Your public IP address is a string of four numbers (for most folks, anyway – unless you’ve moved to IPv6) and is the way in which your device can be located on the internet.

For Windows laptops and desktops, you click on the Start menu, select Run, type cmd and then "ipconfig" in the search field. It will then present your IP address.

To find your public IP address, simply type “What is my IP” into a search engine. The search results will usually display special websites that can give you this information with a single click.

LOOKING for a guide on how to check your IP address? It couldn't be easier to do. We reveal how to find your IP address, what it means, if they're permanent, and if sharing them is safe.

While your IP address may not be worth much by itself, it's far more valuable when added to a package of personal information with your personal information e.g. name, address, and login credentials.

Let's say you have an IP address scheme of 192.168.1.1 that's assigned, dynamically, by your router. You might want to give a computer with an associated share the address 192.168.1.101.

For instance, your IP address is how websites like Google figure out where you are — which, in turn, allows them to send you region-specific search results, advertisements, and other content.

Some websites such as Netflix are sensitive to IP changes and block traffic if you’re using a shared VPN. A dedicated IP address can help fix this issue since your IP will never change. Also, a ...

So the complete IP address space ranges from 0.0.0.0 through to 255.255.255.255. See an example below, using the IP address of one of the servers that hosts theconversation.com.