What Is My IP Address
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Your public IP address is the unique identifier your ISP assigns to your internet connection. Every device on your home network typically shares a single public IP — your router receives it from your ISP, while internal devices get private IPs (192.168.x.x) via DHCP.
Private IP ranges (RFC 1918: 10.0.0.0/8, 172.16.0.0/12, 192.168.0.0/16) are not routable on the public internet. NAT bridges the gap: your router translates all private-IP traffic to its public IP. IPv6 provides enough addresses for every device to have a globally routable address, eliminating the need for NAT.
ISPs use DHCP to assign IP addresses. Most residential customers receive a dynamic IP that may change when the router restarts. Businesses pay for static IPs essential for hosting servers and VPNs. Mobile carriers use Carrier-Grade NAT (CGNAT), meaning thousands of users may share a single public IP simultaneously.
Your IP can reveal your approximate location — typically city or region, not your exact street address. It identifies your ISP and country. Geolocation databases map IP ranges based on routing data and ISP agreements. Your name or exact address cannot be revealed without a legal request to your ISP.
IPv4 (32-bit, ~4.3 billion addresses) was exhausted around 2011. IPv6 (128-bit, 340 undecillion addresses) is virtually unlimited. Most modern ISPs support dual-stack. If you see an IPv6 address above, your ISP has deployed modern addressing. IPv6 also improves routing efficiency and eliminates most NAT requirements.
Every website you visit logs your IP, enabling cross-session tracking. A VPN routes your traffic through a server so websites see the provider's IP instead of yours. Tor routes through multiple relays for further anonymity. However, browser fingerprinting and DNS leaks can still reveal your identity even with these tools.
Does my IP address change?
Most residential ISPs assign dynamic IPs that can change when your router restarts or after a lease renewal. Static IPs require a special plan with your ISP.
Can someone find my exact location from my IP?
No — IP geolocation is approximate, typically accurate to city or region. ISPs know the exact subscriber, but accessing that requires a legal request.
What is NAT?
Network Address Translation allows multiple devices on a private network to share a single public IP. Your router translates outgoing traffic and routes incoming responses to the correct internal device.
Why do I see different IPs on different websites?
Some websites detect both IPv4 and IPv6 addresses. If your ISP supports dual-stack, different sites may show different versions of your address.
Is my IP address personal data?
Under GDPR and similar privacy laws, IP addresses are considered personal data because they can be linked to an individual with ISP records.
Expert guide · What Is My IP
Technical background
Most devices have two kinds of IP address at once. Inside a home or office the laptop holds a private address from RFC 1918, in 10.0.0.0/8, 172.16.0.0/12 or 192.168.0.0/16, handed out by DHCP. Those ranges are not routable on the internet, so the router performs Network Address Translation (NAT), rewriting the source of every outgoing packet to its single public WAN address and tracking the connection so replies can be mapped back. What this page shows is that public address, because it is the only one a remote server ever sees. Running ipconfig or ifconfig locally shows the private one, which is why the two never match on a NATed network.
Many ISPs, and nearly all mobile carriers, add a second layer called carrier-grade NAT. The router's WAN interface then receives an address from 100.64.0.0/10 (RFC 6598) or another private block, and the carrier translates many customers to a shared pool of public IPv4 addresses. You can detect it by comparing the WAN address in your router's status page with the address shown here; if they differ, port forwarding and inbound services will not work without IPv6, a VPN with a static IP, or a tunnel.
IPv6 removes the need for NAT: each device gets globally routable addresses, typically from a /64 prefix delegated by the ISP. Operating systems generate temporary addresses (RFC 8981) for outgoing connections so the interface identifier changes regularly, but the prefix still identifies your subscriber line. On dual-stack networks, browsers race IPv6 and IPv4 connections using Happy Eyeballs (RFC 8305) and usually prefer IPv6, so the address shown here can switch between families from one visit to the next. Seeing an IPv6 address means your path to this site supports it end to end.
Websites behind CDNs and reverse proxies do not see the client directly. The proxy opens its own connection to the origin and passes the original address in a header: X-Forwarded-For (a de facto standard listing the chain of addresses), X-Real-IP, CF-Connecting-IP on Cloudflare, or the standardized Forwarded header (RFC 7239). Applications must trust these headers only from their own proxies, otherwise a client can inject a fake value. This tool reads the left-most X-Forwarded-For entry supplied by the site's proxy, falling back to X-Real-IP and finally the socket address.
Your public IP is visible to every site you visit and is logged routinely. It reveals your ISP and an approximate region, and combined with a timestamp it can be mapped to your account by the ISP under legal process. A VPN or privacy relay replaces it with the provider's address, but browser fingerprinting, cookies and logins can still identify you.
Common errors and how to fix them
- Problem The cloud firewall rule with your IP still blocks you.
- Fix You probably allow-listed the IPv4 address while your browser or tool connects over IPv6, or vice versa. Check both with curl -4 and curl -6 and add both, using a /64 for IPv6 if your temporary addresses rotate.
- Problem The address changes every day or after each router reboot.
- Fix Residential ISPs assign dynamic addresses. Use a dynamic DNS client that updates a hostname, ask the ISP for a static IP, or front remote access with a VPN or tunnel that does not depend on your address.
- Problem Port forwarding is configured but nobody can reach your server.
- Fix Compare the router's WAN IP with the one shown here. If the WAN is 100.64.x.x or another private range, you are behind CGNAT; request a public IPv4 from your ISP, use IPv6, or use a reverse tunnel.
- Problem The VPN is connected but the page still shows your ISP address.
- Fix Split tunnelling or a DNS/IPv6 leak is sending this site outside the tunnel. Enable full-tunnel mode, turn on the VPN's IPv6 leak protection or disable IPv6 on the interface, then reload.
- Problem Your application logs show the proxy's IP for every visitor.
- Fix Read the client IP from the header your proxy sets (X-Forwarded-For, X-Real-IP or CF-Connecting-IP) and accept it only when the request comes from your proxy's addresses, for example with nginx set_real_ip_from and real_ip_header.
Do it from the command line
macOS
# Public IP as seen by this site
curl -s https://epcybertools.com/api/tools/what-is-my-ip
# Public IPv4 via DNS, no web request needed
dig +short myip.opendns.com @resolver1.opendns.com
# Private (LAN) address of the Wi-Fi interface
ipconfig getifaddr en0Windows
# Private addresses, gateway and DNS servers
ipconfig /all
# Public IPv4 via DNS (PowerShell)
Resolve-DnsName myip.opendns.com -Server resolver1.opendns.com -Type A
# Public IP via this site's API
(Invoke-RestMethod https://epcybertools.com/api/tools/what-is-my-ip).ipLinux
# Local addresses on every interface
ip -br addr
# Force IPv4 and IPv6 separately
curl -4 -s https://epcybertools.com/api/tools/what-is-my-ip
curl -6 -s https://epcybertools.com/api/tools/what-is-my-ip
# Public IP via Google's authoritative DNS TXT record
dig -4 +short TXT o-o.myaddr.l.google.com @ns1.google.comMore questions about What Is My IP
What is the difference between a public and a private IP address?
A private address (10.x, 172.16-31.x or 192.168.x under RFC 1918) identifies your device only inside your local network and is reused by millions of homes. A public address is globally unique and routable on the internet. Your router uses NAT to share one public address among all devices, and that public address is what websites see.
Why does my IP address show as IPv6?
Your ISP, network and this site all support IPv6, and your browser chose it through Happy Eyeballs, which generally prefers IPv6 when both work. You still likely have an IPv4 address too. Sites that only support IPv4 will see that one, so allow-lists often need both addresses.
Can I hide my IP address?
You can replace it, not remove it. A VPN, a privacy relay or Tor makes websites see the provider's exit address instead of yours. Every internet connection needs a return address, so some IP is always visible. Remember that cookies, logins and browser fingerprinting can still link activity to you.
Why is my IP different on my phone and my computer?
On Wi-Fi both devices share the router's public address. On mobile data the phone uses the carrier's network, which assigns a different, often CGNAT-shared, public address. IPv6 also gives each device its own global address, so even on the same Wi-Fi the IPv6 values differ.
Does my public IP address change?
For most home and mobile connections, yes. ISPs assign addresses dynamically and may change them after a router restart, a lease expiry or network maintenance; mobile addresses can change whenever you reconnect. Business plans can include a static IP, which is required for reliable allow-listing and self-hosted services.