IP Tools

Every device that connects to the internet is assigned a public IP address by its Internet Service Provider (ISP) or, if you are using a VPN, by the VPN provider. That address is visible to every website you visit - it is part of how the internet routes data back to you.

From an IP address alone, websites and services can typically determine an approximate country, city or region, the name of the ISP or hosting company, and sometimes whether the address belongs to a residential connection or a data center. They cannot determine your name, precise home address, or anything beyond what the routing information publicly exposes.

IP addresses also come in two versions: IPv4 (the traditional four-part format like 203.0.113.45) and IPv6 (a much longer hexadecimal format). Some connections have both, and the two addresses may resolve to different apparent locations in geolocation databases. The What Is My IP tool checks both versions.

Geolocation is not a precise science. IP-to-location databases are built from a combination of routing registry data, ISP submissions, and periodic validation checks. A single IP block may span hundreds of kilometres, or its registered location may lag behind when ISPs reallocate addresses between regions. This is why IP geolocation results can be off by a city, a region, or occasionally even a country.

VPNs replace your real IP with one belonging to a server in a different location. That server's address is what geolocation databases see - so your apparent location shifts to wherever the VPN server is physically hosted.

Your address also isn't permanent - most ISPs reassign it periodically. See why your IP address keeps changing for how often, and how to check it yourself.