Find out Your IP Address

IP addresses act as a way to tell information where to go on a network. Every device on your network has a "private" IP address for that network, and your entire network has a "public" IP address on the Internet itself. While your device's IP address may change every time you turn it on, your router's IP address, or "default gateway," stays the same and determine the IP addresses of the other devices on your network. The way you find any of these IP addresses varies depending on the device you are using.

Steps

IP Basics

  1. Find your Public IP address if you need your address as seen by the internet. This is the IP address of your computer or network that is visible to the internet. If you need to direct incoming connections to your computer from the internet, you'll need your public IP address. Common uses for public IP addresses include setting up a game server, a proxy server, or an FTP server.
    • Find-out-Your-IP-Address.
  2. Find your Private IP address when you need the address for a specific device on your network. This is the IP address of a device on your network. Every device that is connected to your network will have its own private IP address. This allows the router to transmit the proper information to the correct device. Your device's private IP address is not visible from the internet. Select the correct method below for the device you are using:
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    • Find-out-Your-IP-Address
    • Find-out-Your-IP-Address
    • Find-out-Your-IP-Address
  3. Find your Router IP/Default Gateway when you need to make changes to your home network. This is the IP address of your network router. This address will allow you to access your router's configuration page. The router's IP address is the base of all of your network devices' private IP addresses. The method varies depending on whether you are using Windows or Mac:
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Finding Your Public IP Address

  1. Open a web browser on a computer or device. You can use any computer or device connected to your network to determine your network's public IP address.
    • Make sure the device is connected to your network first. For example, if you're using your smartphone and you're not actually connected to your Wi-Fi network, you'll get your mobile data network's public IP address instead.
  2. Visit Google. Using Google is one of the easiest ways to find your public IP address, but there are many websites that can do it for you. Most search engines will work.
  3. Type "my ip" and search. You'll see your public IP displayed at the top of the search results.
  4. Find your public IP address. Your public IP address will be shown at the top of the Google search results. This is the IP address of your network as seen by the rest of the internet.[1]

Finding Your Private IP Address (Windows)

  1. Click the Start button. This will open the Start menu or screen.
  2. Type "cmd" and press .↵ Enter to open the Command Prompt. With the Start menu or Screen open, typing "cmd" and pressing ↵ Enter will launch the Command Prompt.
    • In Windows 7 and earlier, you can select the Command Prompt from the Start menu.
  3. Type .ipconfig and press ↵ Enter. This will display a readout of all of your networking information. You may have to expand the Command Prompt screen to see it all.
  4. Find your active network adapter. Most computers have one or two adapters, though you may have more depending on your setup. If you can connect wirelessly and with an Ethernet cable, you'll have at least two adapters. Look at the adapter's name in the list to determine which adapter you're looking at.
    • If an adapter isn't being used, such as an Ethernet port with no cable plugged in, Media state will display Media disconnected.
  5. Look at the .IPv4 Address entry. This address is your device's private IP address. You'll need this if you're doing any local network troubleshooting or configuration. Each device on your network will have a different, but similar, IP address.[2]

Finding Your Private IP Address (Mac)

  1. Click the Apple menu and select "System Preferences." This will open the System Preferences menu.
  2. Click the "Network" option. A new window will appear, with your network adapters listed on the left.
  3. Select your active adapter. Usually, your active adapter will be selected automatically. If you have multiple adapters, select the one you want to check the IP address for. If the adapter is not currently connected, the indicator next to it will be red.
  4. Find your IP address. Your Mac's private IP address will be listed in the "IP Address" entry.[3]
    • On older versions of OS X, you'll need to click the "TCP/IP" tab at the top of the window to see the "IP Address" entry.

Finding Your Private IP Address (Android)

  1. Open the Settings app.
  2. Tap "Wi-Fi."
  3. Tap the Menu button (⋮) and select "Advanced."
  4. Scroll to the bottom of the Advanced menu and find the "IP address" field. This will display your Android device's private IP address.

Finding Your Private IP Address (iPhone)

  1. Open the Settings app.
  2. Tap "Wi-Fi." This will display a list wireless networks.
  3. Tap the ⓘ button next to your wireless network. This will open the details for the wireless network you are connected to.
  4. Find the "IP Address" entry. This will display your iPhone's IP address, and will usually be towards the top of the list.

Finding Your Router's IP Address/Default Gateway (Windows)

  1. Click the Start button and type "cmd." This will launch the Command Prompt.
  2. Type .ipconfig and press ↵ Enter. A list of all of your network adapters will appear.
  3. Find the .Default Gateway entry for your active adapter. Look for the network adapter you are currently using by checking the title of each one. The Default Gateway entry will display your router's IP address.
    • Adapters that aren't currently connected will display Media disconnected.

Finding Your Router's IP Address/Default Gateway (Mac)

  1. Click the Apple Menu and select "System Preferences."
  2. Click the "Network" option.
  3. Select your network adapter. Your currently-connected adapter will have a green indicator.
  4. Find the "Router" entry. The IP address here is your router's IP address/default gateway.

Related Articles

Sources and Citations

  1. ↑ http://www.howtogeek.com/117371/how-to-find-your-computers-private-public-ip-addresses/
  2. ↑ http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2478685,00.asp
  3. ↑ http://osxdaily.com/2010/11/21/find-ip-address-mac/
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