How to Find Your IP Address in Windows and MacOS

 

What is an IP Address?

IP stands for Internet Protocol. Each computer network, like your home network, will have a unique external or public IP address. Understanding how to find the IP address of each device within your network, such as your tablet or laptop, can be incredibly useful. Each device within a network (such as your tablet or laptop) will have a unique internal or private IP address.

An external IP address is linked to the World Wide Web. For example, if you visit a website, the website server will receive your IP address. Think of your IP address as your online mailing address. Note that your internet provider may change your external IP address from time to time. Within your network, your devices' internal IP addresses may change frequently as they connect and disconnect from your home network.

Knowing your IP address can be very useful for a number of reasons. As a webmaster, I like to exclude my IP address from my Google Analytics reports so it doesn't show my own visits in my traffic reports. If you'd like to host an online game, perhaps you need to give out your IP address to others who will be playing on your server. If you have a file server at home, having your IP address handy can help you access your files while you are away.

Whether you're using Windows or MacOS, understanding how to find your IP address is simple. This tutorial will show you different ways to find your IP address. So let's get started!

How to Find Your IP Address in Windows

Before getting started, you'll want to figure out how you're connected to the Internet. If you're connected to your router (this is usually the case if you have wireless Internet in your home, even if the computer you're using isn't wirelessly connected to the Internet), follow the steps marked "Router."

You're Connected Directly to Your Modem:

If your computer is connected directly to your modem, you'll want to follow these steps. You can view your IP by clicking "Start", then "Run." Type "cmd" (without quotes) and hit "Ok." This will bring up your command prompt. Once you're in your command prompt, type "ipconfig" (without quotes) and hit enter. Your IP will be shown next to the words "IP Address."

You're Connected to Your Router

This is usually the case if you have wireless Internet, even if the computer you're using isn't wirelessly connected to the Internet. If you're connected to a router and you follow the above steps, you'll be able to get your internal IP. This can be really helpful if you need to do something like port forwarding, but if you want your external IP, you'll need to follow some different steps.

You can get your IP address by logging into your router. If you're comfortable using your router's firmware and know your way around, it's a great way to find your IP. Since there are so many different brands, I won't give a tutorial on how to do this; it's just good to know that you can get some information about your network there.


How to Find Your IP Address in MacOS

Now, let's focus on how to find your IP address if you are using MacOS. Follow these instructions to use Terminal on your Mac to find your IP address.

For your internal IP address:

  1. Open Terminal by clicking Launchpad, then click Other, and finally, click Terminal.
  2. If you're connected wirelessly, type: ipconfig getifaddr en0 and hit enter. If you're connected directly to your modem, type: ipconfig getifaddr en1 and hit enter. Terminal will show you your internal IP address.

For your external IP address:

  1. Open Terminal by clicking Launchpad, then clicking Other, then clicking Terminal.
  2. Type: curl ifconfig.me and hit enter. Terminal will then show you your external IP address.

You Can Just Google Your External IP Address

You can just ask Google what your IP address is. It really doesn't get much easier than this! Just head on over to Google search and type "IP address" (without quotes) and hit search.

At the top of the search results, there will be bold text that says "Your public IP address is." The number next to it is your IP address. Cool, right? If that doesn't work out for you, at least one of the websites in the search results will show you your IP address.
Location: Chicago, IL, USA

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