🔢 IPv4 / IPv6 Test
See whether your device currently connects over IPv4, IPv6, or both — useful for troubleshooting connectivity issues.
About IPv4 / IPv6 Test
This tool calls the ipwho.is API to fetch your current public IP address and checks its format to report whether you're connecting over IPv4 (addresses like 203.0.113.5), IPv6 (addresses like 2001:db8::1), or effectively both if your network and device support dual-stack connectivity. It's a quick, concrete way to answer a question that otherwise requires digging into router or OS network settings.
This matters for troubleshooting specific connectivity problems: some services or games behave differently — or fail outright — over IPv6 if a router's IPv6 support is buggy, and some ISPs still only offer IPv4 or place customers behind carrier-grade NAT, which can affect port forwarding, peer-to-peer connections, or self-hosted services reachable from outside your network. Knowing definitively which protocol you're on narrows down where to look when something isn't working as expected.
Most modern devices and networks are dual-stack, meaning they support both protocols and use whichever a given website or service prefers, typically IPv6 when it's available since that's usually the preferred default in dual-stack setups. Which one gets used for any particular connection can still depend on the specific website, your router's configuration, and your ISP's own IPv6 rollout, so it's normal for this to show IPv4 on one network and IPv6 on another.
Frequently asked questions
What's the difference between IPv4 and IPv6?
IPv4 addresses (like 203.0.113.5) are the older, more limited address format. IPv6 (like 2001:db8::1) is the newer standard built to support far more devices. Most connections today use IPv4 or a mix of both.
Does it matter which one I use?
For everyday browsing, no — both work fine. Some networks and services perform slightly better on IPv6 where it's fully supported.
Why do I sometimes see an IPv4 address and sometimes an IPv6 address on the same device?
This depends on which network you're connected to and how it's configured — home Wi-Fi, mobile data, and a work or public network can each have different IPv6 support, and even on the same network the protocol used can vary by which service you're reaching.
Is IPv6 more secure than IPv4?
Not inherently — the protocols differ in address space and some technical details, but real-world security depends far more on your firewall, router configuration, and the services you expose than on which IP protocol version is in use.
Can I force my connection to use IPv4 or IPv6?
On most routers and operating systems, yes — you can typically disable IPv6 in your router or network adapter settings to force IPv4-only, though this can occasionally break connectivity to services that now expect IPv6.