# How does one detect his current variable IP address in Windows, NT, and Mac? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 16, 2000, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-one-detect-his-current-variable-ip-address-in-windows-nt-and-mac/22627 "2000-06-16T19:53:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Show\_Biz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/77aa72/32.png) [@Show\_Biz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Show_Biz)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2000, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-one-detect-his-current-variable-ip-address-in-windows-nt-and-mac/22627/1 "2000-06-16T19:53:50Z")
How does one detect his current variable IP address in **Windows, NT, and Mac**? I thought it was “ipconfig”, but I can’t seem to run that on Windows 98. And I sometimes use NT and Mac’s at work or on the road. How then? [Note: I did try to search on this topic, but was unable. If it was covered before for all three OS’s, just point to the thread(s).] [A search on “IP” produces:“Please specify either some search words or a username to search by.” A search on “IP address” shows 2915 topics, starting with “Why the Christian God? - 40 replies”] ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ecccb3/32.png) [@Lord\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Jim)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2000, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-one-detect-his-current-variable-ip-address-in-windows-nt-and-mac/22627/2 "2000-06-16T19:56:29Z")
“ipconfig” is an NT command. Use “Winipcfg” for Windows 95/98. I have no idea about a MAC. Jim ---
**Author:** ![aenea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c68b51/32.png) [@aenea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aenea)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2000, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-one-detect-his-current-variable-ip-address-in-windows-nt-and-mac/22627/3 "2000-06-16T21:12:51Z")
Check out also [www.network-tools.com](http://www.network-tools.com) They will show you your IP address as it is seen on the web. Plus a bunch of other nifty tools. ---
**Author:** ![SterlingNorth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8dc957/32.png) [@SterlingNorth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SterlingNorth)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2000, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-one-detect-his-current-variable-ip-address-in-windows-nt-and-mac/22627/4 "2000-06-16T22:15:20Z")
Also you can go to [http://privacy.net/anonymizer/](http://privacy.net/anonymizer/) . If you’re paranoid about that sortof thing you can use their website to block out you IP addy. **Note to Trolls and other morons:** I know what you’re thinking; it won’t work on this board. If the board can’t find your computer and place a cookie on it, it won’t let you post. ---
**Author:** ![Kyberneticist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/dc4da7/32.png) [@Kyberneticist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyberneticist)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2000, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-one-detect-his-current-variable-ip-address-in-windows-nt-and-mac/22627/5 "2000-06-16T22:36:56Z")
Pretty much any website can give you your IP address. [http://www.cs.cuc.edu/~dpomery/cgi-bin/new.cgi](http://www.cs.cuc.edu/~dpomery/cgi-bin/new.cgi) This is a (probably 2 or 3 liner) script that dumps all the environmental variables, including IP. hm. where else can you get it… By telneting in to pretty much any computer. /sbin/ifconfig -ppp0 oh wait… 🙂 My ICQ client reports my IP address to me when I log in, and can give me anyone else’s. ---
**Author:** ![drewbert](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drewbert/32/15890_2.png) [@drewbert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewbert)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2000, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-one-detect-his-current-variable-ip-address-in-windows-nt-and-mac/22627/6 "2000-06-16T23:06:40Z")
On a Mac, just open the TCP/IP control panel. It oughta be right there. ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2000, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-one-detect-his-current-variable-ip-address-in-windows-nt-and-mac/22627/7 "2000-06-17T00:34:54Z")
Yes, the TCP Control Panel on the Mac is very informative in a DHCP environment; the same parameters that say \ when you select DHCP initially will display such elements as IP address, router address (if available), and subnet mask (if available). Another place you can get your IP address from is the Web Sharing Control Panel. With the Web Sharing Control Panel, you can see your IP address even with a PPP connection, once you are connected! ---
**Author:** ![Show\_Biz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/77aa72/32.png) [@Show\_Biz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Show_Biz)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2000, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-one-detect-his-current-variable-ip-address-in-windows-nt-and-mac/22627/8 "2000-06-17T00:42:11Z")
This is perfect! It does what I wanted and it’s OS-independent. And requires no special skills, like MS-DOS syntax. Thanks to the other posters, too. Many answers best for many situations. ---
**Author:** ![HorseloverFat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8e8cbc/32.png) [@HorseloverFat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HorseloverFat)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2000, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-one-detect-his-current-variable-ip-address-in-windows-nt-and-mac/22627/9 "2000-06-17T02:19:06Z")
> [@](#): > > \*\* > “ipconfig” is an NT command. Use “Winipcfg” for Windows 95/98. I have no idea about a MAC. > > \*\* Actually ipconfig works for me on my 98SE system and it worked on my 95 system. winipcfg was introduced for windows98, it gives a little more information and its graphical. ---
**Author:** ![Ringo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/779978/32.png) [@Ringo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ringo)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2000, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-one-detect-his-current-variable-ip-address-in-windows-nt-and-mac/22627/10 "2000-06-17T22:19:28Z")
Well, while _ipconfig_ works on my NT systems, it’s not there on my W95 system; the W95 system uses _winipcfg_. A funny thing I just noticed: the IP returned on my W95 machine by _winipcfg_ is different from the one I’m shown if I go to [Network-Tools](http://network-tools.com/). What’s up with that? I’m connecting via AOL, should that somehow make a difference. ---
**Author:** ![PRISM02](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ba9def/32.png) [@PRISM02](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PRISM02)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2000, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-one-detect-his-current-variable-ip-address-in-windows-nt-and-mac/22627/11 "2000-06-18T19:03:51Z")
Actually, if you’re connecting to the Internet through a private line and not a school or college system, using something like AOL, your address changes each time you sign on because they have so many. Check here – it will tell you your IP address. [http://www.chami.com/tips/internet/041498I.html](http://www.chami.com/tips/internet/041498I.html) ---
**Author:** ![Ringo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/779978/32.png) [@Ringo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ringo)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2000, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-one-detect-his-current-variable-ip-address-in-windows-nt-and-mac/22627/12 "2000-06-19T02:11:13Z")
> [@](#): > > Actually, if you’re connecting to the Internet through a private line and not a school or college system, using something like AOL, your address changes each time you sign on because they have so many I knew that. What I was wondering about was the fact that, within the same logon session, Network Tools, the site you linked and _winipcfg_ returned three different IPs, all within about a minute. Since then I’ve discovered that they all return the same IP (the one that _winipcfg_ returns) if I access the online sites through IE (while connected via AOL) instead of using AOL’s browser (which is, of course, still running, just minimized). If I go back to the AOL browser and access either of the online sites, they return the same IP they did before.