About IP addresses

Just like a street address determines the recipient of a letter, an IP address (short for Internet Protocol address) is used to identify computers on the Internet. When your computer sends a request, like a search on Google, it tags the request with its IP address so the response can be sent back to your computer, just like a return address on a letter.

How IP addresses look

An IP address is made up of a list of numbers. For example, 172.16.254.1 (for IPv4) and 2001:db8:0:1234:0:567:8:1 (for IPv6).

How IP addresses and geographic locations are related

Your IP address is usually assigned based on a real-world location. To help provide you relevant local results, like the weather in your city when you search for [weather], your IP address may be used by Google to make an educated guess at your general location.

Find your IP address

You can get your ip address on the top of this page with its relevant details.