IP address: find out your own or someone else’s – here’s how

There are many ways to determine your IP address or that of a server – from the classic CMD command to the modern online tool.

How to find out your own IP address

There are two types of IP addresses that may be relevant to you: the internal (private) IP address, which identifies your device on your home or company network, and the external (public) IP address, which is assigned by your Internet service provider and is visible on the Internet. There are several ways to find your IP address – without any additional tools.

• Via the network settings (Windows 10 and Windows 11): Open the settings by pressing [Win] + [I]. Click on Network and Internet. Select Wi-Fi or Ethernet on the left (depending on your connection). Click on your active network connection. Scroll down – you will find the IPv4 address (your internal IP address) under Properties.

• Using Command Prompt (Windows 10 and Windows 11): Press [Win] + [R], type cmd and press [Enter]. Type the command ipconfig and press [Enter]. Look for the IPv4 address – this is your internal IP.

• Windows 8 and older: Press [Win] + [R], type cmd and confirm with OK. In the black window (command prompt), type the command ipconfig. You will find your internal IP address in the IPv4 address entry.

Find out the external IP address

If you want to find out the IP address of another computer or server on the internet (e.g. from a website), proceed as follows:

• “Ping” command via CMD: Open the command prompt (as described above). Type ping example.com (replace “example.com” with the desired domain). After a few seconds, the IP address of the server being pinged will appear.

• Difference between public and private IP: Private IP addresses (e.g. 192.168.x.x or 10.x.x.x) are only valid within your network. Public IP addresses are visible on the internet and are assigned by the internet service provider.

• Please note: the IP address of a website may change if it is located behind a content delivery network (CDN) or proxy – in this case, you may not see the “real” destination address.