How to Find an IP Address Using DOS

Your IP address identifies your internet connection

Your IP ("Internet Protocol") address uniquely identifies your connection to a network. You need to know it to directly connect to your computer remotely, grant your computer access to online resources or define permissions when uploading. You can easily find your IP address by utilizing DOS, or the command prompt, which is native to your computer.

Instructions

1. Open the command prompt by selecting the "Start" menu, then entering "cmd" in the search bar.

2. Type the command "netstat -n". The window will list all your open connections, including the addresses to which you're connecting. The second column, "Local Address," will list a series of addresses. All are identical, but all end with a colon and a different number.

3. Pick any entry from the "Local Address" column.

4. Ignore the colon and the number that follows it in the entry you chose. The remaining sequence of numbers forms your IP address.

Tips & Warnings

• The DOS command "ipconfig" also returns your IP address.

References

• "Managing & Troubleshooting Net"; Mike Meyers; 2009