Easy Ways to Track any IP address on the Internet

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Find the IP address and location of any internet user.

Co-authored by Yaffet Meshesha and Travis Boylls

Last Updated: June 26, 2025 Fact Checked

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Finding an IP Address

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Using IPLocation

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Using WhatIsMyIP

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Using WolframAlpha

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Frequently Asked Questions

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Video

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Q&A

Tracing an IP address will give you its approximate geographic location, and it’s actually pretty easy to do. You just need to find the IP address of the person you want to trace. There are several online IP trackers that allow you to search for a person’s location using their IP address. This wikiHow article teaches you how to find and trace an IP address with expert tips from computer and technology specialist Luigi Oppido.

Tracing an IP Address

Copy the IP address from a website or person you want to know the approximate location of.Then, paste it into an IP lookup website like WolframAlpha.com or IPLocation.net. Press Enter or click the button to look up the IP address.

Section 1 of 5:

Finding an IP Address

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1
Check the server logs of your website. If you are a website or app administrator, you can find the IP address of users who connect to your website by checking your server logs. The way you check the server logs is different depending on what type of server you have. ^{[1]
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- There may be strict security measures preventing you from accessing the server logs.
- If you can access the server logs, you can generally view them as plain-text files, using a program like Notepad or TextEdit. You can also use a program like Event View. You may also be able to view the server logs in the Terminal or Command Prompt.
2
Find the IP address of a website. You can find the IP address of a website by pinging it. You can ping a website using the Command Prompt on Windows or Terminal on Mac. On mobile devices, you can download an app that pings websites from the Google Play Store or App Store.
- To ping a website, open the Command Prompt (CMD) on Windows, or the Terminal on Mac or Linux. Type “ping” followed by the website URL (i.e., “facebook.com”) and press Enter .
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3

Find an IP address from blog comments. If you have a blog platform, such as WordPress, you can check the IP address of users who leave comments on your blog. You will need to log in to the admin portal or dashboard. Then navigate to the comments section of a blog post. You can find the IP address of the users who post comments under the “Author” section, though this may be different depending on which blog platform you use.
4
Find the IP address of an email sender. Not all email service providers allow you to view the IP address of senders. However, you may be able to find the IP address if an email is sent from a work email or a marketing email. You can generally find the IP address by viewing the email header . Use one of the following steps to view the header of an Email: ^{[2]
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- Gmail: Click the icon with three dots (⋮) in the upper-right corner of the email. Then click Show original .
- Outlook : Open an email and click File > Properties . Check the header information below “Internet headers.” ^{[3]
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  Microsoft Support
  Technical support and product information from Microsoft.
  Go to source}
- Apple Mail : Log in at icloud.com/mail and open an email. Click the icon with three dots (•••). Click Show all headers . ^{[4]
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- Yahoo Mail : Open an email message and click the icon with three dots (⋮). Click View Raw Message .
5

Use an IP grabber tool. If you have a website, blog, or online store, you can use a service like Grabify or IP Logger to create a shortened URL for your website. You can then send the shortened URL to users via email, text message, or direct message. The service will track the IP address of those who click the URL. ^{[5]
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Section 2 of 5:

Using IPLocation

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1

Find the IP address you want to track. You can use any of the above methods to find the IP address you want to look up.
2

Go to IPLocation.net . IPLocation is a free IP lookup tool that uses data from a variety of IP lookup services and displays the results of all of them. This allows you to compare data from different IP lookup tools.
3

Enter the IP address you want to look up. You can enter an IPv4, IPv6, or domain name in the search bar in the center of the screen. By default, it will display information about your public IP address.
4

Click IP Lookup . It’s the red button to the side of the search bar. This will display information about the IP address from a variety of different IP lookup services.

Section 3 of 5:

Using WhatIsMyIP

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1

Find the IP address you want to trace. You can use one of the above methods to find the IP address you want to trace.
2

Go to the WhatIsMyIP lookup page . This is another free tool you can use to look up information about an IP address.
3

Enter the IP address you want to look up in the search bar. By default, your public IP address will populate automatically in the search bar. You can search your own IP address or enter another IP address you want to look up.
4

Click Lookup IP address . It’s the green bar below the search bar. This will display information about the IP address, including the general location of the IP address and the internet service provider.

Section 4 of 5:

Using WolframAlpha

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1

Find the IP address that you want to trace. Use one of the steps above to find the IP address you want to trace.
Go to wolframalpha.com in your web browser.
Enter the IP address that you found. Enter the IP address in the search bar at the top and press Enter. For example, if you wanted to trace Facebook's IP address, you would type 157.240.18.35 into the search bar.
4
Review the results. WolframAlpha will typically show things like the type of IP address, the address' Internet Service Provider (e.g., Comcast), and the city in which the IP address is currently active.
- You can click More to the right of the "IP address registrant:" heading to view information about the registered city.

Section 5 of 5:

Frequently Asked Questions

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1

What is an IP address? According to Oppido, an IP address is a unique number assigned to all devices connected to the internet. Your public IP address is the address that is assigned to your router or modem by your internet service provider (ISP). All devices on your modem generally have the same public IP address. Your private IP address is assigned to a device connected to your local network through your modem or router. ^{[6]
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Expert Source

Luigi Oppido
Computer & Tech Specialist

Expert Interview}

EXPERT TIP

Luigi Oppido
Computer & Tech Specialist
Luigi Oppido is the Owner and Operator of Pleasure Point Computers in Santa Cruz, California. Luigi has over 25 years of experience in general computer repair, data recovery, virus removal, and upgrades. He is also the host of the Computer Man Show! broadcasted on KSQD covering central California for over two years.

Luigi Oppido
Computer & Tech Specialist

Your public IP address is like an internet phone number. This is the number the entire world uses to call you when you are on the internet.
2

What information can you find from an IP address? According to Oppido, you can find a person’s general location, including the country and city they reside in. In some cases, you can find their zip code, neighborhood, or general area they live in. You can also find a person’s internet service provider using their IP address. ^{[7]
X
Expert Source

Luigi Oppido
Computer & Tech Specialist

Expert Interview}

EXPERT TIP

Luigi Oppido
Computer & Tech Specialist
Luigi Oppido is the Owner and Operator of Pleasure Point Computers in Santa Cruz, California. Luigi has over 25 years of experience in general computer repair, data recovery, virus removal, and upgrades. He is also the host of the Computer Man Show! broadcasted on KSQD covering central California for over two years.

Luigi Oppido
Computer & Tech Specialist

A lot of IP addresses come from a central server. Here in San Jose, they’re all over the hills. If you look up my IP address, it will say it’s located in San Jose.
3

Can you find personal information from an IP address? No, generally you cannot find personal information, such as a person’s name, exact address, social security number, or any other identifying information from an IP address. However, if there is reasonable suspicion, law enforcement may subpoena this information from your internet service provider.
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Is it illegal to track someone’s IP address? No, it is not illegal to trace an IP address. An IP address is publicly available information. However, if you are tracking an IP address for the purpose of harassment or criminal activity, then it is illegal. ^{[8]
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What is the difference between an IPv4 and an IPv6 address? An IPv4 address is an older 32-bit protocol that uses a decimal format divided into 4 octets (i.e., “192.168.1.1”). This allows for up to 4.3 billion unique addresses. IPv6 is a newer 128-bit protocol that uses 8 4-digit characters in hexadecimal format, divided by a colon (i.e., “2001:A001:3238:DFE1:0063:B002:C003:FEFB”). This allows for many more unique address (3.4x1038 to be exact). ^{[9]
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Is there any way to hide your IP address? Yes, you can easily hide your IP address by using a virtual private network (or VPN) . A VPN filters all your internet traffic through an encrypted server. This blocks your internet service provider and people connected to the same local network from being able to monitor your internet traffic. Furthermore, a VPN can spoof your geolocation, making it appear as though you are in an entirely different location or a different country.
- There are many VPN services available. Some are free, but you will want to opt for a paid subscription for the best service.
- Because VPNs, proxy servers, and other services that mask IP addresses are widely available, IP tracking isn’t a reliable way to determine someone’s actual location.

Community Q&A

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Question

How can I find a person's location right away?

Community Answer

The fastest way is finding the ip address.

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How do I find out someone's IP address when they're connected to my WiFi network?

Community Answer

If someone is on your WiFi network, then they'll have the same IP address as everyone else on that network since your router is what gives you that external IP. (Every individual device does have its own IP address, but when connected to WiFi, an external address is given via the router.)

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Somebody hacked my Instagram and then told me my address and stuff about me. What do I do?

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Report it to the police and Instagram and they will sort it from there.

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Easy Ways to Track any IP address on the Internet

Tracing an IP Address

Steps

Finding an IP Address

Using IPLocation

Using WhatIsMyIP

Using WolframAlpha

Frequently Asked Questions

Community Q&A

Video

Tips

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