IP Lookup
Frequently asked questions
Public and local IP: what is the difference?
A public IP is the one a device is seen by from the internet; that is what this check shows. A local IP is a device's address inside a home or office network (usually in the form 192.168.x.x); this check does not display it, because it is not visible or meaningful outside that network.
IPv4 and IPv6: what is the difference?
IPv4 is the familiar notation of four numbers separated by dots, for example 192.0.2.1. There is a finite number of addresses in this format, and they are gradually running out, so IPv6 is used alongside it – a longer notation of eight groups of characters separated by colons that covers a practically unlimited number of devices. The same site is often reachable through both address types at once – the field accepts IPv4 and IPv6 alike.
Why does my IP address change every time I go online?
Most home providers hand out a dynamic IP – a new address is assigned on every connection, and it changing every few days is not a sign of any problem. A static address is permanently assigned to a device – that is usually how servers are set up, so a domain reliably points to the same IP.
Can an IP address reveal a person's exact home address?
No, a public geolocation database shows the city and provider, but not an apartment or house. The exact physical address tied to a subscriber is known only to the internet provider itself and is not disclosed publicly.
Why does the check show a different country when a VPN is on?
A VPN replaces the IP address visible from outside with the address of the VPN server, so the check honestly shows the geolocation of that server, not of your actual provider.
Is a site's IP the same across all users' devices?
No, the IP address belongs to the server hosting the site and has nothing to do with visitors' addresses – every user visiting that site has their own separate public IP.
Your IP address is detected automatically: the field is already filled with your current public IP when the page opens. To look up a different address, replace the value in the "IP" field and press "Search": the field only accepts an IP address, not a domain.
What an IP address check shows
A report on an IP address usually includes the country and city – a rough location for that IP – and details of the provider or organization the address is assigned to.
How accurately the location is determined comes down to the database, not the check itself: locating a city from an IP address is approximate. The database ties a range of addresses to a provider's point of presence, which can physically be in a different city of the region, especially for mobile carriers. Using a VPN or a proxy changes what the check shows – you will see the geolocation of the VPN server, not your actual location.
How to find the IP of someone else's site
A domain will not work in this field: it only accepts an IP address and returns an error for a domain. Get the site’s address first with the dedicated domain IP lookup tool, then paste the IP you found into the "IP" field on this page to see the country, city and provider it is assigned to.
What's next
To check the owner and registration details of the domain itself, rather than its IP address, use the WHOIS lookup. A list of every domain hosted on one IP address is shown by the reverse IP lookup.