Your public IP address is

What your IP address tells websites

Every time you open a web page, your device sends a request that carries your public IP address as the return address. The website needs it to send the page back, and it can also use it to make an educated guess about who you are and where you are. From your IP address alone, a website can usually tell:

• Your internet provider and network. Each block of IP addresses is registered to an organisation – a home broadband provider, a mobile network, a university, a cloud company or a VPN service. That is the “Internet provider” and “AS” number shown above.
• Your approximate location. Geolocation databases map IP ranges to countries and cities. The country is usually right; the city is often your provider’s nearest hub rather than your town.
• Whether you look like a normal user. Addresses from data centres, VPNs and Tor are easy to spot, which is why some streaming and banking sites react differently when you use a VPN.

What an IP address does not reveal is your name, your street address or what is on your computer. Only your internet provider knows which customer was using an address at a given time, and in most countries it will only share that with authorities under a legal order.

When you need to know your IP address

• Checking a VPN. Compare this page with the VPN off and on. If the IP and provider do not change, the VPN is not working – run our VPN check for a full picture.
• Remote access and servers. To connect to a home camera, NAS, game server or remote desktop from outside, you need your public IP and an open port. Our port checker and port forwarding guide walk you through it.
• Allow-lists. Many business systems, databases and hosting control panels only accept connections from approved IP addresses.
• Troubleshooting. Support teams often ask for your IP to look up errors, bans or blocked emails. If your email is being rejected, check the IP blacklist checker.

Is it safe to share my IP address?

Your IP address is not a secret – every website and online game you use already sees it. Sharing it with a support team is normally fine. The main risks are nuisance ones: someone who knows your IP can estimate your city or try to flood your connection with traffic (a DDoS attack), which mostly affects gamers and streamers. If that worries you, restarting your router often gives you a new address (see how to change your IP address), and a VPN hides it from the sites you visit.