What is a public IP address?
A public IP address is the address assigned to your internet connection by your Internet Service Provider (ISP). It identifies your network on the internet, similar to how a postal address identifies your home. Every device that connects to the internet has a public IP, shared across all devices on the same network (e.g. all devices on your home Wi-Fi share one public IP). This tool fetches your current public IP by making a request to a third-party service.
IPv4 vs IPv6
There are two versions of IP addresses in use today. IPv4 addresses look like 192.168.1.1 — four groups of numbers separated by dots, supporting about 4 billion unique addresses. IPv6 addresses look like 2001:0db8:85a3::8a2e:0370:7334 — eight groups of hex digits separated by colons, supporting a virtually unlimited number of addresses. Most networks still use IPv4 publicly, though IPv6 adoption is growing.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does my IP address reveal my exact location?
Your IP address can reveal your general geographic area (city or region) and ISP, but not your exact home address. IP geolocation databases map IP ranges to approximate locations, which can be off by tens of kilometres.
Can my IP address change?
Most home ISPs assign a dynamic IP that can change when you restart your router or after a period of time. Businesses often pay for static IPs that remain fixed. Using a VPN will also change the IP address that websites see.