Every device connected to the Internet has a private IP address and a public IP address provided by the Internet service provider. Below you will find the steps to know which ones are on your computer.
For those of you who are a little lost, IP simply stands for Internet Protocol, and it’s the address that represents your device’s location on the Internet (or on an internal network). It would be the equivalent, in digital format, of the postal code. Now, what is my IP? How do I find out what my private and public IP are?
The public IP address is a chain of four blocks of numbers of up to three digits, called octets, which are separated by periods (for most people) and is how your device can be located on the Internet. Without that address, it would be impossible for communications to be directed to your device over the Internet.
As to your private IP, it identifies your device on a local network. In other words, it is the address that allows other devices connected to your router to communicate with yours. When you connect a computer to a router, a private IP is assigned for the network you just connected to.
Everyone has a public IP to identify them, and anyone on a local network gets a private IP for the same purpose. Next, we show you how to locate them.
How to find your public IP address
The easiest way to do this is to simply open your web browser and enter the following web page.
As soon as you access, you will find your public IP address (My Public IPv4 is: XXX.XXX.XXX.XXX).
If you have an IPv6 (next generation) address, which is a longer string of hexadecimal characters, it will be displayed in the corresponding field.
Another way to discover your public IP is look at your router. You just have to enter the device and your public IP will usually appear on the details page of the router interface, or within the settings.
How to find your private IP address
With Windows 10 we have two options to find out our private IP. The first one is by opening the system itself from its prompt, bottom left (or Windows +R ), and entering the following word in the search engine: ipconfig.
A box will open showing your IP under IPv4 Address.
You can also follow the steps below to find it:
- Open Settings/ click Network and Internet.
- On the next screen, select Status on the left panel.
- In the right pane, click the Properties button for the active network on your computer.
- On the Network Properties screen, you will see your Private IP Address next to the IPv4 address entry.
Finally, if you are a Mac user finding the private IP address is much easier. They just have to open the System Preferences window and click on the Network option.
In the side panel of the Network box, they must select the connection they are currently using and, in the Status section of the central box, indicate the status of the connection and the IP address they are using.
Now, in order to avoid exposures and violations of your privacy, you can hide them. VPN services allow you to hide the IP address and are the most classic way. There are VPNs that are free and others that are paid, but they are available for all types of systems.
However, it is advisable not to use the free ones since they tend to have more problems related to privacy and could expose our data.
Another option, which is often confused with the VPN, is use a proxy. It basically acts as a mask on the network. It is an intermediary between our device and the final server that we try to access,
George is Digismak’s reported cum editor with 13 years of experience in Journalism