Can an IP address show someone's exact location?
No. IP geolocation estimates a general area, often a city or region. It does not show someone's home address or precise, real-time location.
Your address, mapped
Every connection has a story. Find yours.
Look up a public IP address to see its approximate location, network provider, and timezone on a live map. Start with your own connection or search an IPv4 or IPv6 address.
IP address location
Finding your public IP address…
Approximate location
Interactive mapIP locations are approximate. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors.
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Connection details
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The essentials
What is an IP address?
A simple guide to the numbers that help the internet find its way.
A digital address for a network connection
An IP address (Internet Protocol address) is a number assigned to a device or network interface so it can communicate across the internet or a local network. When a browser requests a website, IP addresses help route data between the requested service and the network making the request.
This lookup shows the public IP address visible to internet services. Many devices in the same home or office share one public address through a router. A private IP address, by contrast, is used inside a local network and is not normally reachable from the public internet.
IPv4 and IPv6: two kinds of IP address
IPv4 addresses look like four numbers separated by dots—for example, 74.116.186.22. The familiar format uses a limited pool of addresses. IPv6 was introduced to support far more connected devices; its addresses use groups of hexadecimal characters separated by colons, such as 2001:4860:4860::8888. This tool can look up either format when the geolocation service supports the address.
What does an IP address lookup tell you?
An IP lookup can return details associated with a network address, such as the estimated country, region, city, internet service provider, and timezone. The map marker represents an approximate network location, not the physical location of a particular person, phone, or computer. Some addresses may resolve only to a broad region or a provider's network hub.
Why your IP location might look different
Internet providers can route traffic through equipment in another town or region. A mobile network, corporate gateway, VPN, or proxy can also make the visible IP address appear far from where a device is actually being used. IP location databases may differ or become outdated, so use the map as a general indication—not for navigation, emergency response, or identifying a person.
Public IP lookup and privacy
This page sends the address you search for to its geolocation provider so it can return lookup results. An automatic lookup sends your current public IP to that provider. Map images are supplied by OpenStreetMap's tile servers. These third-party services process the requests needed to display the tool; this standalone page does not maintain an account or lookup history.
Quick answers
IP address lookup FAQs
Is this my public or private IP address?
The automatic lookup detects the public IP address used to reach the geolocation service. A device can also have a separate private address on its local Wi-Fi or office network.
Why is my IP address location inaccurate?
Provider routing, VPNs, proxies, mobile networks, and shared connections can all affect an estimate. IP location databases can also vary or be out of date.
Does this tool support IPv4 and IPv6?
Yes. You can enter an IPv4 or IPv6 address. Whether map and provider details are available depends on the geolocation service's data for that address.