Your public IP address is the number every website you visit sees. It is assigned by your internet provider, shared by every device in your home, and it changes depending on which network you are connected to — which is why the answer is different on your phone’s mobile data than on your home Wi-Fi.
The checker above shows yours right now. The rest of this page explains what you are looking at: why you may have two addresses, why the location is usually wrong, and how to find your local address, which is a different number that trips a lot of people up.
Key Takeaway:
You have two addresses at once. The public one identifies your whole network to the internet. The private one identifies your device inside your home — and only the public one ever leaves the building.
Why You Might See Two Addresses
If the result shows two very different-looking numbers, nothing is wrong. The internet is running two addressing systems side by side.
| IPv4 | IPv6 | |
|---|---|---|
| Looks like | 203.0.113.42 | 2001:0db8:85a3::8a2e:0370:7334 |
| Total supply | ~4.3 billion — exhausted years ago | Effectively unlimited |
| Sharing | Often shared between customers | Usually one range per household |
Sites will use whichever they support, so the address recorded about you can differ between services. If you only see IPv4, your provider has not enabled IPv6 yet — see what IPv6 is and whether you should use it.
Why the Location Is Wrong
The city shown next to your address comes from a commercial database that maps ranges to places. It is an estimate built from provider records, not a measurement, and it is frequently out by tens of kilometres — often landing on the city where your ISP has equipment rather than where you are.
This is worth understanding for two reasons. It is why “someone has my IP, they know where I live” is largely unfounded. And it is why a service occasionally treats you as being in the wrong country. The full explanation is in how IP geolocation actually works.
Why Your IP Is Different on Every Network
Your public address belongs to the network you are using, not to your device. Home Wi-Fi, mobile data, the office and a café each give you a different one, and every device on the same network shares it.
That is why turning off Wi-Fi on your phone changes your address instantly — and why it is the quickest way to test whether a problem is specific to your home connection.
Even on one network it may change over time, because most home connections use dynamic addresses leased from the provider. If yours seems to change unusually often, why your IP keeps changing covers the causes.
How to Find Your Local IP Address
The checker shows your public address. Your local address — the one your router assigns inside your home, usually starting 192.168. or 10. — is what you need for printers, network storage, cameras and port forwarding. It is never visible to websites.
- Windows: Command Prompt →
ipconfig→ look for IPv4 Address. - macOS: System Settings → Network → your connection → Details.
- Linux:
ip addr showin a terminal. - iPhone: Settings → Wi-Fi → the ⓘ beside your network.
- Android: Settings → Network & internet → Wi-Fi → your network → Advanced.
Why the two exist at all, and why the private ranges are reserved, is explained in public vs private IP addresses.
What Your Address Reveals — the Short Version
A public IP tells a website your approximate region, your internet provider, and whether you are on a residential, business, hosting or mobile network. It does not contain your name, your street address, your browsing history or anything stored on your device.
Only your ISP can connect the address to a subscriber account, and in almost every country they will do that only under legal compulsion — see can police track you with your IP address? For the full inventory of what is and is not exposed, read what your IP address reveals.
🔍 Your IP Is the Smallest Part of It
People arrive at pages like this worried about the address, which is understandable and slightly misplaced. Your address is one identifier, it is shared with your household, and it rotates. Your browser gives away considerably more — screen, fonts, GPU, timezone, language and a canvas fingerprint that is often unique to your device alone.
Our what this site already knows about you page shows all of it live, with no signup, and stores none of it. It is a more honest picture of your exposure than any single number.
Hiding or Changing It
If you want a different address, the options are a VPN, a proxy, Tor, or switching networks — each with different trade-offs, and none of which make you anonymous by itself. The comparison is in how to hide your IP address, and the practical steps in how to change your IP address.
If you already use a VPN, the important thing is verifying it works. Check the address here with it connected, then confirm your lookups are not leaking to your ISP with our DNS leak test.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it dangerous for someone to know my IP address?
Generally no. It reveals a region and a provider. It cannot give someone your identity, and your router blocks unsolicited inbound connections by default.
Why is my IP address different on my phone and laptop?
Only if they are on different networks. On the same Wi-Fi they share a public address, but their local addresses differ.
Why does it show the wrong city?
Geolocation databases estimate from provider records rather than measuring. Being out by tens of kilometres — or showing an ISP hub city — is normal.
Can I have no IP address at all?
No. Without one, nothing could be sent back to you. You can substitute someone else’s via a VPN or proxy, but there is always an address in play.
Does turning off my router change my IP?
Only if it stays off long enough for the lease to expire — usually hours, not minutes.
What’s the difference between IPv4 and IPv6?
IPv4 is the older 32-bit format that ran out of addresses; IPv6 is its much larger replacement. Many connections run both at once.
Do you store the address you show me?
No. The check happens live and nothing is retained — that is the point of the tool.