What's My IP
Your IP (Internet Protocol) address is a unique identifier assigned to your device by your Internet Service Provider (ISP).
IPv4: The traditional format with 4 numbers (e.g., 192.168.1.1)
IPv6: The newer format with 8 groups of hexadecimal digits
Note: If you're using a VPN or proxy, the displayed IP will be from that service, not your actual location.
About the What's My IP
What's My IP shows the public IP address that the internet sees when your device makes a request, which is almost always different from the private IP address assigned inside your home or office network. Your router performs Network Address Translation (NAT), sharing one public address among many internal devices, so this tool reports the single outward-facing address that websites, APIs, and game servers actually communicate with.
The tool works by having your browser make a request to a server, which reads the source IP from the connection (respecting proxy headers where appropriate) and reflects it back to you. It typically detects whether you are on IPv4 or IPv6 — modern networks increasingly assign IPv6 addresses, which are far longer and written in hexadecimal — and may surface related details like your approximate geolocation, ISP, or hostname derived from that address.
People check their public IP for many reasons: whitelisting their address in a firewall or database access rule, confirming a VPN or proxy is actually masking their real location, troubleshooting why a remote service is blocking them, or setting up port forwarding and remote desktop access. It is also a quick sanity check after a network change to confirm what address the outside world will see.
A practical tip is to remember that residential IP addresses are usually dynamic, meaning your ISP can change them periodically, so an address you whitelist today may stop working later. If the tool shows a different address than expected, a VPN, corporate proxy, or mobile carrier-grade NAT is likely in play. To understand the network block your address belongs to, drop it into the CIDR Calculator to see its range and ownership context.
Frequently asked questions
- Why is my public IP different from the IP shown in my computer settings?
- Your computer settings show a private LAN address (like 192.168.x.x) used inside your network. Your router translates this to a single public IP via NAT, and that public address is what the internet sees.
- Is my public IP address permanent?
- Usually not for home connections. Most ISPs assign dynamic addresses that can change after a router restart or lease renewal. Static IPs are typically a paid add-on for businesses.
- What is the difference between IPv4 and IPv6?
- IPv4 addresses are four numbers separated by dots (like 203.0.113.5), while IPv6 addresses are longer and use hexadecimal groups separated by colons. IPv6 exists because the world ran out of available IPv4 addresses.
- Does this tool reveal my exact physical location?
- No. It can estimate a general region from your IP via geolocation databases, but these map to your ISP's infrastructure, not your street address, and are often off by miles.
- How can I tell if my VPN is working?
- Check the tool before and after connecting your VPN. If the displayed IP and region change to the VPN server's location, your traffic is being routed through the VPN successfully.