What is my IP address?

An IP (Internet Protocol) address is the number that identifies a device on a network. Just as a postal address gets a letter to the right door, an IP address makes sure the data you request from a website comes back to your computer or phone.

At home or in the office there are two kinds of IP. Your public IP is the one your internet provider assigns to your router and the one websites see: it is the address shown above. Private IPs (such as 192.168.1.20) are the ones your router hands out to each device on your local network, and they never reach the internet.

IPv4 is the classic format: four numbers from 0 to 255 separated by dots, such as 83.45.120.7. It only allows about 4.3 billion addresses, and they ran out years ago. IPv6 is its successor: eight hexadecimal groups separated by colons, such as 2a02:9130:84a0::1, with room to spare for every device on the planet.

Many providers already give you both at once (dual stack). In that case your browser picks whichever works best for each connection, which is why it is normal to see an IPv6 address even if your router also has IPv4.

From your public IP, any website can work out your internet provider and an approximate location, usually the city or region where your provider has registered that network. It does not reveal your street address, your name or your personal data: only your provider knows which customer had an IP at a given time, and it can only disclose that under a court order.

Even so, IP addresses are used to block access, limit downloads, show content by country and log who connects to a service. If you would rather websites did not see your real IP, you can use a VPN or a proxy: the IP shown here will then be the one of the server you connect through.

Most home connections have a dynamic IP: your provider may change it when you restart the router or after a few days. Fixed (static) IPs are usually an extra and are useful for running a server, reaching cameras from outside or setting up access lists.

Other reasons you may see a different IP:

• You are on mobile data instead of Wi-Fi.
• You use a VPN, a proxy or iCloud Private Relay.
• Your provider uses CGNAT and shares one public IP among many customers.