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Approximate location
Country, region and city for any public IPv4 or IPv6 address, with a map link and an honest accuracy note.
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ISP, ASN & owner
Autonomous system, network name, CIDR range, registry and abuse contact from RDAP.
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VPN, Tor & hosting signals
Official Tor exit list plus transparent heuristics for datacenter and VPN networks.
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Domains & sharing
Look up a domain to see every server it resolves to, and share any result with a link.
What is an IP address?
An IP (Internet Protocol) address is the number that identifies a connection on a network, much like a return address on an envelope. IPv4 addresses look like 203.0.113.7 and there are only about 4.3 billion of them; IPv6 addresses such as 2001:db8::1 are 128 bits long and practically unlimited. Many connections now have both, which is why the card above may show either version.
Public vs private IP addresses
Your public IP is assigned by your Internet provider and is what every website sees. Inside your home or office, devices use private addresses such as 192.168.1.20, 10.0.0.5 or 172.16.0.8. These ranges are reused by millions of networks, so your router translates them to its single public address (NAT). Many mobile and fibre providers add another layer, carrier-grade NAT (100.64.0.0/10), so several customers can share one public IP. Looking up a private address here explains what it is instead of inventing a location.
How IP geolocation works, and why it is approximate
Regional registries (ARIN, RIPE NCC, APNIC, LACNIC, AFRINIC) assign blocks of addresses to providers. Geolocation databases combine those registrations with routing data, latency measurements and feedback to estimate where each block is used. The country is usually correct, but the city is often the location of the provider's equipment, which can be far from the user. VPNs, corporate networks and mobile data make the estimate even rougher. That is why IP Lookup always labels the location as approximate: it is a city or region, never a street address.
ISP, ASN and reverse DNS
The Internet is made of tens of thousands of autonomous systems, each with a number (ASN) and an operator, for example AS15169 (Google) or AS13335 (Cloudflare). The ASN tells you which provider or company announces the address. Reverse DNS (a PTR record) is the hostname the owner chose for an IP, such as dns.google; it often reveals the provider, the type of connection or the server's role. The network section adds the registered block, its CIDR, the registry and the abuse e-mail to report spam or attacks.
How VPN, Tor and datacenter detection works
Tor exit nodes are matched against the Tor Project's public exit list, so that flag is reliable. Datacenter and VPN flags are heuristics: we compare the network operator with lists of cloud, hosting and VPN providers and look for words like vpn or server in the reverse DNS name. The reasons are always shown, and the result says "likely" because a hosting network can also serve businesses, and some VPNs rent ordinary addresses.
How to hide your IP address
If you want websites to see a different address, the common options are a VPN (encrypts your traffic and exits through the provider's server), the Tor Browser (routes through three volunteer relays; slower, free), or a proxy for a single app. Each moves trust to another operator rather than removing it, so choose one whose policies you understand, and remember that cookies and logins can identify you regardless of your IP.
Frequently asked questions
What is my IP address?
Your public IP address is the address websites see when you connect to them. It is assigned by your Internet provider (or by your VPN, if you use one) and is shared by every device behind your router. IP Lookup shows it at the top of the page as soon as it loads, together with whether it is IPv4 or IPv6.
Can someone find my exact address from my IP?
No. IP geolocation databases only estimate the city or region where a network is registered or routed, and are often off by tens of kilometres. An IP address does not reveal a street address or a person. Only your Internet provider can match an IP to a subscriber, and it normally does so only for a court order or a legal request from law enforcement.
Why does the IP lookup show the wrong city?
Providers assign addresses from large pools and route them through regional hubs, so the database often shows the city of the provider's equipment instead of yours. Mobile networks, carrier-grade NAT, VPNs and corporate networks make this even less precise. Treat the location as approximate: the country is usually right, the city is a best guess.
How does IP Lookup detect VPN, Tor and datacenter IPs?
Tor exits are checked against the official Tor Project exit list. Datacenter and VPN signals are heuristics: the network operator (ASN) is compared with known cloud, hosting and VPN providers, and the reverse DNS name is checked for words such as vpn or server. That is why the result says likely: a hosting network can also serve offices, and some VPNs use ordinary providers.
What is the difference between a public and a private IP address?
A public IP is unique on the Internet and is what websites see. Private addresses such as 192.168.x.x, 10.x.x.x and 172.16–31.x.x are reused inside millions of homes and offices and are not reachable from the Internet; your router translates them to its public IP with NAT. Looking up a private IP shows an explanation instead of a location.
Is IP Lookup free and do you store my lookups?
Yes, it is free with no sign-up: your IP, single IP and domain lookups and small batches of up to 10 addresses. We do not store or log the addresses you look up; your recent searches are kept only in your own browser. An optional one-time Pro licence adds batch lookups of up to 1,000 IPs, blacklist checks and CSV/JSON export.