How to Check Your IP Address: Beginner-Friendly IT Tutorial

Want to learn a simple but important IT skill? Start with IP addresses. Whether you work in help desk, networking, cloud, cybersecurity, or system administration, knowing how to check an IP address is one of the first troubleshooting skills you should master.

In this beginner-friendly tutorial, you will learn what an IP address means, how to find it on different devices, and how IT professionals use it in real troubleshooting.

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What is an IP address?

An IP address is a unique address used to identify a device on a network. Think of it like a digital home address for your computer, phone, printer, or server.

• Private IP address: Used inside your home or office network, for example 192.168.1.25.
• Public IP address: Used on the internet and usually assigned by your internet provider.

IT example: If a user says, “I cannot access the printer,” one of the first things you may check is whether the user’s computer has a valid IP address.

How to check your IP address on Windows

Follow these steps:

1. Press Windows + R.
2. Type cmd and press Enter.
3. Run this command:

ipconfig

Look for:

IPv4 Address . . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.1.25
Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.1.1

The IPv4 Address is your computer’s local IP address. The Default Gateway is usually your router.

How to check your IP address on macOS

On macOS, open Terminal and run:

ifconfig

You can also use:

ipconfig getifaddr en0

If you are connected through Wi-Fi, en0 often shows your active IP address.

How to check your IP address on Linux

On Linux, open Terminal and run:

ip addr

For a shorter result, try:

hostname -I

Example output:

192.168.1.45

How to check your IP address on Android and iPhone

How to check your public IP address

Your public IP address is the address websites and online services see. You can check it by searching Google for:

what is my IP

Or, from Linux/macOS Terminal, you can run:

curl ifconfig.me

Quick practice task

Try this simple activity:

1. Find your private IP address.
2. Find your default gateway/router address.
3. Find your public IP address.
4. Write down the difference between private IP and public IP in one sentence.

Mini quiz

1. Which command checks IP details on Windows?
2. Is 192.168.1.20 usually a public IP or private IP?
3. What does the default gateway usually represent?

Show answers

1. ipconfig
2. Private IP
3. Usually your router

Common troubleshooting examples

• No IP address: The device may not be connected to the network properly.
• IP starts with 169.254: The device may not be getting an IP from DHCP.
• Wrong gateway: The device may not reach the internet or other networks.
• Duplicate IP: Two devices may be using the same address, causing network problems.

Final thoughts

Checking an IP address is a basic skill, but it is used every day by IT support, network engineers, system administrators, cloud engineers, and cybersecurity professionals. If you are starting your IT journey, this is one of the best first skills to practice.

Next step: Practice the commands above and try to identify your private IP, public IP, and default gateway.