IP Lookup: Find the Location
of Any IP Address Instantly
Use our free IP lookup tool to find the geographic location of any IP address. Enter an IPv4 or IPv6 address below to instantly see the country, city, ISP, timezone, and exact coordinates on an interactive map. Our IP address lookup database covers 99.9% of all public IP addresses worldwide.
Quick Answer: What Is IP Lookup?
IP lookup (also called IP geolocation) is a method to find the physical location associated with an IP address. When you enter an IP in our tool, we query global geolocation databases to show you the country, city, Internet Service Provider (ISP), and approximate GPS coordinates. This information is publicly available and used by millions of websites for security, fraud prevention, and content localization.
Sarah Thompson
Network Intelligence Analyst
Sarah specializes in IP forensics, WHOIS analysis, and geolocation technology. With 10+ years in network security, she helps organizations understand IP intelligence for fraud prevention and cybersecurity.
View All ArticlesWhat Is IP Lookup and Why Does It Matter?
Every device that connects to the internet receives a unique numerical identifier called an IP address (Internet Protocol address). Think of it like a mailing address for your computer. When you visit a website, your IP address tells that website where to send the information you requested. Without IP addresses, the internet simply could not function.
IP lookup (also called IP geolocation or IP tracing) is the process of finding the physical location and other details associated with an IP address. When you perform an IP address lookup using our tool above, we query multiple geolocation databases to find where that IP address is registered and who owns it.
Our free IP location finder provides instant results showing:
- Geographic Location: Country, region/state, city, and postal code
- Internet Service Provider (ISP): The company providing internet access
- Organization: The business or entity using the IP address
- ASN (Autonomous System Number): The network operator identifier
- Timezone: The local time zone of the IP location
- GPS Coordinates: Approximate latitude and longitude for map display
Important: IP lookup reveals the location of the network infrastructure, not the exact location of the person using it. Your home address is protected. We explain accuracy limitations in detail below.
How Does IP Geolocation Actually Work?
Many people wonder how a simple number can reveal a location. The answer lies in how IP addresses are distributed and registered globally. Here is the process our IP tracker uses:
Step 1: Regional Internet Registries (RIRs)
The world's IP address space is managed by five Regional Internet Registries. When an ISP like Comcast, Vodafone, or AT&T needs IP addresses, they request them from their regional registry. These registries are:
- ARIN - North America
- RIPE NCC - Europe, Middle East, Central Asia
- APNIC - Asia Pacific
- LACNIC - Latin America and Caribbean
- AFRINIC - Africa
When IP blocks are assigned, the ISP must register their business location and service area. This registration data forms the foundation of IP geolocation.
Step 2: Geolocation Database Queries
Companies like MaxMind, IP2Location, and IPinfo maintain massive databases that correlate IP addresses with geographic locations. These databases combine RIR registration data with:
- User-submitted location corrections
- Mobile network tower locations
- Wi-Fi access point mapping
- Latency-based triangulation measurements
- BGP routing table analysis
Step 3: Real-Time Lookup
When you enter an IP in our tool, we query these databases in milliseconds and display the most accurate location data available. The entire process happens faster than you can blink.
What IP Lookup Can and Cannot Tell You
Understanding the capabilities and limitations of IP address lookup is essential. Many people have unrealistic expectations about what an IP can reveal.
What You WILL Get
- • Country (99% accurate)
- • State or region (90-95% accurate)
- • City (80-85% accurate)
- • Postal/ZIP code (approximate)
- • ISP and organization name
- • ASN (network identifier)
- • Timezone
- • Approximate coordinates
- • Connection type (residential/datacenter)
What You WON'T Get
- • Person's name
- • Exact street address
- • Home or apartment number
- • Phone number
- • Email address
- • Social media profiles
- • Browsing history
- • Personal identification
- • Financial information
The information that IP lookup cannot provide is protected by privacy laws and ISP policies. Only law enforcement agencies with proper legal authority (court orders, subpoenas) can request subscriber details from ISPs. Our IP locator tool only accesses publicly available network registration data.
How Accurate Is IP Geolocation? The Complete Truth
One of the most common questions about IP lookup is accuracy. The answer depends on what level of detail you need.
IP Lookup Accuracy by Level:
Why Does My IP Show a Different City?
If you run an IP lookup on your own connection and see a city 20-100 miles away, this is completely normal. Here is why:
Your internet traffic does not go directly from your home to websites. Instead, it travels through your ISP's network infrastructure. Most ISPs have regional "hubs" or data centers where traffic is processed and routed to the wider internet. The IP address assigned to you is registered to whichever hub serves your area.
For example, if you live in a suburb of Chicago but your ISP's nearest hub is in downtown Chicago, the IP location will show Chicago, not your suburb. This is actually a privacy feature - it prevents anyone from pinpointing your exact neighborhood.
Factors That Affect IP Geolocation Accuracy
- ISP Infrastructure: Large ISPs with many regional hubs provide more accurate results than smaller ISPs with centralized infrastructure.
- Connection Type: Residential connections are typically more accurate than mobile or satellite connections.
- Geographic Region: Accuracy is highest in the US and Europe (85%+ city level) and lower in developing regions (55-70% city level).
- IP Type: Static IPs assigned to businesses are usually more accurate than dynamic residential IPs that change regularly.
- Database Freshness: Geolocation databases are updated regularly, but some ISP changes may take weeks to reflect.
Pro Tip: If you need to verify an IP's location for business purposes, cross-reference results from multiple geolocation services. Our tool queries multiple databases for the most accurate results, but independent verification is always wise for high-stakes decisions.
10 Common Reasons People Use IP Address Lookup
IP lookup tools are used by millions of people daily for legitimate purposes. Here are the most common use cases:
1. Fraud Prevention and Security
Banks, e-commerce sites, and payment processors use IP geolocation to detect suspicious transactions. If a customer in New York suddenly makes a purchase from an IP in Eastern Europe, the system flags it for review. This prevents billions of dollars in credit card fraud annually.
2. Content Localization
Websites use IP lookup to automatically display content in the visitor's language, show local currency, or customize offerings by region. When you visit an international site and it immediately shows your country's version, IP geolocation made that happen.
3. Streaming and Licensing Compliance
Services like Netflix, Hulu, and Spotify use IP location to enforce regional content licensing. Movie studios and record labels license content differently in each country, so streaming services must verify your location before showing certain content.
4. Targeted Advertising
Advertisers use IP data to show relevant local ads. A pizza chain can target ads to users in cities where they have locations, rather than wasting money showing ads to people across the country.
5. Network Troubleshooting
IT professionals use IP tracker tools to diagnose network issues. By identifying which ISP or network segment an IP belongs to, they can isolate and fix connectivity problems faster. Use our Ping Test and DNS Lookup for complete network diagnostics.
6. Investigating Online Harassment and Spam
When you receive threatening emails or spam, IP lookup helps identify the source. While you cannot get the sender's name, you can determine their ISP and report the abuse. Check if IPs are already flagged with our IP Blacklist Checker.
7. Verifying VPN Connections
VPN users often check their IP location to confirm their connection is working. If the lookup shows your VPN server's location instead of your real location, your privacy is protected. Verify your status on our homepage.
8. Digital Marketing Analytics
Website owners use IP geolocation to understand where their visitors come from. This data helps with marketing decisions, content strategy, and understanding audience demographics.
9. Compliance and Legal Requirements
Some services are legally required to restrict access by region. Online gambling sites, for example, must verify that users are in jurisdictions where their service is legal.
10. Parental Monitoring
Parents sometimes use IP lookup to verify where their children are accessing the internet from, ensuring they are at school or a friend's house as claimed.
What Is ASN and Why Is It Important in IP Lookup?
When you use our IP address lookup tool, you will notice an ASN (Autonomous System Number) in the results. For many security professionals, the ASN is actually more valuable than the city location.
An Autonomous System (AS) is a large network or group of networks managed by a single organization. Every major ISP, cloud provider, university, and large corporation has their own unique ASN. The ASN identifies who controls the network infrastructure that an IP address belongs to.
Examples of Well-Known ASNs
- AS15169 - Google LLC
- AS16509 - Amazon (AWS)
- AS8075 - Microsoft Azure
- AS7922 - Comcast Cable
- AS3356 - Lumen (Level 3)
- AS13335 - Cloudflare
- AS14618 - Amazon.com
- AS32934 - Facebook (Meta)
How Security Teams Use ASN Data
ASN lookup helps security professionals distinguish between different types of traffic:
- Residential ASNs (Comcast, AT&T, Verizon) indicate real home users - generally trusted traffic.
- Datacenter ASNs (AWS, DigitalOcean, OVH) often indicate servers, bots, VPNs, or potential attacks.
- Mobile Carrier ASNs (T-Mobile, Verizon Wireless) indicate mobile users with potentially changing locations.
- Educational ASNs indicate traffic from universities or schools.
For fraud prevention, seeing an order from a datacenter ASN rather than a residential ASN is a major red flag. Our Cloud IP Checker specifically identifies datacenter IPs for this purpose.
Pro Tip: If you are investigating suspicious traffic, always check the ASN first. A residential IP behaving strangely might be a compromised home computer. A datacenter IP is more likely an intentional attack or automated bot.
IPv4 vs IPv6: What You Need to Know
Our IP lookup tool works with both IPv4 and IPv6 addresses. Understanding the difference helps you interpret results correctly.
IPv4 Addresses
IPv4 is the original format that has been in use since the 1980s. These addresses look like four numbers separated by dots: 192.168.1.1 or 8.8.8.8
The problem? IPv4 only supports about 4.3 billion unique addresses. With billions of devices now connecting to the internet, we ran out of new IPv4 addresses around 2011. Today, IPv4 addresses are recycled and shared using techniques like NAT (Network Address Translation).
IPv6 Addresses
IPv6 was created to solve the address exhaustion problem. These addresses are much longer: 2001:0db8:85a3:0000:0000:8a2e:0370:7334
IPv6 provides 340 undecillion addresses (that is 340 followed by 36 zeros). We will never run out. Most modern devices support both protocols, and ISPs are gradually transitioning to IPv6.
IP Lookup Works the Same for Both
Whether you enter an IPv4 or IPv6 address in our tool, the lookup process and results are identical. You will get the same location, ISP, and ASN information. The format does not affect accuracy.
Note: Some older geolocation databases have less coverage for IPv6 addresses. Our tool uses databases with comprehensive IPv6 support, but accuracy may be slightly lower for very new IPv6 allocations.
Static vs Dynamic IP Addresses: How They Affect IP Lookup
Not all IP addresses behave the same way. Understanding the difference between static and dynamic IPs helps you interpret IP lookup results.
Dynamic IP Addresses
Most home internet users have dynamic IPs. Your ISP assigns you an IP address from a pool when you connect. This IP can change periodically - sometimes daily, sometimes when you restart your router, or sometimes it stays the same for weeks.
IP lookup implications:
- The location shown is the ISP's regional hub, which remains consistent even if your specific IP changes
- If you lookup an IP today, it might be assigned to a different customer tomorrow
- Historical IP data may not reflect the current user
Static IP Addresses
Static IPs are permanently assigned and never change. Businesses typically pay extra for static IPs because they need a consistent address for servers, remote access, and security configurations.
IP lookup implications:
- Location data is usually more accurate and specific
- The IP reliably identifies the same organization over time
- Better for security auditing and access control
Important: If you are investigating an IP address, remember that dynamic IPs get reassigned. An IP that was used for abuse last month may now belong to a completely innocent user. Always consider the timestamp of any incident alongside IP data.
How VPNs and Proxies Affect IP Lookup Results
A major limitation of IP geolocation is that VPNs and proxies can mask real locations. Here is how these technologies affect IP lookup:
Virtual Private Networks (VPNs)
When you connect to a VPN, your internet traffic is routed through the VPN provider's server. Any website you visit (including IP lookup tools) sees the VPN server's IP address, not yours.
For example, if you are physically in London but connected to a VPN server in New York, our IP tracker will show New York as your location. This is the primary purpose of VPNs - to mask your geographic origin.
Proxy Servers
Proxies work similarly but typically only route specific application traffic (like web browsing). The IP lookup will show the proxy server's location, not the user's actual location.
Detecting VPNs and Proxies
Many IP lookup services, including ours, can detect when an IP belongs to a known VPN or proxy provider. We check the ASN, look for datacenter hosting signatures, and compare against databases of known VPN IP ranges. Our Proxy Detection Tool specifically identifies these connections.
However, high-quality "residential proxies" that route traffic through real home internet connections are much harder to detect. They appear as legitimate residential traffic because they technically are.
Verify Your VPN: If you use a VPN for privacy, you should regularly check that it is working. Visit our homepage to see what IP address the internet sees. If it shows your VPN server's location (not your real location), your privacy is protected.
Mobile IP Addresses: Special Considerations
IP lookup for mobile devices has unique challenges. Mobile IPs behave differently than home internet connections.
How Mobile IP Assignment Works
When your phone connects to the internet via cellular data, it receives an IP address from your mobile carrier (T-Mobile, Verizon, AT&T, etc.). These IPs are drawn from large pools shared among thousands of users in a region.
Why Mobile IP Lookup Is Less Accurate
- Carrier Gateway Locations: Mobile IPs often show the location of the carrier's regional gateway, which could be in a different city entirely.
- CGNAT (Carrier-Grade NAT): Many mobile carriers share single IP addresses among hundreds of users simultaneously, making individual location impossible.
- Frequent Changes: As you move between cell towers or areas, your IP can change multiple times per day.
- Roaming: When roaming internationally, your IP might show your home country's carrier rather than your actual location.
For mobile IPs, expect city-level accuracy to drop to 50-70% compared to 80-85% for residential fixed-line connections.
Is IP Address Lookup Legal? Understanding Privacy Laws
A common question about IP lookup is whether it is legal. The short answer: yes, IP lookup is completely legal. Here is why:
IP Addresses Are Public Information
Every time you visit a website, send an email, or use any internet service, your IP address is transmitted as part of the communication. This is how the internet fundamentally works - your IP tells servers where to send requested data. You cannot hide your IP address from the services you use (without a VPN).
Because IP addresses are inherently visible to every server you connect to, they are considered public information. Looking up the location associated with an IP is no different than reading the return address on an envelope.
What About Privacy Laws Like GDPR?
Under GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) in Europe, IP addresses are considered "personal data" when they can be linked to an identifiable person. However, this applies to collecting and storing IPs for tracking purposes, not to looking up publicly available geolocation data.
The geolocation data you see in IP lookup tools (country, city, ISP) does not identify any individual. It only identifies network infrastructure locations.
What IS Illegal
While IP lookup itself is legal, certain uses of the information could cross legal lines:
- • Using IP data to stalk, harass, or threaten someone
- • Attempting to hack or attack systems based on IP information
- • Impersonating law enforcement to obtain subscriber details from ISPs
- • Using IP data for discrimination in housing, employment, or services
Remember: IP lookup shows where networks are located, not where individuals live. Using this information responsibly means understanding its limitations and respecting privacy.
IP Lookup: Frequently Asked Questions
Q How do I find the location of an IP address?
Enter any IP address in our free IP lookup tool at the top of this page and click "Find Location." You will instantly see the city, country, ISP, ASN, timezone, and coordinates on an interactive map. Our tool works with both IPv4 and IPv6 addresses.
Q Can someone find my exact home address from my IP?
No. IP lookup can only determine your approximate city or region, never your street address or home location. The location shown is your ISP's network hub, not your home. Only your ISP knows which subscriber is assigned which IP, and they only share this with law enforcement through proper legal channels.
Q Why does the IP lookup show I am in a different city?
This is normal. IP geolocation shows your ISP's regional network hub, not your home. Your internet traffic routes through ISP infrastructure that may be located in a nearby larger city. This actually protects your privacy by preventing precise location tracking.
Q Is it legal to lookup someone's IP address?
Yes, IP lookup is completely legal. IP addresses are public information transmitted with every internet connection. Businesses legally use IP geolocation for fraud prevention, content localization, advertising, and security purposes every day. However, using the information for harassment or illegal activities is prohibited.
Q How can I hide my IP address from lookup tools?
Use a VPN (Virtual Private Network) to mask your real IP address. When connected to a VPN, lookup tools show the VPN server's location instead of yours. Verify your VPN is working by checking your IP on our homepage before and after connecting.
Q What is ASN and why does it appear in IP lookup results?
ASN (Autonomous System Number) identifies the network operator controlling an IP address. Every major ISP and organization has a unique ASN. Security professionals use ASN to distinguish between residential users (trusted), datacenter/VPN connections (potentially suspicious), and mobile carriers. Learn more with our WHOIS Lookup.
Q Can I lookup both IPv4 and IPv6 addresses?
Yes, our IP lookup tool works with both formats. IPv4 addresses look like 8.8.8.8 while IPv6 addresses are longer like 2001:4860:4860::8888. The geolocation process and results are identical for both types.
Q How often is IP geolocation data updated?
Major geolocation databases update weekly or bi-weekly. However, when ISPs reassign IP blocks or change infrastructure, it may take several weeks for all databases to reflect the changes. For critical applications, consider verifying against multiple sources.
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