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MAC IP GUIDE

How to Find Your IP Address on a Mac

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Find the public IP used on the Internet or the private IPv4 and IPv6 addresses assigned to your Mac.

Fastest way to see your public IP

Open the My IP checker on your Mac. The public address visible to websites appears automatically.

Your Mac may display different addresses for Wi-Fi, Ethernet, VPN connections, IPv4 and IPv6. First decide whether you need the public IP used online or the private IP assigned inside the local network.

Find your private IP in macOS System Settings

  1. Open the Apple menu and select System Settings.
  2. Select Network in the sidebar.
  3. Select the connected Wi-Fi or Ethernet service.
  4. Select Details, then select TCP/IP.
  5. Read the IPv4 address, subnet mask and router address. IPv6 information also appears when the connection supports it.

On older macOS versions that use System Preferences, open Network, choose the active service, select Advanced and open the TCP/IP tab.

Check Wi-Fi details from the menu bar

On many macOS versions, hold the Option key while selecting the Wi-Fi icon in the menu bar or Control Center. The expanded connection information can show the local IP address, router, channel, signal strength and other Wi-Fi details. If your version does not display the IP there, use System Settings or Terminal.

Example: If the Mac shows IP address 192.168.1.42 and router 192.168.1.1, then 192.168.1.42 belongs to the Mac on that local network. The router address is the default gateway, not the Mac's public IP.

Find your Mac IP with Terminal

Quick IPv4 command

Open Terminal and run ipconfig getifaddr en0. On many Macs, en0 is Wi-Fi, but interface names can differ. If the command returns nothing, identify the active hardware port before trying another interface.

Match a service to its interface

Run networksetup -listallhardwareports. Find Wi-Fi or Ethernet and read the device name listed below it, such as en0 or en1.

List IPv4 and IPv6 addresses

Run ifconfig to see all interfaces. IPv4 addresses appear beside inet, while IPv6 addresses appear beside inet6. The entry 127.0.0.1 belongs to the loopback interface and is not the Wi-Fi or Ethernet address.

A repeatable Terminal check

  1. Run networksetup -listallhardwareports and note the device assigned to Wi-Fi.
  2. Replace en0 if necessary, then run ipconfig getifaddr en0.
  3. Run ifconfig en0 to compare the IPv4 result and inspect any IPv6 addresses.
  4. Open the My IP checker and compare the public address with the local Terminal result.

The two addresses usually differ on home and office networks because the router translates traffic between private and public IPv4 addresses.

Important: System Settings and Terminal normally show a private address used inside your network. Use the My IP homepage to see the public address websites receive.

Public IP vs private IP on a Mac

Your router normally assigns a private address to the Mac. The Internet connection uses a public address for traffic sent beyond the local network. Several devices on one Wi-Fi network can share the same public IPv4 address while keeping different private addresses.

Read the complete public vs private IP guide or compare IPv4 and IPv6.

Why does a Mac show multiple IP addresses?

Wi-Fi, Ethernet, VPN software and virtual interfaces can each receive an address. macOS may also use IPv4 and multiple IPv6 addresses at the same time. When troubleshooting, focus on the service marked as connected in Network settings.

How to identify the address you need

  • 10.x.x.x, 172.16.x.x through 172.31.x.x, and 192.168.x.x are private IPv4 ranges.
  • 127.0.0.1 is loopback and refers to the Mac itself.
  • 169.254.x.x is link-local and commonly appears when automatic IPv4 configuration fails.
  • An IPv6 address beginning with fe80: is link-local and is valid only on the local network segment.
  • The router address shown under TCP/IP is the default gateway, not the Mac's own address.

Troubleshooting a self-assigned or unexpected IP

  1. Confirm that the intended service is marked Connected in Network settings.
  2. If Wi-Fi is connected but shows a self-assigned 169.254.x.x address, disconnect and reconnect to that network.
  3. Open System Settings, Network, the active service, Details, then TCP/IP and select Renew DHCP Lease.
  4. Temporarily disconnect a VPN when comparing the physical network address with the address visible online.
  5. Restart the router only if other devices also cannot obtain a usable address.

Why Safari may show a different public IP

A VPN changes the route used by the Mac and can make websites see an address belonging to the VPN provider. For eligible iCloud users, Private Relay can also change the address visible to websites in Safari. Compare results with those services enabled and disabled only when you are diagnosing your own connection.

Mac is not a MAC address: A Mac is the Apple computer. A MAC address is a link-layer identifier assigned to a network interface. The Wi-Fi MAC address and the Wi-Fi IP address are different values used for different parts of network communication.

Mac IP address questions

How do I find my public IP address on a Mac?

Open My IP in a browser on the Mac. The public IPv4 or IPv6 address visible to websites appears automatically.

How do I find my private IP address on a Mac?

Open System Settings, select Network, choose the active service, select Details and open TCP/IP.

Can I find a Mac IP address with Terminal?

Yes. Run ipconfig getifaddr en0 for a common Wi-Fi setup or use ifconfig to list all interfaces.

Why does my Mac show more than one IP address?

A Mac can have separate addresses for Wi-Fi, Ethernet, VPN connections, IPv4, IPv6 and temporary interfaces.

What does self-assigned IP mean on a Mac?

A self-assigned 169.254.x.x address normally means the Mac did not receive an IPv4 address from the network's DHCP service. Reconnecting or renewing the DHCP lease can help identify the problem.

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