveal your exact address or identity.
How is this different from the IP Address Lookup tool?
This tool focuses on showing YOUR current IP address as quickly as possible. The IP Address Lookup tool lets you look up any IP address — your own or someone else's — and shows the full geolocation details.
Does my IP change?
Most home broadband connections use dynamic IPs that can change when you restart your router or after a period of inactivity. Business connections often have static IPs that stay fixed. Mobile data connections typically change IPs frequently.
What is the difference between IPv4 and IPv6?
IPv4 is the original addressing scheme, written as four numbers separated by dots (like 203.0.113.42), and it supports about 4.3 billion addresses — which the internet has effectively run out of. IPv6 is the newer scheme, written as groups of hexadecimal separated by colons, and it provides an almost unlimited number of addresses. Many connections now use both at once, so this tool may show you an IPv4 address, an IPv6 address, or both.
How do I hide my IP address?
The usual way is to use a VPN, which routes your traffic through another server so websites see that server's IP instead of yours. The Tor network hides it even more thoroughly by relaying your traffic through several nodes, though it is slower. You can also get a fresh IP from your own provider by restarting your router if your connection uses a dynamic address. Check this page before and after to confirm the change.
Is it dangerous for someone to know my IP address?
For most people it is low risk. An IP reveals only your approximate location and your ISP, not your identity or home address, and it is shared with every website you visit by design. The main practical risks are targeted denial-of-service attacks (a concern mostly for gamers and streamers) and being used as one signal to approximate your location. Using a VPN addresses both if you are concerned.