What is My IP Address? Public vs Private IPs Explained

"What is my IP address?" is one of the most searched questions on the internet. But most people do not actually understand what an IP address is, why they have two of them (public and private), or why it matters.

This guide breaks it all down — what IPs are, how your home network uses them, what your IP reveals about you, and how to protect it.

What is an IP Address?

An IP (Internet Protocol) address is a unique number assigned to every device on a network. It serves two purposes:

1. Identification — it tells the network which device is which
2. Location — it tells routers where to send data

Think of it like a mailing address for your computer. Without it, data has nowhere to go.

There are two versions:

We are running out of IPv4 addresses, which is why IPv6 was created. But IPv4 is still dominant and is what most people interact with daily.

Public vs Private IP — What is the Difference?

Every device connected to the internet has two IP addresses:

Public IP (External)

This is the address the rest of the internet sees. It is assigned by your ISP (Internet Service Provider) and is shared by every device in your home.

• Visible to every website you visit
• Used to route traffic from the internet to your home
• Changes periodically unless you pay for a static IP
• Reveals your approximate location (city-level)

Private IP (Internal)

This is the address your device uses on your local home network. It is assigned by your router.

• Only visible within your home network
• Cannot be reached from the internet directly
• Every home uses the same private ranges — your 192.168.1.5 is different from your neighbor's 192.168.1.5

Private IP Ranges

These address ranges are reserved for private networks and are never routed on the public internet:

How NAT Works

If every device in your house has a private IP, but the internet only sees one public IP, how does data get to the right device? The answer is NAT (Network Address Translation).

Your router maintains a translation table:

Your Phone (192.168.1.5:54321) → Router → Internet (203.0.113.50:54321)
Your Laptop (192.168.1.10:12345) → Router → Internet (203.0.113.50:12345)

When your phone requests a webpage:

1. Your phone sends the request to the router from 192.168.1.5
2. The router replaces the source IP with your public IP (203.0.113.50) and notes the port number
3. The web server responds to 203.0.113.50
4. The router checks the port, finds it belongs to your phone, and forwards the response to 192.168.1.5

This is why multiple devices can share one public IP — the router uses port numbers to keep track of which device made which request.

How to Find Your IP Address

Find Your Public IP

The easiest way is to use our What's My IP tool — it instantly shows your public IP with a map of your approximate location.

You can also check from the command line:

# Linux/Mac
curl ifconfig.me

# Windows (PowerShell)
(Invoke-WebRequest -Uri "https://ifconfig.me").Content

Find Your Private IP

Windows:

ipconfig

Look for "IPv4 Address" under your active adapter.

Mac:

ifconfig en0 | grep inet

Linux:

ip addr show | grep "inet "

Phone: Settings → WiFi → tap your network → look for IP address.

What Your IP Address Reveals

When you visit a website, your public IP is visible to that site. Here is what it can reveal:

Your IP does NOT reveal:

• Your name or identity
• Your exact address
• Your browsing history
• Your personal information

However, your ISP can connect your IP to your account and billing address. Law enforcement can subpoena this information.

Use our IP Lookup tool to see exactly what information is visible from any IP address.

Static vs Dynamic IP

Most home users have dynamic IPs. This means your public IP changes occasionally. If you need a permanent address (hosting a server, remote access to your home), you can request a static IP from your ISP or use a dynamic DNS service.

How to Protect Your IP Address

Use a VPN

A VPN routes your traffic through an encrypted tunnel to a server in another location. Websites see the VPN server's IP instead of yours. This hides your real IP, location, and ISP.

Check if your VPN is actually working with our VPN Leak Test.

Use Tor

The Tor network bounces your traffic through multiple relays, making it extremely difficult to trace back to your real IP. Slower than a VPN but more anonymous.

Use a Proxy

A proxy server acts as an intermediary — websites see the proxy's IP instead of yours. Less secure than a VPN (no encryption) but simpler for basic IP masking.

IPv6 — The Future

IPv4 only has about 4.3 billion addresses — not enough for every device on earth. IPv6 solves this with 340 undecillion addresses (that is a 39-digit number).

IPv6 addresses look different:

2001:0db8:85a3:0000:0000:8a2e:0370:7334

With IPv6, every device can have its own globally unique address — no more NAT needed. However, IPv6 adoption is still around 40% globally, so both protocols run simultaneously.

Privacy note: With IPv6, your device might have a globally unique address that can be tracked across websites. This is why IPv6 privacy extensions exist — they randomize part of the address.

Check Your IP Now

Use our free What's My IP tool to instantly see your public IP address with a map showing your approximate location. For detailed information about any IP address, try our IP Lookup tool.

See Also

• How to Check Your IP Address
• How to Find Your MAC Address
• Port Forwarding Guide
• Subnetting Guide