Introduction
IPv6 addresses look intimidating — a long string of hexadecimal characters separated by colons. But they work on the same principle as IPv4 addresses: they uniquely identify your device or connection on the internet. Here's how to find yours and what it all means.
What Is an IPv6 Address?
An IPv6 address is a 128-bit identifier for a device on a network. It's the successor to IPv4, designed to solve the address exhaustion problem that occurred as billions of devices connected to the internet.
Example IPv6 address:
2001:0db8:85a3:0000:0000:8a2e:0370:7334
Shortened form:
2001:db8:85a3::8a2e:370:7334
How to Find Your IPv6 Address Instantly
Visit what-is-my-ip.best — if your connection supports IPv6, your IPv6 address is shown alongside your IPv4 address.
How to Find Your IPv6 Address on Each Device
Windows:
ipconfig
Look for "IPv6 Address" under your network adapter.
Mac:
ifconfig | grep inet6
iPhone: Settings → Wi-Fi → tap (i) next to your network → IPv6 Address section
Android: Settings → Wi-Fi → tap your network → look for IPv6 addresses
Linux:
ip -6 addr show
Understanding Your IPv6 Address
An IPv6 address has two parts:
- Network prefix (first 64 bits): Identifies your network (assigned by your ISP)
- Interface identifier (last 64 bits): Identifies your specific device on that network
Types of IPv6 addresses:
| Type | Description |
|---|---|
| Global unicast | Publicly routable (like a public IPv4) starts with 2 or 3 |
| Link-local | Only valid on your local network segment, starts with fe80:: |
| Loopback | ::1 — equivalent to 127.0.0.1 in IPv4 |
| Unique local | Private IPv6 range, starts with fc00:: or fd00:: |
You likely have multiple IPv6 addresses — a link-local one always, and potentially a global one if your ISP supports IPv6.
Does Every Device Have an IPv6 Address?
Not necessarily. IPv6 adoption is around 40–45% globally (2026), meaning many ISPs still use only IPv4 or offer both (dual-stack). If your ISP doesn't support IPv6, your devices won't have a global IPv6 address.
Privacy and IPv6
One concern with IPv6 is that without NAT (which IPv4 relied on), individual devices are more directly addressable. Some IPv6 implementations use privacy extensions (RFC 4941) that generate temporary, random interface identifiers to reduce tracking risk.
Windows, Mac, iOS, and Android all implement IPv6 privacy extensions by default.
Conclusion
Your IPv6 address is your device's identifier on the modern internet. If your ISP supports IPv6, you have one — and it's visible to the websites you visit. Check yours at what-is-my-ip.best.
Last updated: 2026 | Category: IP Address Basics