What's my ip
Executive summary
What the internet sees as "your IP" is the public IP address assigned to the connection between a device and the wider web, not a secret number visible to this reporter; therefore this account cannot display the user's IP but can explain how to discover it instantly and what that number means [1]. Multiple free web tools—WhatIsMyIPAddress, WhatIsMyIP, IPChicken and similar sites—will show the public IPv4 or IPv6 address your browser presents to the internet, along with approximate geolocation and ISP details [2] [1] [3] [4].
1. How to get the answer right now — the simplest click
The quickest way to know "what's my IP" is to visit any of the dedicated lookup pages and read the digits shown at the top of the page; examples include WhatIsMyIPAddress, WhatIsMyIP, 2ip.io and IPChicken, all of which display the public address your device is using to reach them [2] [1] [5] [3]. Search engines also provide the same information: typing "my IP" into Google typically returns the address Google sees, and many of the "what is my IP" pages will show IPv6 when it’s available [6].
2. What that number actually represents
The displayed address is a public Internet Protocol address assigned by an Internet Service Provider (ISP) that routes traffic back to the device or network gateway; it functions like a return mailing address for internet packets, enabling websites and services to send data back to the right place [1]. That public address can reveal an approximate city, region, country and the ISP that controls the address block, but it is not a precise GPS coordinate for a person’s home and geolocation databases vary in accuracy [1] [7].
3. IPv4 vs IPv6 and why two numbers can appear
There are two protocol versions in common use: IPv4, the original 32‑bit system with about 4 billion addresses, and IPv6, the newer 128‑bit system created to solve IPv4 exhaustion; many tools will display one or both addresses and search engines often show IPv6 when both are supported [1] [6]. Some VPNs and network setups can lead to a mismatch where IPv4 is routed through one endpoint and IPv6 leaks through another, which can cause lookup tools to show different information depending on which protocol the site reports [8].
4. When the number you see is not your "real" IP — VPNs, proxies and hosting
If connected to a VPN, proxy or corporate network, the public IP shown belongs to the VPN/proxy server or the organization’s egress point, not the home router; reputable VPN providers advertise that they mask the real IP by assigning a new temporary IP and encrypting traffic, and IP lookup pages will therefore show the VPN server’s address [9] [4] [10]. Similarly, addresses owned by cloud or hosting providers (seen on some lookups) can reflect server infrastructure rather than an individual’s ISP, which is why some lookups report providers like DigitalOcean when traffic originates from cloud hosts [7].
5. Practical checks: confirming what you see and security concerns
To verify whether a shown IP is the active public IP, test with multiple services (WhatIsMyIP, NordVPN’s tool, IP.me) and, if using a VPN, toggle it off and on to see the change; reputable guides recommend checking both IPv4 and IPv6 and watching for IPv6 leak behavior in VPNs [9] [8] [4]. Users concerned about privacy should note that a public IP is visible to websites, advertisers and ISPs, and that checking it via secure tools and a trusted VPN is standard advice for confirming whether traffic is being routed as intended [11] [4].
6. What this reporting cannot do for the reader
This article cannot fetch or display the actual IP address of the reader because web tools must be queried from the reader’s browser or network; the sources cited explain the mechanisms and list the lookup services to use, but none permit a third party caller—this reporter—to reveal another party’s IP without direct access to that browser or network session [2] [1] [3].