Drippy

Find your IP address on a Mac

Your Mac has two addresses that matter: a local one on your network, and the public one the internet sees. Here's how to find both.

Updated November 2026

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Local IP address

  1. Open System Settings › Wi-FiOr Network › Ethernet if you're wired.
  2. Click Details… next to your networkIP Address is on the TCP/IP tab.
ipconfig getifaddr en0

Public IP address

Your router shares one public address with every device in the house. Either command asks a server what address your request came from.

curl -s https://api.ipify.org; echo
dig +short myip.opendns.com @resolver1.opendns.com

Why it changes

  • Most home connections get a dynamic IP that the provider changes from time to time, often when the router restarts.
  • Switching Wi-Fi networks, tethering or turning a VPN on or off gives you a different public address.
  • A change matters if you host something at home, use IP allowlists at work, or need to know your VPN actually connected.

Get told when it changes

Drippy checks your public IP and notifies you when it changes, alongside its alerts for outages and its data usage tracking.

Questions

What's the difference between a public and private IP?

A private IP (like 192.168.x.x or 10.x.x.x) identifies your Mac on your local network. The public IP identifies your whole connection on the internet.

How do I find my IP address in Terminal on Mac?

ipconfig getifaddr en0 for the local one, curl -s https://api.ipify.org for the public one.

Does a VPN change my public IP?

Yes. While it's connected, sites see the VPN server's address instead of yours.

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