Finding the IP address on a Raspberry Pi is often one of the first steps to take after any fresh installation, or maybe even after a reboot. Unfortunately, it’s not the easiest thing to do, especially if you are new on this device. I have many solutions for you, let’s see how to do this.
Here are 3 ways to quickly find the IP address on a Raspberry Pi:
- Open a terminal and type “ifconfig”. The IP address will be on the second line.
- Mouse over the network icon (top right) on Raspberry Pi OS.
- Visit your router web interface and check the connected devices.
In this tutorial, we’ll see how to find the IP of your Raspberry in different ways:
– with a screen (on a desktop or a minimal operating system).
– from another PC on the network (Linux or windows).
– from a network equipment (internet box, router, …).
Note: there is a video tutorial at the end of this article if you prefer an animated answer 🙂
We will also see how to set a static IP on the Raspberry Pi to avoid this issue in the future.
If you need help getting started on Raspberry Pi, I have an entire course to guide you through your first steps. I’ll help you use the perfect hardware, plug everything in and install your first system. You’ll also do your first project with me, just to make sure you are ready for the next level. Get all the information on this page if you are interested.
How To Get The Current IP Address With A Monitor
Here is how to find the Raspberry IP address if you have a screen connected to it (or if you can connect one easily).
In the command line
You will get something like this:
eth0 is the LAN (wired) interface, and wlan0 is the WLAN (wireless) network interface.
I have squared in red the IP addresses, so in my case :
– 192.168.1.22 is my LAN IP.
– 192.168.1.15 is my WLAN IP.
Note: On some distributions (like Ubuntu or Debian), “ifconfig” is deprecated or even no longer available by default. You can use “ip a” instead to get a similar result:ip a
Check this article to see how to do the same thing on Ubuntu and other distributions.
Are you a bit lost in the Linux command line? Check this article first, for the most important commands to remember, and a free downloadable cheat sheet so you can have the commands at your fingertips.
If you are lost in all these new words and abbreviations, request my free Raspberry Pi glossary here (PDF format)!
In the graphical interface
If you prefer to use graphical tools, no problem, go to the taskbar, and mouse over the network icon on the right.
You will get something like this :
You will find the same information:
– wlan0 = Wi-Fi = 192.168.1.15
– eth0 = RJ45 cable = 192.168.1.22
So if you have a screen, you normally get the IP address of your Raspberry Pi pretty quickly.
How To Find The Raspberry Pi IP Address From Another Computer
Finding the IP address from another PC will be less obvious, but you can also do it.
Find the Raspberry Pi IP from a Linux/Mac PC :
Arp cache :
Remove the grep command if you want to show everything.
Nmap :
Nmap is a network scanner used to discover computers on a network.
That’s precisely what we want to do!
If needed, you have to install it with this command for a Debian-like system:sudo apt-get install nmap
Then you can use Nmap to scan the network and display all results :$ sudo nmap -sP 192.168.1.0/24 | grep raspberry
Nmap scan report for raspberrypi.home (192.168.1.15)
The same thing here, the grep command is not mandatory.
Ping :
I tell you because it can help with some systems where the other tools are not available, but it’s a very slow solution.
Ping is a tool that you probably know, which allows knowing if an IP address answers (and therefore if it is connected to the network).
There is a lesser-known option that allow you to ping your entire network, and collect responses.
You will get the list of used IP addresses and can find which one corresponds to your Raspberry Pi.
Do this command and wait:ping -b 192.168.1.255
Find the Raspberry Pi IP from Windows :
From Windows, you can also use ping broadcast address.
But I recommend a free tool, which is called Advanced IP Scanner that can scan an entire network or just a portion of it.
The interface is very intuitive, and it might be useful for other projects.
I put you a screenshot here so that you can get an idea of it, and you can download it on their official website.
If you are lost in all these new words and abbreviations, request my free Raspberry Pi glossary here (PDF format)!
Quick tip: If you keep the default hostname value when you use Raspberry Pi Imager (in the advanced options, as explained here), it will be “raspberrypi”. If you only have one Raspberry Pi on the network, you can try to connect to it directly (instead of the IP address), sometimes it will save you :-).
Find the Raspberry Pi IP Address On Your Router
If the other solutions did not work, or if your Raspberry Pi is on an isolated network, consider using your router to find its current IP address.
Most routers display the list of devices connected to the network, with their IP address and their mac address. If you have access to this interface, it should help you.
Given the number of routers on the market, I can’t help you with more details here.
You will have to check your router instructions to know exactly how to do this.
How to Set a Static IP on Raspberry Pi (LAN or WLAN)
Ok, so this time we managed to find the Raspberry Pi on the network, but it would be better to set a static IP address.
This will allow us to connect to it without doing the same thing each time, just by entering IP address that we will define now.
Some network concepts
If you lost your Raspberry Pi today, it’s probably because it was set on DHCP until now.
What is DHCP?
A DHCP is a system that automatically assigns IP addresses on a network.
At home, you generally have an internet box that takes care of that.
It will distribute IP addresses on a predefined network (for example, 192.168.1.X) and a range of IP addresses reserved for DHCP (for example, from 1.100 to 1.150).
The first thing to do before setting your Raspberry Pi in static IP is to know your network configuration.
Ideally, you should avoid choosing a static IP in the DHCP range.
How to define my static IP address?
In my example, I can set the IP address of the Raspberry to 192.168.1.200.
The DHCP server will no longer have any impact on the Raspberry Pi once the IP address is set to static.
If you do not have this information, try choosing a new IP far from the IP addresses assigned to your other computers.
Set the Static IP Address from a Terminal
Ok, now that you know which IP to choose for your Raspberry Pi, let’s see how to do it using the command line for now.
Ethernet connection :
- Edit the configuration file :
nano /etc/dhcpcd.conf - Add this line (or uncomment them) :
interface eth0
static ip_address=192.168.1.200/24
static routers=192.168.1.1
static domain_name_servers=192.168.1.1Don’t forget to replace this values with your network configuration.
- Reboot your Raspberry Pi :
sudo reboot
After the reboot, you can check your new static IP with ipconfig.
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Wireless connection :
It’s almost the same thing if you are using your Wi-Fi connection:
- Edit the configuration file :
nano /etc/dhcpcd.conf - Add this line (or uncomment them) :
interface wlan0
static ip_address=192.168.1.201/24
static routers=192.168.1.1
static domain_name_servers=192.168.1.1
Don’t forget to replace this values with your network configuration. - Reboot your Raspberry Pi :
sudo reboot
Via the desktop GUI
As usual, if you prefer the GUI, here’s how to do the same thing (and it’s rather simple for once):
- Right-click on the Network icon in the taskbar.
- Select “Wireless and Wired Network Settings”.
- And you will get a window in which you have to fill your network settings (eth0 = Wired, wlan0 = Wi-Fi).
All you have to do is restart your Raspberry Pi to apply the settings.
Via your router (again) :
Again, on most routers and internet boxes it is possible to configure the DHCP server to assign an IP address to a host (mac address).
This configuration allows you to leave your Raspberry Pi in DHCP, but make sure it always gets the same IP.
This can be a good solution, especially if you are not always using the Raspberry Pi on the same network.
Video
FAQ
What if my Raspberry Pi is not showing any IP address?
In this case, the most common scenario is that you are not connected to a network. Check your cable or Wi-Fi connection. Sometimes a cable not fully plugged, or a wrong password will be the reason. For A Wi-Fi network, also make sure you have defined the Wi-Fi country in the Raspberry Pi configuration tool.
How to use the Raspberry Pi IP address for remote access over Internet?
Be careful, the IP address on the local network and the public one seen on the Internet is not the same. To access your Raspberry Pi remotely (over the Internet), you need to forward your public address to the Raspberry Pi. This can generally be done on your router. More details here.
How to connect to the Raspberry Pi once I know its IP address?
You can connect to a Raspberry Pi with SSH or a remote access tool like VNC once you know its IP address. Click on the links to learn more about these solutions.
How to find the public IP address of my Raspberry Pi?
The public address is generally the same for all devices on your local network, it’s defined on your Internet router. You can use a tool like this one to find it from your computer or Raspberry Pi.
If you want it to redirect to your Raspberry Pi local IP address (the one I talk about in this article), you’ll need to enable port forwarding or some kind of NAT on your router. I explain this in more details in this other article.
How do I access my Raspberry Pi from my router?
Routers will generally list all the devices connected to it, so you can use this interface to find the current IP address of a Raspberry Pi. But, most of the time, routers don’t have remote access features. Use a computer to remote access the Raspberry Pi.
How to make Raspberry Pi visible on network?
Raspberry Pi are visible on the network by default. If you can detect it, make sure the Wi-Fi is enabled and configured or an Ethernet cable is plugged to your network. Check the interface directly on the Raspberry Pi screen for troubleshooting this issue.
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Conclusion :
And that’s it!
You have learned how to find your Raspberry Pi on a network, and how to assign a static IP, so you will never look for it again!
You may have even learned some basic networking concepts and are now ready to go further and try new projects:
- 5 ways to remote desktop on Raspberry Pi (Windows/Linux/Mac)
- Install Webmin and configure your system without any command
- 3 ways to use Spotify on your Raspberry Pi (even remotely)
Grab your free PDF file with all the commands you need to know on Raspberry Pi!
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