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Last updated: March 2026

What Is My IP Address?

Your public IP address, location, ISP, and VPN status — instantly. Every website you visit can see this information.

Detecting your IP address…

Quick Answer

Your IP address is a unique numerical label assigned to your device by your ISP. It reveals your approximate location (city/region), ISP name, and whether you appear to be using a VPN. Your real IP is visible to every website you visit — unless you're connected to a VPN, which replaces it with the VPN server's IP address.

  • • IPv4 format: 192.168.1.1 — IPv6 format: 2001:db8::1
  • • Reveals: approximate city, ISP name, IP type (residential/VPN/hosting)
  • • Does NOT reveal: your name, exact address, or phone number
  • • A VPN hides your real IP — websites see the VPN server's IP instead

What Does Your IP Address Reveal?

📍

Approximate location

City, region, and country — accurate to within a few miles in most cases.

🏢

ISP / Organisation

Your internet provider name, or your workplace/school if on their network.

🌐

IP type

Residential, business, hosting, or VPN — detectable by most major services.

🕐

Timezone

Inferred from your location, used to serve localised content and ads.

🔌

Connection type

Broadband, mobile, satellite — often identifiable from ISP registration data.

🚩

Country of origin

Used to enforce geo-restrictions on streaming, pricing, and content.

Your IP address does not directly reveal your name, street address, phone number, or email. However, your ISP holds records that map your IP to your account and can be accessed by law enforcement with a court order.

IPv4 vs IPv6 — What's the Difference?

There are two versions of IP addressing in use today. Most devices now have both, and both can leak your identity if not properly handled by your VPN.

IPv4 IPv6
Format 192.168.1.1 2001:db8::1
Address length 32-bit 128-bit
Total addresses ~4.3 billion 340 undecillion
Assigned by ISP Usually dynamic Often static — linked to you
VPN leak risk Lower if VPN configured Higher — often not tunnelled

⚠️ IPv6 leak risk: If your VPN only tunnels IPv4 traffic, your real IPv6 address remains visible to every site you visit. LimeVPN blocks all IPv6 at the system level to prevent this. Run a full leak test to check.

How to Hide Your IP Address

There are three main methods — each with different trade-offs for speed, privacy, and ease of use:

🔒

VPN (Recommended)

Best option

Pros: Encrypts all traffic, fast, works on all apps, easy to use, hides from ISP and websites.

Cons: Requires a subscription. VPN provider can technically see traffic (choose a no-logs provider).

🧅

Tor Browser

Pros: Very high anonymity, free, decentralised — no single provider.

Cons: Significantly slower due to multi-hop routing. Only protects browser traffic, not other apps.

🔀

Proxy Server

Pros: Fast, often free for basic use, good for bypassing geo-restrictions.

Cons: No encryption. Many free proxies log traffic and inject ads. Not suitable for sensitive activity.

Shared IP vs Dedicated IP — Which VPN Should You Get?

When you use a VPN, the IP address you get depends on your plan:

🤝 Shared IP (LimeVPN Core — $5.99/mo)

  • • Many users share the same IP address
  • • Better crowd-blending anonymity
  • • May trigger CAPTCHAs on some sites
  • • Best for: general privacy, browsing, streaming

🎯 Dedicated IP (LimeVPN Plus — $9.99/mo)

  • • IP used exclusively by you, never changes
  • • No CAPTCHAs, clean reputation
  • • Whitelist for banking and work tools
  • • Best for: banking, remote work, travel

IP Address — Frequently Asked Questions

What is my IP address?
Your IP (Internet Protocol) address is a unique numerical label assigned to your device by your Internet Service Provider (ISP). It identifies your device on the internet and reveals your approximate location, ISP name, and organisation. The tool above shows your current public IP address in real time.
What does my IP address reveal about me?
Your IP address reveals your approximate city and region, your ISP or mobile carrier, your organisation (if connecting from a workplace), your country, and in some cases your timezone. It does not reveal your exact street address, name, or phone number — but combined with other data it can be used to build a detailed profile.
What is the difference between IPv4 and IPv6?
IPv4 is the older 32-bit addressing format (e.g. 192.168.1.1) with around 4.3 billion possible addresses. IPv6 is the newer 128-bit format (e.g. 2001:db8::1) with effectively unlimited addresses. Most ISPs now assign both. If a VPN does not route IPv6 traffic, your real IPv6 address can leak even when the VPN is active.
Can websites track me using my IP address?
Yes. Every server you connect to logs your IP address. Websites, advertisers, and analytics services use IP addresses to identify return visitors, target ads by location, enforce geo-restrictions, detect fraud, and — in serious cases — provide law enforcement with your connection records via your ISP.
How does a VPN hide my IP address?
When you connect to a VPN, your device routes all traffic through an encrypted tunnel to a VPN server. The VPN server makes all requests on your behalf. Websites see the VPN server's IP address instead of yours. Your ISP sees only that you are connected to a VPN — it cannot see which websites you visit.
Is my IP address static or dynamic?
Most home internet connections use dynamic IPs that change periodically — sometimes daily, sometimes monthly. Business connections often have static IPs that never change. Mobile data connections also change IP frequently. A VPN dedicated IP gives you a permanent static IP of your choice, regardless of what your ISP assigns.
Can I be identified just from my IP address?
Not directly. Law enforcement with a court order can compel your ISP to identify the customer assigned a given IP at a given time. Websites and advertisers cannot do this without legal authority. However, your IP combined with browser fingerprinting, cookies, and login data can identify you with high accuracy.
What is a VPN IP address?
When you connect to a VPN, you are assigned the IP address of the VPN server. This can be a shared IP (used by many users simultaneously) or a dedicated IP (assigned exclusively to you). LimeVPN Core uses shared IPs; LimeVPN Plus includes a dedicated static IP for consistent, unshared access.
Why does my IP address show the wrong location?
IP geolocation databases are not perfectly accurate. They use registration data, routing information, and historical lookups to estimate location — typically accurate to the city or region level, but sometimes off by hundreds of miles. VPNs deliberately show a location different from yours.

Hide Your Real IP Address

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