In case you need to know your local or private (internal) IP address or if you’re wondering how to find IPv4 address, you can also do so through the Network section in System Preferences. How to find your local internal IP address First is to use a special service such as What’s My IP Address? Alternatively, if you type “What is my IP address” in Google, the results will show your public IP address. If you’re connected to a router, you can try a few other options on how to find IP address. On the right, it should say Connected and show you the IP address right under. Highlight the option on the left with a green dot. Open System Preferences by clicking the Apple logo dropdown menu In the rare case that you’re connected to the modem via an Ethernet cable, find IP address on Mac with these steps: What is the process you would follow to find your IP address on a Mac computer? The method you use to find your external IP address will depend on whether you’re connected via a router or directly to the modem. How to check IP address on Mac: external (public) IP address So when you’re looking to change IP address on Mac to protect your network, you’ll need to watch for your IP address rather than your MAC one. This means that your MAC address won’t go further than your router and is less at risk of being hacked. Your computer’s network adaptor MAC address travels the network only until the next device along the way. MAC Address vs IP Address differenceĪ MAC (Machine Access Control) address is a serial number assigned to every network adaptor. Usually, when you need to find your Mac IP address it means an external one, but you’ll learn how to check both in the explanation below.

For example, if you have a group of offline computers on a network, they will communicate with one another through internal IP addresses, which always have the IPv4 format.Įxternal (public) IP addresses are assigned by your internet service provider (ISP) when you first go online and hook to a device or network that connects to the internet. Before you find your Mac IP address, it’s important to know the difference between the two kinds of IP addresses - internal and external.Īn internal IP address (local or private) is only used within your home network and always for a single device.

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