Network tickets often ask "what's your IP?" — but there are several. Knowing which is which means you give the right one.

Local (private) IP

This is the address your laptop has on your office or home network. It looks like one of:

  • 10.x.x.x
  • 172.16-31.x.x
  • 192.168.x.x

Find it on Windows

Command Prompt → ipconfig. Look at your active adapter (Wi-Fi or Ethernet):

  • IPv4 Address is your local IP
  • Default Gateway is the router

Find it on macOS

System Settings → Network → Wi-Fi → Details → TCP/IP. Or Terminal:

ifconfig en0

Look for inet (skip the inet6 line — that's IPv6).

Public IP

This is what websites see when you visit them. It's the IP of your router or firewall, not your laptop. Used for:

  • Whitelisting your office at a SaaS provider
  • Debugging "we can't see your traffic" from a vendor
  • VPN configuration

To find it: visit whatismyipaddress.com or ifconfig.me. Both display your public IP.

If you're behind a VPN, this shows the VPN's exit point, not your office.

IPv6

A newer addressing scheme. IPv6 addresses look like:

2001:db8::1
fe80::1234:abcd:5678:abcd

You probably have one whether you know it or not. Most networks dual-stack. For 99% of tickets you can ignore IPv6 unless explicitly asked.

To see your IPv6: same ipconfig or ifconfig command. Look for IPv6 Address or inet6 lines.

Localhost (127.0.0.1)

This is the loopback address — it always means "this machine itself". If a website tries to load from 127.0.0.1 and fails, you have a local service issue, not a network issue.

DHCP-assigned vs. static

Most office laptops get their IP from DHCP — a server hands it out and it can change. Some servers and printers have static IPs set manually so they don't move.

To see if yours is DHCP:

ipconfig /all

Look for DHCP Enabled: Yes.

Common ticket asks

| If support asks for... | Give them... |<br>|---|---|<br>| "Your IP" | Local IP from ipconfig |<br>| "Public IP" or "external IP" | From whatismyipaddress.com |<br>| "MAC address" | ipconfig /all → Physical Address |<br>| "DNS server" | ipconfig /all → DNS Servers |<br>| "Default gateway" | ipconfig → Default Gateway |

Why your IP changed

DHCP leases expire (typically 24 hours). When yours renews, you may or may not get the same IP. This is normal. If you need a stable IP for a specific purpose (e.g. a piece of software accepts only certain IPs), ask IT for a DHCP reservation — same IP every time, no static config on your end.