You may need the public IP address when setting up a file server or website, while the private IP address is useful for communicating with local devices, forwarding ports from a router, or accessing your router to make network changes. Learn how to find your public IP on any web browser; how to find your private IP using a Windows, macOS, or Linux device; and how to find your router’s local IP address.
How to Find the IP Address in My House
The public IP address is the “face” of the network. It’s the one IP address that all your local networked devices use to interface with the internet to access websites. On a home network, the public IP address belongs to the router because the router communicates with devices outside of the local network. However, there are easier ways to find your IP address than by digging around in your router. Below are a few websites that can identify your public IP address. Open one on your computer or mobile device to have it display the internet address:
WhatIsMyIPAddress.com IP Chicken WhatIsMyIP.com IP-Lookup
Since this information is public, to some degree, you can sometimes find the owner of an IP address by searching for their address on an IP lookup website.
How to Find Your Private IP Address on a Computer
The private IP address is the address that every device on a local network must have if they want to communicate with the router and other devices. It facilitates communication between all the local devices and ultimately allows each one to access the internet.
How to Find the Local IP in Windows
On all modern versions of Windows, running the ipconfig utility from Command Prompt or the Windows PowerShell displays a list of addresses assigned to the PC. If you’re connected to the local network through Wi-Fi, the active IP address appears under the Wireless LAN adapter Wireless Network Connection section of the ipconfig output. If you’re connected by an Ethernet cable, the address appears under Ethernet adapter Local Area Connection. If connected to both networks simultaneously, both IP addresses display.
How to Find the Local IP in macOS
On Apple Mac devices, local IP addresses can be found in two ways. The first is with System Preferences. Open the Network pane to see the IP address listed under Status. The other way is a little more complicated. Open the Terminal utility and run the ifconfig command. The IP address (along with other local network configuration details) is listed next to the name inet.
How to Find the Local IP in Linux
Linux IP addresses can be found by running the ifconfig utility. The IP address is listed next to the name eth0.
How to Find Your Router’s Local IP Address
A TCP/IP network router normally maintains two IP addresses of its own. One is the private IP address that the router needs to communicate with the other devices on the network. It’s this address that all the devices have set up as their default gateway address, since all network information must pass to the router’s private address before going outside the network. It’s also the same IP address that you need when you log in to your router to set up a wireless network or make other changes to the settings. The other address a router holds is the public IP address that must be assigned to the network for the devices in the network to reach the internet. This address, sometimes called the WAN IP Address, is stored in different places depending on the router. This IP address, however, isn’t the same as the router’s local address.
