An IP address is like your ZIP code. It identifies your computer to the world and allows you to be contactable by the many connected devices in our lives. Usually, we don’t need to know the IP of a given computer as Windows takes care of everything for us. However, if you’re troubleshooting or manually creating a network connection, you may need to know it. So here’s how to find your IP address in Windows 10.
Important note: If you use a router to connect to the internet, each device will likely have its own internal IP address. It should begin with 192.168.***.***. This is purely internal and not the one shown to the outside world. Think of it as an apartment number within a building. Your external IP address is your building number, visible to anyone outside your building. Your internal IP is your apartment number, visible only once you’re inside the building.
Find your IP address in Windows 10
There are a couple of ways to find out your IP in Windows 10.
1. Open a CMD window as an administrator.
2. Type or paste ‘ipconfig /all’.
3. Look for the Ethernet adapter IPv4 (or IPv6) address. That's your IP.
If you use IPv4 it will look something like 192.168.***.*** if you are behind a router. This is your network IP address, not your public IP.
If you connect directly to the internet it could be any sequence of numbers but always in the same format of 12 numbers in groups of three, such as 123.456.789.012. This will be your public IP.
Find your public IP address if you use a router
There is a super-fast way to find out your public IP if you’re behind a router.
1. Open any web browser.
2. Type or paste ‘whatismyipaddress’ into the address bar.
3. Your public IP address should now be displayed.
More Windows 10 tutorials:
How to change your computer’s name in Windows 10
How to set up a minidump for BSOD troubleshooting in Windows 10
How to add a show desktop shortcut to Windows 10
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram