How to Check IP Address on Windows, Mac, Phones and Routers?

Have you ever wondered why it gives you the forecast of that town when you look for the weather on Google? It is because of your digital footprint, IP address! Think of your home address for the internet. It is something like that, an IP address – a name for you to be identified online as where your digital presence resides. This guide I’ve put together is all about showing you the ropes on how to check your IP address.

What Is an IP Address?

With the end of dial-up modems, IP addresses connect to the Internet and identify devices so that computers such as desktops, mobiles, and servers can communicate. It works like a mailing address by separating different devices as an address consigns separate structures.

· IP refers to Internet Protocol, an established procedure for transferring and receiving data.

· An IP address is a group of numbers separated by dots used to identify the internet or local network devices connected to it. It is a portrayal of four compartment numbers, for instance, 192.158.1.38. Every number in the set has a range of 0-255. Therefore, the whole IP addressing range varies from 0.0.0.0 to 255.255.255.255.

When you access the internet, your Internet Service Provider assigns an IP address to your device, and this is a must for people going online. It is like your web identity, creating tracks on every site you visit and videos or messages that you share.

More than Just an IP Address Location

Smart tech detectives may even be able to draw more information, for instance, your surfing behavior and ISP. It is similar to dropping crumbs of your online activity as you go along.

Who Owns the IP Address?

IP addresses are not random. They are derived mathematically and assigned by the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) under ICANN. ICANN is a non-profit organization that was founded in the US in 1998 to maintain internet security and ensure all people enjoy its advantages.

Public IP vs. Private IP

A public IP address is an Internet Protocol address that has been allotted by your Internet Access Provider (ISP) to your network router from where you can directly link to the Internet. It allows users to identify it from any place in the world.

In contrast to a public IP address, your private IP address differs according to distinct devices since each has a unique private IP. A private IP is allocated to a device within a local area network for personal use or office usage and can only be used to specify the device inside that particular LAN.

Why You Need Both Public IP and Private IP

Having a public and private IP address is meant to, therefore, separate the local network traffic from traffic that comes from the public internet.

A private IP address is a unique static number allocated by your local network router to every device within the organization, which remains the same regardless of how and where you access it. It is employed on a private network in order to connect to other devices in a secure way.

Your public IP address is thus used by the wider internet to identify you, such as for indirect references to information you would like to retrieve. In the case of a private network, there is secure connectivity through the use of a private IP address that serves within and solely in such a network.

Ultimate Guide: How to Perform an IP Address Check

Running an IP check can often be helpful for technical matters such as resolving issues, configuring other devices, and troubleshooting network settings.

How to Check Your Public IP address?

IP addresses are geographically based, almost like phone number area codes. You can check it by visiting an IP checker tool, like the one offered by X-VPN: What is my IP address.

How to Find IP Address on iPhone?

To do the local IP address check for your iPhone, follow these steps.

1. Open Settings > Wi-Fi > Click on the information icon (the blue ‘i’ in a circle) to your right of the connected network.

2. Go down until you reach the IP Address. Next to it will be your iPhone’s local IP address.

To get an iPhone IP address without a Wi-Fi connection, locate the IPv4 address of previously connected Wi-Fi and configure it manually.

How to Check IP Address on Mac?

If you’re wondering ‘how to check my IP address on a Mac,’ it’s simple! Follow these steps to easily locate your IP address on Mac.

1. Go to the Apple menu in the upper left corner > System Preferences > Network

2.  Choose a suitable connection and click Details.

3. Your IP address appears right next to the IP Address on your screen. You can also see your router IP address.

How to Check Your IP Address on Windows?

Obtaining local IP addresses for your computers in a few minutes is easy. The following steps are applicable for Windows 7, 10, or 11.

Using the Command Prompt

1. Click the Windows button and move your cursor to the search box to enter “cmd”. For Windows 11, right-click the “Windows Terminal” after clicking the Windows start button and choose the command prompt.

2. Type “ipconfig” and click Enter again. Review the popped-up display.

3. Look for the IPv4 label. This will be your IP address.

Using Windows Control Panel (Windows 7 And 10)

1. Select the Windows Start button > Control Panel > Network and Internet > Network and Sharing Center.

2. If you are wired, then double-click Local Area Connection or Ethernet and select Details. If you have a wireless adapter, double-click Wireless Network Connection [Network Name] and select Details.

3. Check the IPv4 label for your address.

Using Windows Control Panel (Windows 11)

1. Type Windows+I to open the Windows settings

2. Press Network & Internet

3. Under Properties, your IP address is labeled next to the IPv4 address

How to Check Router’s IP address?

On Windows

1. Type “cmd” > command prompt > type “ipconfig” and click Return

2. Look for a suitable internet connection

3. Check the router’s IP address beside the Default Gateway

On Mac

1. System Settings > Network > Network Connection (Wi-Fi) > Advanced

2. Click the TCP/IP tabs and review the router’s IP address.

On Android

1. Settings > Network and Internet > Wi-Fi

2. Press the icon and then Advanced

3. Find your router’s IP address under “Gateway.”

You can also use a Wi-Fi analyzer, a third-party app on your Android.

How to Check Your IP Address for Printer?

Whether your printer is an HP or a Canon, follow these steps to locate the IP address of that printer.

On Windows

1. Go the Control panel > Hardware & Sound > Devices & Printers > Printer Properties

2. Your IP address is under the Web Services or Ports tab

On Mac

1. Open your System Settings > Printers and Scanners.

2. From the left column, select a printer > Options and Supplies.

3. Your device’s IP address will be listed under Location.

Using Your Router

1. Enter your router’s IP address into the address bar on a browser.

2. Upon prompt, enter the username and password.

3. Search for a DHCP client table or list, usually under the Local Network tab.

4. From the client list, find your printer.

5. The device’s IP address will become visible when you click on it.

How to Check Roku IP address?

Find your IP address on Roku with remote easily now:

Settings > Network > About

How to Perform Someone’s IP Address Check?

You also may be wondering, “What’s my IP address location?” or “What information can be disclosed from someone’s IP address?”

Thankfully, you can find out who owns an IP address using a WHOIS IP checker tool. This tool serves as a domain IP lookup, quickly providing the contact information of the IP owner.

How to Change Your IP Address?

It is healthy to be conscious about your trail on the internet. In the same way, as you would not leave your house keys around, protecting your IP address prevents a breach of privacy.

While it is possible to mask or password your IP address in many ways, these three options are the best.

1. Use a VPN

Choosing a trustworthy VPN is the easiest and safest choice to hide your IP address. It hides your whereabouts and conceals traffic, making it more difficult for people to trace or follow what you do online. Setting up X-VPN takes only minutes and connecting to 8,000+ VPN servers practically worldwide.

When you connect to a VPN, the secure tunneling technologies that are used through which data is transferred between other servers before reaching your destination, and thus, instead of giving an IP address yours, it gets replaced by another. It ensures data encryption and a no-logs policy.  

2. Proxy servers

Think of the proxy server as a mask for your IP address. They operate as ‘middlemen’ between your internet information packets and their various destinations while they change the way said packages look in the proxy. Generally speaking, proxy servers intercept your web surfing traffic and get a hold of everything. However, they don’t encrypt your data and run slow.

3. Do it manually

You can also change IP manually by modifying the device settings. The simplest way to get an automatically assigned new IP address is by disconnecting your home router. Disconnect your router, and when you re-plug it into the DHCP Server from your ISP, you may give a new IP address to the router.

Note that the plug-out time differs based on your IP lease rate. This approach also lacks the level of privacy that a VPN or proxy provides.

💡Bonus tip: Upgrade your software and use complex passwords to lock the hackers’ eyes out of your digital door. Think twice before clicking fishy sites.

Conclusion

Every machine and every website has an IP address associated with it. Just go to Google search and get the public IP address of the device where you searched. Using this guide, you can also find your private IP address on other devices, such as your phone or computer.

Know how you can change your IP address using a VPN, proxy, or router, and settle on which method suits you best. It is clear that the benefits of using an X-VPN are much more than simply concealing an IP address; it possesses strong security capabilities.

FAQs