How Do I Find My IP Address

How To Find Your IP Address

For most people, this is not a task that is needed on a daily basis. On occasion though, something will happen to your computer and you will need to talk to customer support. Or, you may need it to set up a home network. In any event, some of you  may not even know what an IP address is. An IP address is a unique set of numbers that identifies your computer on a network or on the Internet. Keep in mind that as a general rule, your IP address will change. So, it would be a good idea to identify it each time you need it. The steps below are on a Windows XP computer and will help you find your IP address.

1.     Click on the Start button in the lower left hand corner of your screen.

2.     Move your mouse cursor up to Programs.

3.     You should see a menu expand to the right.

4.     Now move your mouse cursor up to the item labeled “Accessories”.

5.     You should see another menu expand to the right.

6.     Click on the menu item labeled “Command Prompt”. Your screen should now look like the screen shot below.

7.     A black window should pop up somewhere in the middle of your screen like the screen shot below.

8.     Inside this window, type the word “ipconfig” and then hit the Enter key.

9.     This will produce a list with your IP Address along with some additional information about your network. The numbers circled in red are your IP address.

10. Copy these numbers down before closing the window. If you are talking to someone on a tech support line, it would be a good idea to copy all the numbers down just in case they might need them.

11. When you are finished, you can type the word “exit” and hit the enter key. This will close the window and take you back to your desktop.