Our free IP address converter transforms IPv4 and IPv6 addresses between multiple formats instantly. Enter any IP address to see its dotted decimal, decimal (integer), binary, hexadecimal, and octal representations. This IP address converter is useful for network engineers, developers, and anyone who needs to work with IP addresses in different numeral systems.

IP Address Formats

IP addresses can be represented in several formats. The most common is dotted decimal notation for IPv4 (e.g., 192.168.1.1), but addresses can also be expressed as a single decimal number, binary, hexadecimal, or octal. Each format has its uses in networking, programming, and system administration. An IP address converter makes switching between these representations effortless.

IPv4 Representations

Dotted Decimal — Four octets separated by dots (0-255 each). Example: 192.168.1.1. This is the standard human-readable format used in network configuration, as defined in RFC 791.

Decimal (Integer) — A single 32-bit unsigned integer. Example: 3232235777 for 192.168.1.1. Some applications and databases store IP addresses as integers for efficient indexing and range comparisons.

Binary — 32 bits grouped by octet. Example: 11000000.10101000.00000001.00000001. Understanding binary is essential for subnet calculations and understanding how subnet masks work at the bit level. Use an IP address binary converter to easily visualize this format.

Hexadecimal — Each group of four hexadecimal digits is separated by colons. For example, 2001:0db8:0000:0000:0000:0000:0000:0001 compresses to 2001:db8::1. Use our convert IP address to hexadecimal tool to quickly switch between formats.

Octal — Each octet expressed in base-8 notation. Example: 0300.0250.001.001. While less common, octal notation appears in some Unix networking utilities and URL obfuscation techniques.

IPv6 Representations

IPv6 addresses are 128 bits long, written as eight groups of four hexadecimal digits separated by colons, as specified in RFC 8200. The compressed form omits leading zeros and replaces the longest run of zero groups with ::. For example, 2001:0db8:0000:0000:0000:0000:0000:0001 compresses to 2001:db8::1. The expanded form is useful when you need to see the full address for debugging or configuration. Our IP address converter displays both compressed and expanded IPv6 formats side by side.

IPv4-Mapped IPv6 Addresses

An IPv4 address can be embedded in an IPv6 address using the format ::ffff:192.168.1.1. This allows IPv6-only applications to communicate with IPv4 hosts through a dual-stack system. These mapped addresses are commonly seen in application logs on servers that listen on both IPv4 and IPv6.

When to Use an IP Address Converter

Converting between IP formats is useful in several scenarios:

Database storage — Storing IPs as integers enables fast range queries (e.g., checking if an IP falls within a CIDR block)
Packet analysis — Network capture tools like Wireshark display addresses in hex; an IP address converter helps you quickly identify endpoints in dotted decimal
Firewall rules — Some firewall configurations accept hex or binary notation for IP matching
Security research — Obfuscated URLs sometimes use decimal or octal IP notation to bypass filters
Subnetting — Binary representation makes it easy to visualize network and host portions when calculating subnets

Special and Reserved IP Addresses

Certain IP ranges are reserved for specific purposes and appear frequently in conversions: 127.0.0.1 (2130706433 in decimal) is the loopback address, 0.0.0.0 represents “any” or “unspecified,” 255.255.255.255 (4294967295) is the limited broadcast address, and ranges like 10.0.0.0/8, 172.16.0.0/12, and 192.168.0.0/16 are reserved for private networks per RFC 1918. Recognizing these in any format is useful for network configuration and security analysis. Use our IP address converter to see the full representation of any reserved address.

How the Conversion Works

An IPv4 address is fundamentally a 32-bit number. The dotted decimal format splits this into four 8-bit octets for readability. Convert IP address into binary by changing the base to binary (base 2). For example, the IP 10.0.0.1 equals 167772161 in decimal because (10 × 256³) + (0 × 256²) + (0 × 256) + 1 = 167772161.

Related Tools

After converting your IP address, use our Subnet Calculator to compute network details like broadcast address and host range. To find which network owns an IP, try our ASN Lookup tool.

IP Address Converter