PUBLIC IP CHECKYour Public IP: Location, VPNs & Privacy
Your public IP is one of the basic pieces of connection information websites can observe. It can reveal network and approximate regional information, but normally not your exact home address.
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What your public IP reveals
An IP address can often be associated with an internet provider, network operator, autonomous system and approximate geographic area. Accuracy varies considerably, especially for mobile networks, corporate networks and VPNs.
What it does not normally reveal
An IP lookup does not normally provide a visitor's exact street address, name or precise physical location. Only a device permission request can provide browser geolocation data, and NetPrivacyScan keeps that separate and opt-in.
Using a VPN? Websites generally see the VPN server's public IP when the VPN is correctly routing your traffic.
Why your IP can change
Many providers assign addresses dynamically. Switching networks, reconnecting, using mobile data or choosing another VPN server can all change the public IP visible to websites.
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Public and local addresses solve different problems
Your device may have a local address on the router’s network and a different public address used on the internet. This site displays the public source address of a web request. It does not list all local interfaces on your device.
Which address should you use?
- Checking a VPN: compare the public address before and after connecting.
- Finding a printer or router: use the local network settings on your device; a public lookup will not locate it.
- Troubleshooting with an ISP: ask which address or connection identifier it needs and share it privately.
Why two devices may show one address
A home router commonly shares a public IPv4 address among devices. Mobile providers can also share addresses among subscribers. That means an address is not a reliable identifier of one person. With IPv6, devices may have their own global addresses, and privacy addressing can change them over time.
Why the result changes
A VPN reconnect, switching from Wi-Fi to mobile data, or a provider assigning a new address can change the public result. Refresh the scan after each change. Seeing a different address is not by itself a sign of an intruder.
Do not paste your full public address into a public screenshot unless you have considered the exposure. For interpreting the city and network fields, read What Your IP Reveals.
Reviewed October 8, 2026 · Methods and limitations
Separate network clues from personal identity
A lookup often returns a city, country, provider and ASN. These fields describe a database association with a network address. They are not a live view of your home. A provider can register a block of addresses in one city while customers use them elsewhere.
Work through a sample result
Suppose a scan reports a Canadian mobile operator and a city several hundred kilometres away. First confirm whether your phone is using mobile data rather than Wi-Fi. Next compare the operator with your SIM provider; a reseller may use another company’s network. If those details fit, the city difference alone is not evidence of a breach.
With a VPN connected, a hosting operator in another country may be expected. The public IP can still be associated with your activity at that exit. Logging in to an account, accepting cookies or sharing personal details can identify you independently of IP location.
What GPS permission changes
The optional precise-location button uses a separate browser permission. Choosing it can reveal much more precise coordinates than IP geolocation. Denying that permission does not hide your public IP. You can clear or revoke the site’s location permission through the browser’s site settings.
Safe troubleshooting
- Confirm whether you are on Wi-Fi, mobile data, a proxy or a VPN.
- Refresh the scan after any connection change.
- Compare the network name and expected country before focusing on the city.
- If reporting a problem, redact the full IP and any GPS coordinates.
For the mechanics of public addresses, read What Is My IP?. For changing the address websites see, use How to Hide Your IP.
Reviewed October 8, 2026 · Methods and limitations
Choose the right method for the application
Start by identifying what you want to protect: a website visit in one browser, all traffic from a device, or an application on a work network. A browser-only proxy does not necessarily cover another browser or a game client. A device VPN can still have exclusions or split-tunnelling rules.
Check a device VPN step by step
- Note the public address shown with the VPN disconnected. Keep it private.
- Connect the VPN application and wait for its connected status.
- Reload this site and run a fresh scan. Confirm that the visible address and expected network changed.
- Review DNS resolvers separately. If you use split tunnelling, verify that this browser is included.
- Repeat after changing Wi-Fi networks or reconnecting the VPN.
If the address does not change, check whether the application excluded the browser, whether a browser extension is controlling the connection, or whether you are viewing a stale scan. Follow the provider’s instructions rather than disabling security settings at random.
What hiding the address cannot do
A new exit IP does not erase cookies, change the account you signed into, remove identifying information from a photo or stop you from volunteering personal details. HTTPS protects transport content but does not replace your public source address with a VPN exit. Private browsing mainly limits local session traces.
When to ask for help
On a managed work or school device, ask the administrator before installing a VPN or changing DNS. On your own device, contact the provider with the platform, application version and error message. Avoid posting full IP addresses in a public forum.
Reviewed October 8, 2026 · Methods and limitations
Verify the change without confusing it with anonymity
A VPN normally changes the public source address seen by websites for traffic routed through its tunnel. It cannot make that traffic arrive with no address at all: the destination sees the VPN exit address. The practical question is whether the application you are using follows the intended route.
Three useful comparisons
- The address changed and the expected region appears: this supports the conclusion that this browser’s web request used another exit. It does not verify every application.
- The address changed but VPN detection says “not detected”: an IP-intelligence database may not recognise the exit. Detection labels and routing evidence are different.
- The address stayed the same: rerun after reconnecting, then check split tunnelling and browser-proxy settings. Do not rely on a connected badge alone.
Accounts still identify you
If you sign in to a store, email account or social network, that service can associate activity with the account even when its connection address is a VPN exit. A VPN does not reset that relationship. Cookies and browser properties are additional signals separate from IP.
A reproducible check
Use the same browser and device, record the disconnected result privately, connect the VPN and reload before the next run. Change one variable at a time. A result from an old tab can outlive the connection it described. If a check is unavailable, wait and retry rather than treating the missing result as protection.
Reviewed October 8, 2026 · Methods and limitations