When you’re setting up your shiny new laptop or PC, you’ll be asked to give it a name, but this name is not how the sites and services you frequent will recognize you. Instead, your device is assigned a unique string of characters known as IP (Internet Protocol).
Knowing your device’s IP address is useful if you are using one of the best Wi-Fi routers, working on home networking projects, or setting up a VoIP call.
There are two ways to indicate an IP address: IPv4 and IPv6. IPv4 is older and uses purely numeric strings, while IPv6 is newer, more capable and uses alphanumeric strings. If you’re not sure which one you want, you probably want its IPv4 address.
If your Internet-connected devices are on a network (which is quite common, since many of us access the Internet through a home Wi-Fi network generated by a router connected to a modem), you probably have two IP addresses: a public one – a front one for your home network and a local one for each device on your network so your router knows which is which.
Finding your public IP address is pretty easy. All you need to do is type “what is my IP address” into a search engine and it will tell you right then and there. Determining the local IP address of a laptop or PC is a little more complicated, but if you’re looking for a clear and easy-to-follow guide, read on and I’ll walk you through the steps to find your IP address. on Windows and Mac.
How to find your IP address in Windows 11
1. Open the Start menu (by clicking the taskbar icon or pressing the Start key on your keyboard) and select Settings. If this option is not pinned to your taskbar, simply type “settings” after opening the Start menu and it will appear.
2. Select the Network and internet menu p on the left side.
3. Scroll down and select the Advanced network settings menu.
4. Select Hardware and connection properties. from the following menu.
3. You should see your IPv4 and IPv6 addresses listed here.
How to find your IP address in Windows 10
1. Just like in Windows 11, you’ll need to access the Settings menu in Windows 10 to find your IP address.
1. There are several ways to get there, and one of the quickest is to right click on your Start button and select Settings in the pop-up menu. You can also press the Home button and select Settings from the Start menu (it should look like a small gear) or type Settings and select it when it appears in the search.
2. Select the Network and Internet menu.
3. There are a few different ways to find your IP address in this menu, including pressing the Properties button next to your Internet connection in the list or going to the Network menu (or Network and Sharing Center) and looking for it there.
However, the simplest way is to simply click he View hardware and connection properties link in the middle of the page; It should look like a normal web page link.
4. You will be directed to a page where you can see your IPv4 address and IPv6 address, as well as lots of other information about your current network connection.
How to find your IP address on Mac
1. Click the Apple button in the upper left corner of your desktop and select System Properties…
*Please note that this guide was written for macOS Monterey, but should be applicable to most modern versions of macOS.
2. Open he Grid menu.
3. You will see your IP address listed near the top of the menu.
Now that you know how to find your IP address, you might want to check out other computer guides, including how to prevent apps from opening on startup on Windows and Mac, or how to enable God Mode in Windows 11 or 10.
Frequent questions
Does your IP address change?
That depends on whether your device has been assigned a static or dynamic IP address. As you might expect, static IPs don’t change, but most devices are assigned dynamic IPs that can change.
What happens if someone has my IP address?
Your IP address can be used to determine your approximate location, whether it is the country or state in which you live or a zip code. This is usually not enough to shed light on its exact location, but in some cases a determined snooper might be able to do a little digging to narrow down their search.
Alternatively, a bad actor could use your IP address to restrict your access to certain sites and services (such as Netflix) that are not available in certain regions. The most sinister cybercriminals may even use your IP address to target you with a DDoS attack, try to trick you with a phishing scam, or even imitate your IP address, use it to download pirated media, and blame you for it.
Fortunately, today’s best VPN services can keep your original IP address locked up and assign you a temporary one.
