Blog · IPv4 / IPv6

IPv4 vs IPv6: what you see on “what is my IP?”

Quick answer: IPv4 is the classic internet address format (four numbers). IPv6 is the newer, longer format. What Is My IP Address IP can show both when your connection exposes them.

Many users see only IPv4—that is normal. IPv6 rows appear when the browser successfully detects a public IPv6 address for your session.

Run What Is My IP Address IP to see your live addresses.

Why both protocols exist

IPv4’s 32-bit space is exhausted at the global routing level; carriers use NAT and address sharing to cope. IPv6 provides a vastly larger 128-bit space so devices can have globally unique addresses without so many layers of translation. Real networks often run dual stack: IPv4 for compatibility, IPv6 for growth. Seeing only IPv4 on a checker is still common.

Notation and typing

IPv4 uses dotted decimal. IPv6 uses eight groups of hex digits, with :: shortcuts for long runs of zeros. Firewalls and hosting panels ask for one format or the other—don’t paste the wrong type into the wrong field.

Same concepts: geolocation and VPN

Geo databases and VPN exit cities apply to both families. A VPN still swaps your visible endpoint whether that endpoint is v4 or v6. Read what IP a VPN shows and IP geolocation accuracy.

If IPv6 is missing

Your ISP might not offer it, your router might filter it, or the OS path might be v4-only. Troubleshooting: why IPv6 is not showing and the big-picture IPv4 exhaustion article.

People also ask

Which is faster? Neither protocol is inherently “faster”—latency depends on routing and congestion, not the address format.

Do I need to memorize IPv6? No—copy/paste like IPv4; just be careful with shortened forms and firewall rules.

Why do some games show only IPv4? Legacy netcode and older middleware still assume IPv4 literals.

Extended guide: reading addresses out loud

IPv4 is simple to dictate in four groups. IPv6 is longer—read the hex groups carefully, confirm double-colon placement once, and prefer pasting to avoid transcription errors.

When splitting traffic by protocol in firewalls, remember rules are independent; blocking one family while allowing the other can cause confusing partial connectivity.

Happy Eyeballs algorithms in browsers pick IPv6 or IPv4 based on measured performance—users rarely need to micromanage this.

Hosting providers often ask for both A and AAAA records for dual-stack sites; mismatches there are DNS issues, not “my IP” issues.

Subnet masks and prefix lengths (light touch)

IPv4 home LANs often use /24 subnets (255.255.255.0). WAN masks on consumer gear are assigned by the ISP—users rarely need to edit them. Misunderstanding “subnet” vs “public IP” causes endless forum threads; stick to what our checker prints unless you are configuring routers professionally.

IPv6 prefixes are typically /64 on LANs for SLAAC. Your ISP might delegate a shorter prefix (/56) for multiple subnets. If that sounds unfamiliar, defer to ISP support when enabling IPv6 on advanced routers.

Multicast and anycast are out of scope for beginners; if you see unusual scopes in deep diagnostics, capture full output for networking subs rather than guessing.

When someone says “IPv6 is faster,” they usually mean fewer NAT hops in ideal conditions—not a universal speed boost on every site.

Literacy drills that stick

Practice reading one IPv4 and one IPv6 address daily for a week—dictation speed improves support calls more than any single tool download.

Explain to a friend why game servers might show IPv6 disabled even when their PC has it—legacy middleware lags reality.

Sketch dual-stack on paper: two parallel paths to the same hostname with independent firewall rules—helps when only one protocol fails.

Remember ICMPv6 neighbor discovery replaces some ARP roles; blocking “all ICMP” blindly breaks IPv6 more often than IPv4.

Cloud dashboards listing both A and AAAA records should match what clients resolve—mismatch is DNS, not “IP type” confusion.

Finally, celebrate small wins: understanding notation prevents hours of misdirected troubleshooting later.

Where to go next

If this article clicked, bookmark our IPv6 visibility and DNS primers next—networking makes more sense when name resolution, address families, and routing each have their own mental slot instead of blurring into “the internet feels broken.”

Summary checklist

Identify which lines you see on our checker. If only one appears, note which. When configuring servers, test both families independently.

Learning both families pays off: when only one protocol misbehaves, you will know whether to open a DNS ticket or an IPv6 delegation ticket instead of guessing.

Related guides

• DNS vs IP address — names are not addresses.
• Why is IPv6 not showing? — local checks.
• Public vs private IP — applies to both protocols.