The TV-show version of "tracing an IP" zooms a satellite to a house number in seconds. The reality is messier and far less precise. Here's what an IP address actually reveals about your location — and the only people who can do better.

What public IP geolocation can do

Public databases (used by most websites and apps) map IP ranges to:

• Country: 95–99% accurate
• State/region: 80–90% accurate
• City: 55–80% accurate (worse on mobile and rural)
• Postal code: 20–50% accurate
• Street address: impossible from IP alone

The latitude/longitude returned is usually the centroid of a city or ISP service area — not where you are.

Why it's never your exact address

Your ISP assigned the same IP block to thousands of customers in your region. The geolocation database knows the block, not which house. Cellular and satellite users can be off by tens of miles because the IP geolocates to the carrier's nearest hub. Why IP location often shows the wrong city covers this in detail.

Who CAN find your address from your IP

Your ISP can — they billed you for that connection at that address. Law enforcement with a subpoena can request the mapping. No one else, on the public side, can. A random user with your IP can't do better than "somewhere in your metro area."

What about apps with GPS?

Mobile apps don't need your IP to know where you are — they can ask the OS for GPS, which is accurate to a few meters. If you've granted location permission to a sketchy app, your IP is the least of your concerns.

Want to see how accurate yours is?

Check your own IP and compare the city/coordinates to where you actually are. Most users are 5–50 miles off. That's the honest precision of IP geolocation.

Try it now

Curious what your IP is showing the world right now? Check your IP address & location instantly with our free tool — no signup, nothing stored. Or trace any other IP to see its geolocation, ISP, and network details.