I often have to find the IP address of a machine I'm working on (or need to work on). Sometimes, I need to unblock an IP address of a machine on my network, so the machine can reach a network share I've created (or get past SSH firewall rules). Or maybe I need to know a device's address so I can connect to it from another device.
In short, there are numerous reasons why you might need to know the IP address of a machine on your local network. I want to show you how to find that information on most operating systems. Relax! It's not all that challenging. Anyone can find an IP address in seconds.
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Here's how.
Note: The first section below is about finding your local IP address. Then I'll show you how to find your public-facing IP address.
As with anymobile device, your IP address will change, depending on the wireless network you're connected to (or if you're using your carrier's network). But these steps will demonstrate how you locate the IP address.
As on Android phones, an iPhone's IP address will change depending on what network you are using. Finding the address in iOS is just as simple as in Android.
Some Linux desktop environments make it possible to view the IP address via a GUI. Because that isn't consistent, I'll show you how to find the IP address in a way that is universal to all distributions.
You can locate your IP address on MacOS in the same way you did with Linux. If you don't like the idea of the command line, here's an alternative method.
Windows offers a command line option, just like Linux and MacOS do. Yes, you also can do so from a GUI, but those steps will vary, depending on which version of Windows you use. Therefore, I want to show you a method that works forany Windows version.
This one is really easy and works the same, regardless of what operating system you are using. All you have to do is open a web browser and point it to What Is My IP Address. This will present you not only with your public-facing IP address but also your ISP and your location.
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There you have it. You can now locate the IP address of any machine or device you use. Althoughwhyyou might need this information will vary,howyou get it should not change (unless you switch to a different operating system).