Public IP vs Private IP: What's the Difference?
Every device connected to the internet has two IP addresses — a public one and a private one. They serve different purposes, and confusing them is one of the most common mistakes new internet users make. Here's the clearest explanation.
Quick answer
Your public IP is the address the internet sees — assigned by your ISP, visible to every website you visit. Your private IP is the address your router gives each device inside your home network, used only for local communication. Think of public as your home's street address and private as the apartment number inside.
What is a public IP address?
A public IP address is the address that identifies your home network on the open internet. It's assigned to you by your Internet Service Provider (ISP) — companies like Comcast, Spectrum, Verizon, or AT&T — and it's what websites, advertisers, and anyone you connect to online actually sees.
When you visit a website, your computer sends a request that includes your public IP as the return address. The website's server uses that address to send the page back to you. Without a public IP, the internet wouldn't know where to deliver content.
Key facts about your public IP:
- One per home, not one per device. Your laptop, phone, TV, and game console all share the same public IP when they're on your home network.
- Visible to everyone you connect to. Every website, server, or service you contact sees this IP.
- Often changes over time. Most home connections use "dynamic" IPs that your ISP rotates periodically (every few days to months).
- Reveals your approximate location and ISP. Anyone can look up your public IP and see your city and internet provider.
You can see your public IP right now at scanmyipaddress.com.
What is a private IP address?
A private IP address is the address your router assigns to each device inside your home network. Your laptop has one. Your phone has one. Your smart TV has one. They're all different, but they only mean something within your local network.
Private IPs typically look like:
192.168.1.x— the most common range for home networks192.168.0.x— also common10.0.0.x— used by some routers (especially Apple, Comcast Xfinity)172.16.x.xthrough172.31.x.x— used in some corporate and ISP networks
These addresses are reserved by the internet's governing bodies specifically for private use. They cannot be routed on the public internet — they only work inside the network they're issued for.
Private IPs are how your router knows which device sent which request. When you stream Netflix on your TV while your phone downloads an app, the router uses private IPs to keep track of which response goes to which device.
The apartment building analogy: Imagine an apartment building with one street address. The mail carrier (your ISP) delivers all mail to that one address. The doorman (your router) sorts the mail and delivers it to each apartment (your devices) using internal apartment numbers (private IPs). Those apartment numbers don't mean anything to the outside world — only inside the building.
Public IP vs Private IP: Side-by-side comparison
| Public IP | Private IP | |
|---|---|---|
| Assigned by | Your ISP | Your router |
| Visible to | The entire internet | Only devices on your local network |
| How many you have | One per home network | One per device |
| Typical format | Varies (e.g., 73.118.92.45) | 192.168.x.x, 10.0.0.x, etc. |
| Changes over time | Sometimes (dynamic IP) | Sometimes (DHCP lease) |
| Costs money | Static option costs extra | Free |
| Reveals your location | Yes (approximately) | No |
| Used for | Internet communication | Local device communication |
Why you need both
The reason every home has both a public and private IP comes down to a technology called Network Address Translation (NAT) — one of the most clever solutions in internet history.
Here's the problem NAT solves: IPv4 addresses (the older format that looks like 192.168.1.1) only have about 4.3 billion possible combinations. With billions of phones, laptops, smart TVs, and IoT devices online, we ran out of unique public IPs years ago.
NAT lets a single public IP "stand in" for hundreds of private devices. Here's roughly what happens when you visit a website:
- Your laptop (with private IP
192.168.1.42) sends a request to a website. - Your router intercepts it and replaces your private IP with your public IP before forwarding it to the internet.
- The website sees only your public IP and sends its response back there.
- Your router remembers which device made the request and forwards the response to the right private IP.
The website never knows your laptop's private IP exists. It only knows the public IP your router showed it. This is also why two devices behind the same router can browse the same website at the same time without confusion — the router keeps track internally.
How to find your public IP and private IP
Finding your public IP
The easiest way is to use a tool like scanmyipaddress.com — just visit the homepage and your public IP appears instantly. You can also search "what is my IP" on Google, but most lookup sites quietly log your IP for advertising purposes. (We don't.)
Finding your private IP
Private IPs require checking your device's network settings. The exact steps vary by operating system — we have dedicated guides for each:
- How to find your IP address on iPhone
- How to find your IP address on Android
- How to find your IP address on Windows 11
- How to find your IP address on Mac
The quick method on most devices: open your network settings, click your current connection's name or info icon, and look for "IP address." That's the private IP.
Common mistakes to avoid
"I'll hide my IP by using a different private IP"
This doesn't work. Changing your private IP only affects your local network. Websites still see your public IP from your ISP. To actually hide your IP from websites, you'd need a VPN or similar tool.
"Sharing my private IP is dangerous"
Not really. Private IPs only mean something inside your local network. Sharing 192.168.1.42 with someone tells them nothing useful — millions of other home networks use that same address internally. Public IPs are the more sensitive ones.
"My public IP is also my computer's IP"
Not quite. Your public IP belongs to your router, not your computer. If you take your laptop to a coffee shop, it gets a different public IP (the coffee shop's). Your computer's identity online is tied to whichever network you're connected to.
"Two devices can't have the same IP"
True for public IPs at the same moment — but billions of devices share the same private IP ranges. Your 192.168.1.5 and your neighbor's 192.168.1.5 coexist fine because they're in separate networks.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a public and private IP address?
A public IP is the address the internet sees when you connect online — assigned by your ISP and visible to every website. A private IP is the internal address your router gives each device on your home network, used only inside your local network.
Can someone see my private IP address?
No. Private IP addresses are only visible to devices on the same local network. Websites and people on the internet see only your public IP, which is shared by all devices in your home.
Why do I have two IP addresses?
You have two IPs because there aren't enough public IPv4 addresses for every device on Earth. Your router gets one public IP from your ISP, then assigns private IPs to each device internally. This is called Network Address Translation (NAT).
Is my private IP address always the same?
Private IPs are usually assigned dynamically by your router using DHCP. They may change when devices reconnect or after a router restart, but most home routers try to give the same device the same private IP each time.
Can I change my private IP address?
Yes. Most routers let you assign a static private IP to a specific device, or you can disconnect and reconnect to get a new one. Your home router's admin page (usually accessed at 192.168.1.1 or 192.168.0.1) has these settings.
What's the most common private IP address?
192.168.1.1 is by far the most common — it's typically the default IP for the router itself in most consumer-grade equipment. Your devices then get addresses like 192.168.1.2, 192.168.1.3, and so on.
Is my IPv6 address public or private?
IPv6 mostly does away with the public/private distinction. Most IPv6 addresses are globally unique and publicly routable. The IPv6 equivalent of "private" is called a "Unique Local Address" (ULA), but it's much less common than IPv4 private addresses. See our IPv4 vs IPv6 guide for more.