An IP address, short for “Internet Protocol” address, is how individual computers on the Internet are identified. Every Google search or other internet activity is sent using your
IP adress
.
It’s kind of like the return address for your activities and is often based on your real-world physical location. It appears as a string of numbers, for example, “172.15.254.1”.
And while it may seem like a single address, you can actually have two types of IP addresses—one internal (or local) and one external (or public)—if your computer is connected to a network as well as the Internet. Either way, Macs are designed to make this information easy to access.
Here are two methods to find the internal and external IP addresses of your Mac computer:
How to Find Your Internal IP Address on Mac
For those with OS X 10.5 or newer, here’s how to find your internal IP address:
1. Click the Apple icon in the upper left corner of your screen and select System Preferences.
Open your System Preferences.
Devon Delfino / Insider
2. Click on Network.
Open your network settings.
Kyle Wilson / Insider
3. Select your primary connection (if it’s not already your default connection, which it probably will be.) Your IP address will appear to the right under the “status” section in small print.
Your IP address will be displayed in this menu.
Kyle Wilson / Insider
How to find your external IP address
For those whose Macs are part of a network, finding the external IP address is quick and easy: just Google “IP address” or “what is my IP” — Google will then show you your public IP address, at at the top of the results page.
You can ask Google to tell you your IP address.
Devon Delfino / Insider
Alternatively, you can also find your external IP address through your router. Here’s how:
1. Once you have accessed your networks, click Advanced then go to TCP/IP.
2. Copy the string of numbers listed next to “router” and paste them into a new tab in your web browser.
Copy the numbers listed next to “Router”.
Kyle Wilson / Insider
3. If necessary, log in to your Internet service provider to access your router’s configuration page, then check the “router status” and “Wide Area Network” sections of your account to find your external IP address.
