How to Find Your IP Address on Common Operating Systems

IP & Network โ€” views

Windows

On Windows, you can check your IP address in two ways:

  • Command Prompt: Press Win+R, type cmd, then run:
ipconfig

Example output:

Ethernet adapter Ethernet:

   IPv4 Address. . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.1.100
   Subnet Mask . . . . . . . . . . . : 255.255.255.0
   Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.1.1
  • GUI: Go to Control Panel โ†’ Network and Sharing Center โ†’ Change adapter settings, double-click your active network, and check the details.

Linux

Common commands include:

ip addr
ifconfig
hostname -I

Example output of ip addr:

2: eth0: <BROADCAST,MULTICAST,UP,LOWER_UP> mtu 1500 qdisc mq state UP group default qlen 1000
    inet 192.168.1.101/24 brd 192.168.1.255 scope global dynamic eth0
       valid_lft 86382sec preferred_lft 86382sec

To check your public IP:

curl ipinfo.im
curl ifconfig.me
curl ipinfo.io/ip

Example output:

203.0.113.45

macOS

On macOS, you can use:

  • Terminal: Run:
ifconfig en0 | grep inet

Example output:

inet 192.168.1.55 netmask 0xffffff00 broadcast 192.168.1.255
  • GUI: Apple Menu โ†’ System Preferences โ†’ Network, select your active interface.

To check public IP:

curl ipinfo.im
203.0.113.45

Android

  • Go to Settings โ†’ Wi-Fi, tap the connected network, and check details.

With a terminal app:

ip addr show wlan0

Example output:

3: wlan0: <BROADCAST,MULTICAST,UP,LOWER_UP>
    inet 192.168.1.120/24 brd 192.168.1.255 scope global dynamic wlan0

iOS (iPhone/iPad)

  • Open Settings โ†’ Wi-Fi, tap the connected network, and check the โ€œIP Addressโ€ field.
Tip: Public IP can be checked via https://ipinfo.im or by running curl commands on Linux/macOS.

When to Use ipconfig /all

The /all flag is your go-to for comprehensive diagnosing. Beyond the IP address, it reveals your physical MAC address (essential for network access control policies), your DHCP server's address (helping you confirm which device is assigning IPs), your DNS server list (to troubleshoot name resolution independently), and whether DHCP is enabled at all. Many mysterious "can't access the network" tickets end when the technician runs ipconfig /all and discovers the adapter has a static IP configured incorrectly.

Practical Example: Diagnosing a Duplicate IP

If your network reports an IP conflict, run ipconfig /all to confirm your current IP, then use arp -a to list other devices claiming the same address. Together, these two commands identify the conflicting device's MAC address โ€” which you can then trace through your DHCP server logs to find the hostname and resolve the conflict. No additional tools required.