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Tools / What is my IP address?

What is my IP address?

Your IP address is the first thing any website learns about you. This shows the address our server actually received from your connection, alongside the request headers that travel with it — the same information an ad network or a site operator sees.

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Hiding this address is what a VPN is for — how to pick one

About this tool

Every request your browser makes carries a public IP address — the return address the web uses to send pages back to you. This page shows the address our server actually received from your connection, which is the same value any website, ad network or analytics script sees the moment you arrive. It is assigned by your internet provider (or your mobile carrier), not chosen by you, and it usually maps to a rough geographic area rather than a precise location.

Alongside the address, your browser sends a set of request headers on every visit: the User-Agent string describing your browser and operating system, the languages you accept, and referrer information about where you came from. None of this requires a permission prompt, and together it forms a surprisingly specific description of your setup. Seeing exactly what you hand over is the first step to understanding how much a site can learn about you before you have clicked anything.

If the address shown here is your own rather than a VPN or proxy endpoint, then sites are seeing your real network. A VPN replaces this public address with the address of its server, which is the main reason people use one. This tool is a quick way to confirm a VPN is actually routing your traffic — the address should change to the VPN server’s once you connect.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between a public and a private IP address?
The public IP shown here is the address the internet sees — shared by every device behind your router. A private IP (such as 192.168.x.x) is assigned by your router to each device on your home network and is never visible to outside websites.
Does my IP address reveal my exact home address?
No. IP geolocation typically resolves to a city or region and to your internet provider, not a street address. It is an approximation based on how blocks of addresses are allocated, and it can be off by a considerable distance.
Why does my IP address change sometimes?
Most home connections use dynamic addresses that your provider can reassign periodically or when your router reconnects. Mobile networks change them frequently. A static, unchanging address is usually a paid business option.
How do I hide my IP address from websites?
Routing your traffic through a VPN or a proxy replaces your address with the server’s, so sites see that instead of your own. The Tor network does the same across multiple relays. This page is a good way to verify the change actually took effect.
Does this tool log or store my IP address?
The address has to reach our server for the page to read it back to you, but it is only reflected to you and not retained. Use the IP lookup and header details here to see exactly what a site would receive.

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