The IP address lookup guide
Reading an IP address lookup, field by field
What each result means, where it comes from and where it stops being reliable.
What an IP address lookup returns
An IP address lookup starts with one address and answers a narrow question: which network is this, and who runs it? The most useful fields are the autonomous system number (ASN), the name of that system, the address range your result falls into, the internet service provider, the organization behind the block and the reverse DNS hostname.
Location is shown too, but as context rather than the headline. It is a statistical estimate of where a network is used, not a street address, and it says nothing about who is sitting behind the connection.
ASN and AS name
the network that announces the address to the rest of the internet.
Network range from ASN data
the block of addresses mapped to that ASN in a public dataset.
Hostname
the reverse DNS (PTR) record, which the network operator chooses.
Network type and signals
whether the address matches a hosting network or a Tor exit list.
Who owns an IP: registries, ASN, WHOIS and RDAP
Address space is handed out by five regional internet registries: ARIN, RIPE NCC, APNIC, LACNIC and AFRINIC. Each keeps a public record of who was allocated which block. WHOIS is the old text protocol for reading those records; RDAP is its structured, JSON-based successor.
An ASN is different from an allocation. The registry record tells you who holds a block on paper, while the ASN tells you which network currently announces it. A hosting company can hold a block that a customer operates, so the two names can legitimately differ.
Registry records are fetched only when you ask, using the Show registry owner button or an explicit lookup, because that query sends the address to a registry that may sit outside the EU. Contacts are sometimes missing or redacted.
Reporting abuse from an IP address
If spam, a brute-force attempt or a scan reached you from an address, the right recipient is the abuse contact published for that block, not the person you suspect. Registries list an abuse mailbox for most allocations; large networks usually accept reports through a web form.
Send the exact timestamp with time zone, the address, and a few log lines. Do not accuse anyone. An address is evidence of a network, and the operator is the party able to look up which customer held it at that moment.
Reading VPN, proxy and datacenter signals
This tool reports two free signals. A Tor match means the address appears on the official list of Tor exit relays. A hosting match means the address belongs to an ASN that is commonly used for cloud and datacenter servers, such as AWS, Google Cloud, Azure, Hetzner, OVH or DigitalOcean.
Neither is a verdict. A hosting network can carry a company website, a monitoring probe or a VPN, and most traffic from it is harmless. A result of not identified does not mean residential and does not mean safe; it means these two lists had no match.
VPN and proxy detection, and any numerical risk score, are not available here. They would need a dedicated reputation source, and we do not invent a number to fill the space.
How accurate is IP location?
Providers disagree because each builds its database from different registry data, network measurements and partner feeds. As rough, source-dependent estimates, country is right about 95 to 99 percent of the time, region about 55 to 80 percent and city about 50 to 75 percent. Mobile networks, satellite links, corporate gateways and VPNs push those numbers down.
The map on this page therefore marks an approximate point, often the centre of a city or a service area. IPv6 coverage is still thinner than IPv4 in many databases, so a missing field is shown as unavailable instead of guessed.
Country
A broad geographic estimate
Region
Can vary by provider and network
City
An approximate area, not an address
IP lookup versus an IP tracker
A lookup describes one address you supply: who operates it and what kind of network it is. An IP tracker is a different job: it records the addresses of people who visit your own website, so you can see visit history over time.
Use the lookup when you are investigating a single address from a log, email header or alert. If you want the broader location and demographic profile of an address, the existing IP tracker article covers the basics of IP addresses and privacy, and we link to it rather than repeat it here.
Read the IP tracker guide for IP basics, privacy and website visit history.
How to find your own IP address
This page detects the address your connection presents to the internet and fills it in automatically. Your device also has a private local address, which is a different thing. To find that one:
Windows
open Command Prompt and run ipconfig, then read the IPv4 Address line.
Mac
open System Settings, choose Network, select your connection and click Details.
iPhone
open Settings, tap Wi-Fi, then the info button next to your network.
Android
open Settings, Network and internet, Wi-Fi, and tap your connected network.
Public and private addresses, IPv4 and IPv6
Public addresses are reachable across the internet and can be looked up. Private and reserved ranges, such as 10.0.0.0/8, 172.16.0.0/12, 192.168.0.0/16, loopback and link-local addresses, only mean something inside a local network, so there is no owner or location to report. The tool tells you so instead of returning an empty result.
IPv4 addresses are four numbers such as 203.0.113.7. IPv6 addresses are longer, written in hexadecimal groups such as 2001:db8::1, and exist because IPv4 space ran out. Many connections now use both.
Frequently asked questions
01Can I find a person's name or address from an IP address?
No. An IP lookup shows the network operator and an approximate area. Only the provider can link an address to a customer, and generally only through a legal process.
02Can an IP address tell me a phone number?
No. An IP address carries no phone number. A mobile carrier address identifies the carrier network, shared by many subscribers.
03Is it legal to look up an IP address?
Looking up public registry and network data is generally lawful, but rules differ by country. Using results to harass, stalk or profile someone may be unlawful where you live. Check local law if in doubt.
04Can I do a reverse IP lookup?
You can see the reverse DNS hostname of an address. Listing every website hosted on a shared address is a different service and is not offered here.
05Why does the owner show Amazon, Google or Cloudflare?
Cloud and CDN companies hold huge address blocks that customers rent. The owner is the infrastructure provider, not necessarily the site or person using it.
06How much does it cost, and do I need to sign up?
It is free and needs no account or signup.
07Why is the registered owner not shown at first?
Registry data is fetched only when you press Look up IP or Show registry owner, because it sends the address to an external registry.