What Is My Local IP Address? (Public, Private, and Loopback)

Most people say “my IP” when they actually mean three different things. Your public IP is what websites see, your private (LAN) IP is what your router gives your device at home or work, and loopback is your machine talking to itself. We’ll start with loopback first—because that’s the one people mix up most with “local IP.”

Takeaway: start with loopback; it’s the only one that never leaves your machine.

Loopback first: the IP that never leaves your machine

Loopback is a special range reserved for self‑communication. In IPv4 it’s the entire 127.0.0.0/8 block, most commonly used as 127.0.0.1; in IPv6 it’s ::1. Requests to these addresses never touch your Wi‑Fi or router; they loop straight back into your operating system’s network stack. If a service on localhost refuses to connect, it’s a problem with the service on your machine, not your network. For the deeper story and RFC background, see What Is 127.0.0.1? and The Loopback IP Range.

Takeaway: loopback traffic never leaves your device—great for testing, irrelevant to the LAN or internet.

Public and private: what the world sees vs. what your router assigns

Outside your home or office, services see your public IP; inside your LAN, devices use private IPs like 192.168.1.23 or 10.0.0.5. Public addresses are globally reachable; private ones are only valid within your local network. If the terms feel fuzzy, skim What Is an IP Address and the format differences in IPv4 vs IPv6 before continuing.

Takeaway: public addresses identify you to the wider internet; private addresses only identify you inside your LAN.

How to tell which one you’re looking at (no installs needed)

To see your public IP, use your router’s status page or a simple checker such as our quick tool: Find My IP. Your private IP appears in your OS network interface list. Your loopback is fixed by design—127.0.0.1 or ::1—so there’s nothing to “find.”

Takeaway: public = browser/router check; private = interface listing; loopback = always 127.0.0.1 or ::1.

Why your public IP ≠ your private IP (hello, NAT)

Your router performs Network Address Translation (NAT) so many devices can share one public address while keeping unique private addresses inside the LAN. That’s why your laptop shows 192.168.x.x but websites log a completely different number. For how intranets connect with the broader internet, see What Is NAT and Intranet vs. Internet.

Takeaway: NAT is the translation layer that makes private ≠ public on purpose.

Common “my IP” confusions you can now ignore

If a site shows an IP that doesn’t match ipconfig, that’s public vs. private. If localhost refuses to connect, your loopback service isn’t running—it’s not your Wi‑Fi. If you see two addresses on one interface, you’re simply running IPv4 and IPv6 in parallel. To limit what your public IP reveals, see Does Exposing My IP Put Me at Risk? and a balanced view in Should I Buy a VPN?.

Takeaway: most mismatches boil down to NAT, loopback services, or dual‑stack networking.

Tiny FAQ

Is 127.0.0.1 my “real” IP?
It’s real but special‑purpose. It only works on your own machine and is not reachable by others. See What Is 127.0.0.1?.

Why do my phone and laptop sometimes show different public IPs at home?
They usually don’t—both sit behind the same router public IP. If they differ, one device might be on cellular or a VPN.

Do I need a VPN to hide my IP?
Sometimes useful, sometimes overkill. Start with Should I Buy a VPN? for a balanced view.

Takeaway: loopback is local, NAT explains mismatches, and a VPN is optional depending on your risk and habits.

Wrap‑up / Next Steps

You now have a clean split: loopback for self‑tests, private inside your LAN, and public on the wider internet. If you just need a quick check, use Find My IP. If you want the theory, continue with What Is 127.0.0.1? and The Loopback IP Range.

Takeaway: think “loopback → private → public”—from closest to farthest—and the whole topic snaps into focus.