How to Find Your IP Address: Complete Guide

If you’ve been on the Internet for some time, you must have heard about IP addresses.

But are IP addresses that important, and how to find your IP address? This article will help you understand what an IP address is, and how to find the IP on your device, be it Windows, Android, or iOS.

What Is an IP Address?

Houses have addresses, cars have VINs, humans have Social Security Numbers. And with the break of the Internet—internet-connected devices have an Internet Protocol address.

But what is an IP Address and what is its purpose? An IP address is a unique string of numbers assigned to a device when connected to the internet. The internet would be a messy place if it hadn’t found a way to differentiate among devices, so when you connect a device to a network, an IP address is assigned to the device and the IP address being shared is the one from your local router, appointed by your Internet Service Provider (ISP).

If you’ve asked yourself ‘how to figure out my IP address,’ you need to understand a few things. Every device has two IP addresses: public (external) and private (internal). Even though both addresses have the same purpose, the public IP address is used to locate computer systems or devices across the internet, whereas the latter is used inside a private network to track down the number of devices connected to it.

How Secure Is My IP Address Actually?

It’s not really hard to learn how to find a computer IP, so if almost anyone connected to the Internet can see your IP, how secure are you?

While an IP address only reveals your geolocation and not your actual location, it can still sound a bit scary because cybercriminals have found a way to obtain your IP address, either through social engineering or online stalking. Although not everyone who knows your IP address means to harm you in any way, it’s better to be safe than sorry.

Taking some measures to protect your IP address can stop you from worrying. And the good news is, you are not alone—many reach out to find ways of how they can hide their IP address. The most common question is: “Should I use a VPN to protect my personal info?” Be it with a VPN or by using a proxy, your personal information can be protected. Even if you want to change the IP address, a VPN could help along the way.

How to Find Your IP Address?

When a computer connects to a Wi-Fi network, it immediately receives an IP address. There are two ways of finding your IP address, depending on the device you have and the operating system of your computer.

Below we will help you learn how to find an IP address on Windows 7 and above, as well as on Android and iOs as the most commonly used operating systems.

The Easiest Way: Google Search

The simplest way to find your IP address is through Google search. As you can google almost anything, finding your IP address on Google is no exception. Google “what is my IP” or “how can I find my IP address” and the IP address will pop up immediately.

Finding IP Address on Windows 7, 8, 10…

It’s very easy to find the IP address your router assigns to your device.  In this section, we will talk about how to find the IP address on Windows 7 and above. Usually, the IP address is located in Settings, or on the Control Panel on earlier versions.

Windows 7

Open the Start Menu and click on the Control Panel. Open the View network status and tasks which is located under the Network and Internet category. Click on Local Area Connection in the pop-up window that appears, and then click on Details. You will find the IP address listed under IPv4 address. 

Windows 8/ 8.1

If you want to know how to check IP address on Windows 8, just follow the next few steps. First,  open the Start menu, type in ‘network’, and select Network Connection settings. Click on Network and you’ll see your IP address there.

Windows 10

Use the right-click on the Windows logo and select Settings. Then, click on Network & Internet and select either Wi-Fi or Ethernet, depending on whether you are connected through wireless or internet cable.

For Ethernet connection, click on the taskbar and select Ethernet network connection. Under Properties, look for your IP address listed next to the IPv4 address.

On the other hand, if you want to learn how to find the IP address of the wireless router for Windows 10, select the network you are connected to and you’ll find the IP address under the IPv4 address.

Windows 11

Finding the IP address on Windows 11 is very similar to finding it on Windows 10, with some slight changes. For a wireless connection, select Start, go to Settings, open Network & Internet, and click on Wi-Fi.

When you open the network you are connected to, you’ll see the Properties option—click on it, and your IP address will be there. The same goes for an Ethernet connection, just click on Ethernet instead of Wi-Fi.

You Can Use the Command Prompt 

No matter what version of Windows you use, this option is the same for all. If you want to find your IP address quickly, you can use a simple command that will help you in finding IP address on Windows 7 and above—command prompt.

There are two ways you can open the Command Prompt, and both are extremely easy to follow and use in practice. Here is how to use the Command Prompt both ways:

•  Use the Start Menu Search 

Click on the Start button (usually on the lower-left corner), type “cmd”, and select the Command Prompt from the list. If you have a search box on your taskbar, you can use that as well.

• Use the Start Menu 

Another option is to use the Start Menu. Just click on Start, scroll down till you find the Command Prompt icon, and click on it.

Whenever you’re wondering how to find your router IP address, just open the Command Prompt, and everything from that point on will be easy. A black window will pop up, and all you’ll need to do is type the command “ipconfig” and scroll down till you see IPv4 Address—that’s your IP address.

 Key Takeaways 

Find IP Address on Android and iOS

Here are the steps:

Android

While it can sometimes vary, finding the IP address is in most cases more or less the same regardless of the Android version your phone has. To figure out how to find a phone IP address, you need to take a few steps.

• Method 1

1. Go to Settings 
2. Scroll down till you find About phone
3. Open the About phone option and select Status

The IP address will be displayed somewhere in the middle of the screen, along with other general information regarding your device.

• Method 2

Go to Settings >> Wi-Fi. Tap on the Wi-Fi you are connected to and voilà, there’s your IP address.

iOS

How to find your IP address on your iPhone? The whole process is a piece of cake:

1. Go to “Settings”, open Wi-Fi, and find the network you are connected to.
2. Click on the network, and find your IP address in the IPv4 address section.

Conclusion

Our life consists of constantly being online and going from one site to another in just a matter of minutes, so it’s smart to be mindful of our IP address. Hopefully, the instructions in this guide clearly explained how to easily find the IP address whenever you need it.