Your IP address is not one number. You have a public IP that the internet sees, assigned by your internet provider and shared across your whole home or office network, and a private IP that only exists inside your local network, assigned by your router. On top of that split, you may have both an IPv4 and an IPv6 address at the same time. So when a tool says what is my IP and shows something different from what your laptop reports, both are correct; they are answering different questions. This guide untangles public versus private and IPv4 versus IPv6 so the numbers stop looking contradictory.
Public versus private: the core split
A private IP address is what your router hands to each device on your local network. It is drawn from reserved ranges such as 192.168.x.x, 10.x.x.x, and 172.16.x.x through 172.31.x.x, and it is meaningful only inside your network. Your public IP is the single address your router presents to the wider internet, and every device behind that router shares it through a process called network address translation (NAT). That is why your phone and your laptop, which have different private IPs, show the same public IP when you check from a website. Websites can only ever see your public address, not the private one behind the router.
Why your laptop and a website disagree
Open your device's network settings and you will see a private IP like 192.168.1.42. Visit a what-is-my-ip tool and you will see something entirely different, such as a public IPv4 or IPv6 address. Neither is wrong. Your operating system reports the private address it was given on the LAN, while the website reports the public address your traffic arrived from after NAT. The only address the outside world can route to is the public one, which is the number that matters when someone asks you to allowlist an IP or diagnose a connection. You can see exactly what the internet sees for your connection with the what is my IP tool.
IPv4 versus IPv6: two formats, often both at once
IPv4 addresses are 32-bit and written as four decimal numbers separated by dots, such as 198.51.100.7. The world ran low on them years ago, which is part of why NAT is everywhere. IPv6 addresses are 128-bit and written as groups of hexadecimal separated by colons, such as 2001:db8:4860::8a2e, with long runs of zeros collapsed to a double colon. There are vastly more IPv6 addresses, enough that NAT is often unnecessary. Many connections today are dual stack, meaning you hold a working IPv4 and a working IPv6 address simultaneously, and your device picks one per connection. That is why a checker may show both, and why the IPv6 value can look completely unrelated to the IPv4 value.
Public, private, IPv4, and IPv6 compared
| Attribute | Private IP | Public IP | IPv4 | IPv6 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Who assigns it | Your router | Your internet provider | Either | Either |
| Visible to websites | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Example | 192.168.1.42 | 198.51.100.7 | 198.51.100.7 | 2001:db8::8a2e |
| Typical scope | Local network only | Whole internet | Global or private | Global or link local |
| Shared across devices | No, one per device | Yes, via NAT | Often shared via NAT | Usually unique per device |
How to read your own addresses
- To see your public address, which is what the internet sees, use an online tool rather than your device settings.
- To see your private address, open network settings on your device, or run ipconfig on Windows and ifconfig or ip addr on macOS and Linux.
- If you see both an IPv4 and an IPv6 public address, you are on a dual-stack connection and both are valid.
- When asked to share your IP for allowlisting or support, share the public address, and specify IPv4 or IPv6 to match what the other side expects.
- Remember the public IPv4 can change when your provider reassigns it, so recheck rather than trusting an old value.
The quickest way to see your public IPv4 and IPv6 at once is the what is my IP tool, which reports both address families as the internet sees them.
What your IP does and does not reveal
A public IP can be mapped to a rough geographic region and to your internet provider, but it does not pinpoint a street address and it is not a personal identifier on its own. The location shown by IP lookups is approximate and often reflects your provider's regional hub rather than where you sit, a point the IP geolocation explained guide covers. If an IPv6 address is present but some sites still fail over it, the cause is usually a broken IPv6 path or a stale record rather than your address itself, which the missing AAAA records guide addresses.
Frequently asked questions
Why is my IP address different on my device than on a website?
Your device shows its private IP on the local network, while a website sees your public IP after network address translation. Both are correct; they describe different layers. The public address is the one the outside world can route to.
What is the difference between a public and a private IP address?
A private IP is assigned by your router and is meaningful only inside your local network. A public IP is assigned by your provider and is the single address your whole network presents to the internet. Only the public address is visible online.
Can I have both an IPv4 and an IPv6 address at the same time?
Yes. Most modern connections are dual stack, giving you a working IPv4 and a working IPv6 address at once. Your device chooses one per connection, which is why a checker may display both and they look unrelated.
Why does my public IP address keep changing?
Residential IPv4 addresses are often dynamic, so your provider can reassign a different one after a reconnection or lease renewal. If you need a stable address, ask your provider about a static IP. Always recheck rather than relying on an old value.
Does my IP address reveal my exact location?
No. An IP maps to an approximate region and your internet provider, not a precise street address, and the location shown is often your provider's regional hub. It is not a personal identifier on its own.
Public versus private and IPv4 versus IPv6 are two independent distinctions, and once you separate them the numbers make sense. See your own public addresses in both families with the what is my IP tool.