How to Get Your IP Address on a Mac
The quickest and easiest way to find your public IP address is to open your web browser of choice and perform a Google search for “what is my IP address.” The search results page should display your public IP address at the very top in its own separate box.
If you’d rather not use Google, you can also manually locate your public IP address.
Select the Apple icon in the top-left corner of the screen in your Mac’s Finder. Select System Preferences from the drop-down menu. Select the Network icon. Select your internet connection from the column on the left (this will appear as Ethernet, USB, or Wi-Fi depending on the nature of your connection). Select Advanced. From the Advanced menu, select the TCP/IP tab. Locate your router’s address (below Subnet Mask) and copy the number. Open your web browser and type in or paste your router’s address into the navigation bar, then press Return. This will take you to your router’s settings page. Check either Connection Status or WAN (Wide Area Network) in your router’s settings to locate your public IP address. You’ll likely also have to log in as administrator when accessing your router to be able to view these options.
How to Find Your Private IP Address on a Mac
Finding your private IP address is a little simpler than manually locating your public one—though not as easy as a Google search.
Select the Apple icon in the top-left corner of the screen in the Finder. Select System Preferences from the drop-down menu. Select the Network icon. Select your internet connection from the column on the left (this will appear as Ethernet, USB, or Wi-Fi depending on the nature of your connection). You’ll find your private IP address under Status and above Network Name.
What’s the Difference Between a Public and Private IP Address?
A public IP address is the address used for accessing the internet and can apply to a single computer or an entire network. A Private (or “local”) IP address is used for accessing a local network and is assigned to individual connected devices by your router. It’s possible for devices to share the same private IP address (if they’re on different networks), but no two systems will share the same public IP address at the same time.
