When people search for what is my IP address, they are usually looking for one number. The confusing part is that your device can have several IP addresses at the same time.
For a typical home network, the two most important ones are your public IP address and your private IP address. They serve different purposes, and knowing which one you need makes troubleshooting much easier.
If you are simply trying to find what is my IP, you can see your current public IP instantly at IP Tracker Tools' What Is My IP.
What Is a Public IP Address?
Your public IP address is the address associated with your internet connection that external internet services can see when you connect to them.
Your internet provider assigns the public IP to your connection. Depending on your provider and plan, it may be dynamic and can change over time.
For a normal home network, your laptop, phone, tablet, smart TV, and other devices usually share the same public IPv4 address when they access the internet through your router.
For example, your laptop and phone might have completely different private IP addresses inside your home, while websites you visit see the same public IPv4 address for both connections.
If you are asking what is my public IP, you can check it now at What Is My IP.
What Is a Private IP Address?
A private IP address is used inside a local network such as your home, office, school, or business network.
Your router normally assigns private IP addresses to devices using DHCP. Your phone, laptop, printer, smart TV, and other devices can each have their own private IP address.
The most common private IPv4 ranges are reserved address ranges that are designed for use inside local networks:
- 192.168.0.0 to 192.168.255.255 — very common in home networks
- 10.0.0.0 to 10.255.255.255 — common in business and larger networks
- 172.16.0.0 to 172.31.255.255 — also reserved for private networks
If you are working with a large list of addresses and need to determine whether they are valid, private, public, or special-use addresses, you can also use the IP List Validator.
For example, a home network might look like this:
- Laptop:
192.168.1.5 - Phone:
192.168.1.6 - Smart TV:
192.168.1.7 - Router:
192.168.1.1
These addresses are used within the local network. They are not globally routable public IPv4 addresses.
Public IP vs Private IP
The easiest way to understand the difference is to think about where each address is used.
| Feature | Public IP | Private IP |
|---|---|---|
| Used where? | Internet | Local network |
| Usually assigned by | Internet provider | Router or local DHCP server |
| Example | 203.0.113.45 |
192.168.1.5 |
| Globally routable? | Generally yes | No |
| Can change? | Often, depending on the ISP | Often, depending on the local network |
| Visible to websites? | Yes, as part of the connection | No, not normally |
So if you are searching what is my IP address? and want the address that websites normally see from your home connection, you are looking for your public IP, not your private IP. If you want to investigate an IP address beyond simply seeing your own address, you can use our IP Lookup tool.
How Your Router Connects the Two
Your router sits between your local network and the wider internet.
When a device on your home network connects to a website, the router keeps track of the connection and commonly uses NAT (Network Address Translation) to allow multiple private devices to share a public IPv4 address.
For example:
Laptop
192.168.1.5
\
\
Router ---- Public IP ---- Internet
/
/
Phone
192.168.1.6The router keeps track of which internal device initiated each connection so that returning traffic can be delivered to the correct device.
NAT helps conserve IPv4 addresses and normally prevents unsolicited inbound IPv4 connections from directly reaching private devices. Routers also commonly use firewalls to control unwanted inbound traffic.
For a deeper explanation of NAT, DNS, routing, IPv4, and IPv6, see What Is My IP Address and How Does It Work?.
What Is My IP Address Right Now?
If you want the public IP address currently associated with your internet connection, you do not need to open your router settings or run a command.
Visit What Is My IP.
The page can show the public IP address your connection presents to the internet, including whether you are using IPv4 or IPv6 when available.
This is the number you will normally need when a website, game server, VPN service, ISP support agent, or another online service asks for your public IP address.
How Do I Find My Private IP Address?
Your private IP depends on the device and operating system.
Windows
Open Command Prompt and run:
ipconfigLook for the IPv4 Address under the network adapter you are currently using.
Mac
Open System Settings, go to Network, select your active connection, and open its details. Your local IP address is shown in the connection information.
Android
Open Wi-Fi settings, select the network you are connected to, and look through the network details. The exact wording varies between Android manufacturers.
iPhone
Open Settings, select Wi-Fi, tap the connected network, and look under its network details for the IP address.
If you need more detailed instructions for each device, see What Is My IPv4 Address?.
Why Does the Difference Matter?
Port Forwarding
If you are hosting a game server, web server, camera system, or another service from home, you may need to understand both addresses.
Your public IP identifies the internet connection, while the private IP identifies the specific device inside your network that should receive the connection.
For example, a router might forward an incoming connection from a public port to a server at 192.168.1.20.
If you are troubleshooting whether a service is actually reachable from the internet, you can also use our Port Checker to test whether a TCP port is open, closed, or filtered.
Remote Access
Remote desktop, NAS systems, security cameras, and other home services can involve both public and private addressing.
When connecting from outside your home, you normally cannot simply use a private address such as 192.168.1.20. That address only exists inside the local network.
Troubleshooting
Knowing which IP you are looking at can prevent a lot of confusion.
If your ISP asks for your IP address, they generally mean your public IP. If you are configuring a device on your home network, you may need its private IP instead.
VPNs
When you connect to a VPN, websites normally see the VPN server's public IP address rather than the public IP directly associated with your home connection.
Your device can still have the same private local IP address inside your home network. The VPN changes how your internet traffic is routed and which public address external services see.
If you want to verify whether your connection is currently being detected as a VPN, proxy, Tor exit node, or data-center connection, you can use our VPN Detection tool.
Does Every Device Have Its Own Public IP?
Not necessarily.
In a typical home IPv4 network, multiple devices share one public IPv4 address through NAT.
Your laptop, phone, tablet, and smart TV may each have different private IP addresses while appearing to websites as connections coming from the same public IPv4 address.
IPv6 works differently. Depending on the network configuration, devices can have globally routable IPv6 addresses of their own, while still being protected by firewall policies.
Can My Public IP Address Change?
Yes.
Most residential internet connections use dynamic addressing, so your public IP can change over time.
A change can happen after a connection interruption, equipment restart, network maintenance, or other provider-side events. The exact behavior depends on your ISP.
If you need to know whether your address has changed, record your current IP at What Is My IP and compare it later.
Can My Private IP Address Change?
Yes.
Your router commonly assigns private IP addresses using DHCP. A device may receive a different local address after reconnecting to the network or when its DHCP lease changes.
If you need a device to keep the same local IP for something such as port forwarding, you can usually configure a DHCP reservation on your router.
Is It Safe to Share My Public IP Address?
Sharing your public IP is not the same as sharing a password or account credential, but it is still useful to avoid exposing it unnecessarily.
A public IP can provide information about your network connection, such as the ISP or organization associated with the address and an approximate geographic area.
It does not normally contain your name or exact home address.
Someone knowing your public IP does not automatically give them access to your computer. Your router's firewall, device security, authentication, and exposed services are much more important factors.
If you want to investigate the hostname associated with an IP address, you can also use our Reverse DNS Lookup tool.
If you are concerned about someone targeting your connection, a VPN can hide your normal public IP from the services you access through the VPN.
Can Someone Find My Exact Location From My IP?
Usually not.
IP geolocation databases can often estimate a country, region, or approximate city, but IP location is not the same as GPS.
If you want to see the approximate location, ISP, ASN, and other network information associated with an IP address, you can use our IP Lookup tool.
The result can sometimes show a nearby city, an ISP registration location, or another location that does not match where you physically are.
For this reason, an IP address alone should not be treated as an exact physical location.
Public IPv4 and IPv6
Your public address may use either IPv4 or IPv6.
IPv4 addresses look like:
203.0.113.45IPv6 addresses are much longer and use hexadecimal characters separated by colons:
2001:db8:1234:5678::1IPv4 remains extremely common, while IPv6 has been deployed widely to provide a much larger address space.
If your network supports both, your device may use IPv4 for some connections and IPv6 for others. For a deeper explanation of IPv6 and dual-stack networking, see What Is My IPv6 Address?.
Quick Answers
What is my IP address?
If you mean the address your internet connection presents to websites, you are looking for your public IP. You can check it at What Is My IP.
What is my public IP?
Your public IP is the address associated with your internet connection that external services can see when you connect to them. Check it instantly at What Is My IP.
What is my private IP?
Your private IP is the local address assigned to your device inside your home, office, or other local network. It commonly looks like 192.168.x.x, 10.x.x.x, or an address in the private 172.16.x.x through 172.31.x.x range.
Is my router IP the same as my public IP?
No. Your router usually has a private gateway address such as 192.168.1.1, while your internet connection has a public IP used for external communication.
Do all devices on my Wi-Fi have the same IP?
They usually share the same public IPv4 address, but each device normally has its own private IP address inside your local network.
Does a VPN change my IP address?
A VPN normally changes the public IP that websites see to the VPN server's address. Your local private IP can remain unchanged.
Can my public IP change?
Yes. Residential internet connections commonly use dynamic public IP addressing, so your public IP can change over time.
Can my private IP change?
Yes. Your router can assign a different private IP to your device through DHCP.
Can someone find my exact address from my IP?
Generally no. IP geolocation can estimate a general area, but an IP address does not directly reveal your exact physical address.
The Short Version
When you search what is my IP address, you are usually looking for your public IP address, the address associated with your internet connection that external services can see.
Your private IP address is different. It identifies your device inside your local network and commonly looks like 192.168.x.x, 10.x.x.x, or another private address.
Your router connects the two by handling traffic between your local network and the internet, commonly using NAT for IPv4.
If you simply want to know what is my IP right now, check What Is My IP. If you need your private IP, use the device-specific instructions above.