Your IP address is sort of like your home address: without it, the mailman wouldn’t know where to deliver your packages. Without an IP address, the internet won’t know where to send your packets of information either. It’s important to know your computer’s IP address and your router’s IP address if you want to make changes to your WiFi username and password, your security preferences, and more. Here’s how to find your computer’s IP address and your router’s IP address on a Mac.
If you want to know more about what an IP address is and what it does, check out our previous article here.
How to Find Your Computer’s IP Address and Router’s IP Address On a Mac
To find your IP address on a Mac, go to System Preferences > Network and select your connection in the left sidebar. Then click Advanced > TCP/IP and you will see your computer’s IP address next to IPv4 Address and your router’s IP address next to Router.
- Click the Apple icon in the top-left corner of your screen.
- Then select System Preferences.
- Next, click Network.
Note: You can also access your network preferences by clicking on the WiFi button in the top-right corner of your screen. Then select Network Preferences.
- Next, select your network. For example, you can select Wi-Fi or Ethernet, depending on how your computer is connected to the internet.
Note: If you are just looking for your computer’s IP address, you can find it in the upper-right corner. However, it is important to note that it’s your computer’s private IP address, not your public IP address.
- Then click Advanced.
- Next, click the TCP/IP tab. This is the second tab from the left at the top of the window.
- Finally, you will find your computer’s IP address next to IPv4 Address and your router’s IP address next to Router.
Private Vs. Public IP Address
IP addresses can be divided into two different categories: public and private. A public IP address identifies your network or computer on the internet, while your router will assign all your connected devices with a private IP address, which are only identified on your network.
Think of it this way: your public IP address is like your building’s address, while your private IP address is like an apartment number. So, you can have the same private IP address (such as 192.168.0.1 or 10.0.0.1) as someone else, but you won’t have the same public IP address.
To find your public IP address, you can go to whatismyipaddress.com or search Google for “what is my IP address.”
Now that you know how to find your computer’s IP address and router’s IP address on a Mac, check out our article on how to change your WiFi name and password on a Mac.
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