How do I change my IP address on my Mac?

The simplest way to change your IP address is to unplug your modem or router, wait a few seconds, then plug it back in—which will reset it and assign you a new IP address. Alternately, open System Preferences > Network > Advanced > TCP/IP , then select Manually under Configure IPv4 and type in a new IP address.

How do I hide my IP address on a Mac?

If you use Safari as your web browser, select Safari in the top-left corner > Preferences > Privacy , then turn on Hide IP address . Other web browsers may or may not let you hide your IP address, but the process will be different (for example, Chrome only hides your IP address with specific extensions ).

How do I find my printer's IP address on my Mac?

Open System Preferences > Printers and Scanners > select your printer > Options and Supplies , then find the 12-digit printer IP address under Location.

Computers, Laptops & Tablets > Apple

How to Find the IP Address on a Mac

Check the Network section in System Preferences. Or ask Google

By

Rob Rich

Published on October 21, 2022

What to Know

Public: Go to google.com and search for “what is my IP address” to find your public IP address.
Or: System Preferences > Network > Advanced > TCP/IP> copy/paste router IP into browser > find address.
Private: System Preferences > Network > choose connection > find private IP under Status.

This article explains how to find both the public and private Internet Protocol (IP) addresses for your Mac.

How to Get Your IP Address on a Mac

The quickest and easiest way to find your public IP address is to open your web browser of choice and perform a Google search for “what is my IP address.” The search results page should display your public IP address at the very top in its own separate box.

If you’d rather not use Google, you can also manually locate your public IP address.

Select the Apple icon in the top-left corner of the screen in your Mac’s Finder.
Select System Preferences from the drop-down menu.
Select the Network icon.
Select your internet connection from the column on the left (this will appear as Ethernet, USB, or Wi-Fi depending on the nature of your connection).
Select Advanced.
From the Advanced menu, select the TCP/IP tab.
Locate your router’s address (below Subnet Mask) and copy the number.
Open your web browser and type in or paste your router’s address into the navigation bar, then press Return. This will take you to your router’s settings page.
Check either Connection Status or WAN (Wide Area Network) in your router’s settings to locate your public IP address. You’ll likely also have to log in as administrator when accessing your router to be able to view these options.

Not all router settings pages are the same and can vary depending on the brand. If you can’t find your IP address right away, look around in some of the other sections—they might use different category names than what’s listed here.

How to Find Your Private IP Address on a Mac

Finding your private IP address is a little simpler than manually locating your public one—though not as easy as a Google search.

Select the Apple icon in the top-left corner of the screen in the Finder.
Select System Preferences from the drop-down menu.
Select the Network icon.
Select your internet connection from the column on the left (this will appear as Ethernet, USB, or Wi-Fi depending on the nature of your connection).
You’ll find your private IP address under Status and above Network Name.

You can also use Terminal to locate your private IP address by typing in ipconfig getifaddr en0 for a Wi-Fi connection or ipconfig getifaddr en1 for an ethernet connection.

What’s the Difference Between a Public and Private IP Address?

A public IP address is the address used for accessing the internet and can apply to a single computer or an entire network. A Private (or “local”) IP address is used for accessing a local network and is assigned to individual connected devices by your router. It’s possible for devices to share the same private IP address (if they’re on different networks), but no two systems will share the same public IP address at the same time.

By default, most devices will be given a dynamic IP address than can change each time they connect to the network. However, devices can be manually assigned a static IP address that will not change.

FAQ

How do I change my IP address on my Mac?

The simplest way to change your IP address is to unplug your modem or router, wait a few seconds, then plug it back in—which will reset it and assign you a new IP address. Alternately, open System Preferences > Network > Advanced > TCP/IP, then select Manually under Configure IPv4 and type in a new IP address.
How do I hide my IP address on a Mac?

If you use Safari as your web browser, select Safari in the top-left corner > Preferences > Privacy, then turn on Hide IP address. Other web browsers may or may not let you hide your IP address, but the process will be different (for example, Chrome only hides your IP address with specific extensions).
How do I find my printer's IP address on my Mac?

Open System Preferences > Printers and Scanners > select your printer > Options and Supplies, then find the 12-digit printer IP address under Location.

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