How to Find a Website's IP Address with DNS Tools

To find the IP addresses published for a website, query its DNS A records for IPv4 and AAAA records for IPv6. nslookup, Resolve-DnsName, and dig are more informative than ping because they let you request a specific record type and see aliases.

A website may legitimately return several addresses, different results by location, or a content-delivery network address. The result is not necessarily the origin server and does not measure the site's quality.

1. Quick check with ping

On Windows:

1. Press Windows + R, enter cmd, and press Enter.

2. Enter ping example.com, replacing example.com with the hostname. Do not include https://, a path, or a slash.

The address in brackets is the IP selected for that ping attempt.

ping is only a quick resolution check. Many servers block ICMP echo replies, so a timeout does not mean that the website or DNS record is unavailable. The command may also show only one address from a larger pool.

2. Query DNS with nslookup

nslookup is included with Windows and is available on many other systems.

nslookup -type=A example.com
nslookup -type=AAAA example.com
nslookup -type=CNAME www.example.com

• A returns IPv4 addresses.
• AAAA returns IPv6 addresses.
• CNAME shows whether the hostname is an alias for another hostname.

To compare a public resolver with the computer's default DNS resolver, append its address:

nslookup -type=A example.com 1.1.1.1
nslookup -type=A example.com 8.8.8.8

Different answers can be normal when a CDN routes users geographically or when DNS changes are still propagating.

3. Use PowerShell Resolve-DnsName

On Windows, PowerShell provides structured DNS output:

Resolve-DnsName example.com -Type A
Resolve-DnsName example.com -Type AAAA
Resolve-DnsName www.example.com -Type CNAME

For a compact list of returned addresses:

Resolve-DnsName example.com -Type A |
  Select-Object -ExpandProperty IPAddress

4. Use dig on macOS or Linux

Many macOS and Linux systems include dig, or provide it through a DNS utilities package:

dig +short A example.com
dig +short AAAA example.com
dig +short CNAME www.example.com

Remove +short when you need TTL values, the responding resolver, flags, and other diagnostic details.

5. Use an online DNS lookup

An online checker is convenient on a phone and shows how a resolver outside your network sees the record. Enter only the domain or hostname and select A or AAAA.

Do not submit private internal hostnames to a public lookup service. Public tools also reflect their own resolver and location, which may differ from the result on your device.

6. Check from a mobile device

A browser-based DNS lookup is normally sufficient and avoids installing an unknown utility. If you already use a reputable networking app, enter the hostname in its DNS lookup or ping field, start the query, and inspect the resolved address.

The app screenshots show a legacy ping utility; current menus and availability may differ. Avoid apps that request unrelated permissions or claim they can reveal a site's private origin behind a CDN.

How to interpret the result

Result	Likely meaning
Several A or AAAA records	Load balancing, redundancy, or CDN routing
A CNAME before the address	The hostname delegates resolution to another hostname or service
Different results on two resolvers	Propagation, caching, geography, split DNS, or resolver filtering
No A record but an AAAA record exists	IPv6-only hostname
Ping times out but DNS resolves	The host or network may block ICMP while web service remains available
An IP changes later	Normal for dynamic hosting, failover, or a CDN; do not hard-code it without a documented requirement

Checking whether a domain points to the intended service

1. Query both the bare domain and the exact host used by the website, such as example.com and www.example.com.
2. Compare A, AAAA, and CNAME results with the records configured at the DNS provider.
3. Check TTL values and allow old cached data to expire after a change.
4. Test from more than one resolver and network when diagnosing propagation.
5. Confirm the HTTPS certificate and HTTP response; matching an expected IP alone does not prove that the correct website is configured.

Use the TipsMake DNS and developer tools for a browser-based lookup, or read the deeper nslookup troubleshooting guide. The network utility hub also groups related IP, DNS, port, and connection checks.