How to Find Your IP Address on a Mac

macOS shows your local IP in a couple of clicks, and the Terminal offers even faster one-liners. As on every platform, remember there are two different answers: your local IP (on your own network) and your public IP (what the internet sees).

Fastest: your public IP

Open the whatismineip.com homepage — it shows your public address, provider and location instantly, in any browser.

Method 1: System Settings

1. Open System Settings (Apple menu → System Settings).
2. Click Network in the sidebar.
3. Select your active connection (Wi-Fi or Ethernet) → Details…
4. Your local IP appears right there, e.g. 192.168.1.23; the TCP/IP tab shows the subnet mask and router address too.

Quick shortcut: hold Option and click the Wi-Fi icon in the menu bar — macOS reveals the IP address and router inline.

Method 2: Terminal one-liners

Open Terminal (Cmd + Space, type "Terminal") and use:

• ipconfig getifaddr en0 — local IP of your Wi-Fi interface (use en1 for some Ethernet setups)
• curl -4 ifconfig.me — your public IPv4 from the command line
• ifconfig — every interface in detail (look for inet lines)

Which one do you need?

A note on Private Wi-Fi Address

Modern macOS (like iOS) can use a randomised MAC address per network ("Private Wi-Fi Address"). This doesn't change your IPs, but it can make your Mac appear as a new device to the router, which occasionally surprises people using MAC-based DHCP reservations.

Frequently asked questions