A Comprehensive Guide about What Is Your IP Address

Penny Warren Published on October 18, 2024GPS Location5-min reading

This guide will explain what is my IP. When you apply for an Internet network, including fixed broadband and wirelessly network, the provider will assign you an IP address. It is not only the identity when you access the Internet, but also links to your real address. In other words, every device has a unique identifier to send and receive data through the Internet. If you want to learn more knowledge about IP addresses, you will find this post helpful.

In this article:

Part 1. What is An IP
Part 2. How to Check My IP Address
Part 3. How Do I Change the IP

Part 1. What is An IP

What does IP address stand for? IP stands for Internet Protocol. It provides a standard set of rules for sending and receiving data through the Internet. It enables computers, mobile devices, smart TVs, and other digital devices running on different platforms to communicate with each other via the Internet. Plus, all websites are identified by unique IP addresses on the Internet too.

How Do IP Addresses Work?

Firstly, your device connects to the Internet with a network, which grants your device access to the Internet. Then your Internet Service Provider assigned a unique IP address to your device. Your Internet activity goes through the Internet Service Provider, and they route it back to you with your IP address. When you are out and you take your device with you, such as traveling your home IP address doesn't come with you. Instead, you will use another network to access the Internet, like Wi-Fi at a hotel. Then you will use a different IP address.

As the process implies, there are different types of IP address:

IPv4 and IPv6

To be recognized by other Internet devices, you must have an IP address, which may be either an IPv4 or IPV6. What is my IP address IPv4? When we talk about IP address, we usually refer to IPv4. The full range can go from 0.0.0.0 to 255.255.255.255. For instance, the IP address of YouTube is 208.65.153.238. This number is used to identify the website on the Internet. When you visit YouTube in a web browser, your device automatically translates the domain to the IP address. When YouTube recognizes your request and sends you data, it reads and identifies your IP address too.

Although there are over 4 billion possible IP addresses, it is no longer enough to cover all the Internet devices around the world. Therefore, many devices now use IPv6 addresses. It is much different from the IPv4 format. IPv6 contains eight sets of four digits and use colons to separate each set. For example, an IPv6 address may be 2602:0225:0000:0000:a93e:5ca7:81e2:5f9d.

In addition to the greater possibility of IP addresses, IPv6 has other benefits, such as no IP address collisions caused by private addresses, auto-configuration, easier administration, built-in privacy, and efficient routing.

Private IP Address and Public IP Address

Every Internet service plan has two types of IP addresses, private IP address and Public IP address. They relate to the network location.

What is my private IP address? Private IP addresses are used inside an Internet network. For example, you have an Internet connection at home. Each digital device connected to the network is assigned a private IP address including computers, smartphones, tablets, Bluetooth-enabled speakers, printers, smart TVs, and smart home devices. All these devices connect to your router with wires or wirelessly using private IP addresses to communicate with the Internet and each other. By default, your router generates private IP addresses that are unique identifiers for each device on the network. Nevertheless, you can change and set it manually too.

What is my public IP address? A public IP is used outside a network. It is assigned by an ISP for a digital device that needs to be directly accessible from outside the local network. That includes web servers, email servers, and routers that connect a local network to the web. Bear in mind that public IP addresses are not as safe as private IP addresses.

Static IP and Dynamic IP

What is a static IP address? Static IP vs dynamic IP is another way to classify IP addresses. All public and private IP addresses may be defined as static or dynamic IP. If you manually configure the IP address for your device, it is a static IP address. Your router cannot change it automatically.

A dynamic IP address is assigned to a network by a router when it is set up. It follows the Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol or DHCP. Each time a device logs into the network, a dynamic IP address is assigned from the pool of available IP addresses.

Part 2. How to Check My IP Address

It is not difficult to check your IP address on Windows, Mac, Linux, iPhone, and Android devices. Plus, you can find your IP address whether your device is online or offline. We demonstrate how-to respectively below.

How to Find an IP Address Online

The easiest way to look up your IP address is to search what's my IP on Google Search Engine. Open a web browser, visit google.com, type what's my IP into the search bar, and click the Search button. Then you will get your public IP address immediately.

Plus, there are also websites to get your IP numbers, such as WhatIsMyIPAddress, IPinfo, IP Chicken, and IPLocation. These sites work on any network-connected device that supports a web browser.

How to Find the IP Address of My PC

With Command Lines

Step 1

Press the Windows + R keys on your keyboard to open the Run dialog.

Step 2

Type in cmd into the box, and hit the Enter key. Then the Command Prompt window will pop up. You can also search for Command Prompt from the Start menu and open it.

Step 3

Input the command ipconfig, and press the Enter key. Then find the IPv4 Address or IPv6 Address item, and you will get the IP number of your PC.

From Network Settings

Step 1

Search and open Control Panel from the Start menu.

Step 2

Go to Networks and Internet, and click Network and Sharing Center. Then choose Change adapter settings on the left side.

Step 3

Select the network that you want to find the IP address. Next, click Details on the Status dialog and you will find the IP number.

From the Settings App

Step 1

Press the Windows + I keys at the same time to open the Settings app

Step 2

Go to Network & Internet or Wi-Fi or Ethernet depending on the type of your network.

Step 3

Then select the desired network to show your computer IP address.

How to Find My IP Address on Mac

From System Settings

Step 1

Go to the Apple menu, choose System Settings or System Preferences, and select Network.

Step 2

Then choose your Internet connection from the left sidebar, like Wi-Fi.

Step 3

Next, click the Details button next to your Internet connection, and you can discover your IP address. If you want to find an IP address on your Mac, switch to the TCP/IP tab.

Using Terminal

Step 1

Locate the Applications folder in Finder, go to Utilities and open Terminal.

Step 2

Type in the command ipconfig, and press the Return key to find the IP address on the MacBook.

How to Check IP Address on Linux

Step 1

To check your IP address on Linux, open the Terminal app.

Step 2

If you want to see the public IP, execute the command curl ifconfig.me. To see the private IP address, perform the command ifconfig.

How to Find iPhone IP Address

Step 1

To find the IP address on an iPhone, run the Settings app.

Step 2

Choose the Wi-Fi entry, and tap the Info button next to your network.

Step 3

Locate the IP Address item in the DHCP tab, and you will see the IP number.

What Is My IP on My Android Phone

Step 1

To find out what is your IP on an Android phone, open the Settings app.

Step 2

Go to Network & Internet, and choose Wi-Fi. On Android 12 and above, head to Network & Internet, and choose Internet.

Step 3

Tap the desired network, and expand the Advanced section. Then you will see what is your IP address on your phone under Network Details.

Part 3. How Do I Change the IP

How to Change Private IP on a Computer

Now, you should understand where is your IP location. The easiest way to change your private IP address is to refresh your router. You can power off your router, wait a few minutes, and turn it back on. Then the router will reassign a dynamic IP to your device.

If you wish to change your IP address manually, follow the steps below:

On Windows

Step 1

Open the Settings app, and choose Network & Internet.

Step 2

Click Change connection properties, and hit the Edit button.

Step 3

Select Manual from the Edit IP settings option, and set a static IP address. Finally, click Save.

On Mac

Step 1

Choose System Settings from the Apple menu, and open Network.

Step 2

Choose your network, click the Advanced button, and switch to the TCP/IP tab.

Step 3

Select Manually from the Configure IPv4 or Configure IPv6, and set an IP address manually.

How to Change Private IP on Linux

Step 1

Run Settings from the dashboard, and go to Network.

Step 2

Switch to the IPv4 or IPv6, select Manual, and enter a new IP.

How to Change Public IP on a Computer

The public IP address is assigned by ISP, so you cannot manually change it. If you want to hide your footprints on the web to avoid an IP address tracker, you have to use a VPN service. It runs in the background to fake your IP address on either computer or mobile device.

How to Change IP on an Android Phone

Step 1

Start the Settings app, and tap Wi-Fi under Network & Internet.

Step 2

Long press your network until the menu pops up. Tap Modify network or the relative option.

Step 3

Tap Advanced options, scroll down to the IP settings section, change it to Static, and set a new IP address.

How to Change IP Address on iPhone

The easiest way to change the IP address on your iPhone is imyPass iLocaGo. It fakes your IP address as well as your GPS location. So that you can enjoy the content and services that are not available in your region.

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Here is the procedure to change the iPhone IP address:

Step 1

Launch the best IP changer for iPhone after installing it on your computer. Connect your iPhone to the machine with a Lightning cable.

Step 2

Choose an appropriate mode to enter the map window. Here we select Modify Location.

Step 3

Then drag the map to any proper location or enter an exact address into the box. Finally, click the Sync to device button to change your iPhone IP address. The virtual location also changes, so you can change your Spotify country.

Conclusion

This article has discussed everything you need to know about your IP address, from the concept to types, from how to check it on your device to how to change IP. You can follow our guide to learn the knowledge and information. imyPass iLocaGo is an effective way to modify the IP address on your iPhone. If you have other questions, please write them down below.

Penny Warren

Penny Warren, a senior editor from imyPass, is specialized in MS Office software. You can find professional tutorials and solutions of MS Office software from her posts.