How do I know if I have IPv6?

Run an IPv6 test in your browser. If it finds a public IPv6 address, your connection supports IPv6. On your computer, a global address starting with 2 or 3 (not fe80) also means you have it.

Why does my device have an IPv6 address but the test fails?

An address starting with fe80 is link-local. It only works inside your network. You need a global address from your router, which needs IPv6 from your provider.

Is it safe to enable IPv6?

Yes. Your router's firewall should block unsolicited inbound IPv6 traffic by default, just as NAT does for IPv4. Check that this setting is on.

How to Test IPv6 and Check if Your Connection Has It

Start with the one-click test. It checks IPv6 and IPv4 separately:

Run the IPv6 test

Read the result

IPv6 supported, IPv4 supported: you are dual stack, the normal setup. Nothing to do.
IPv4 only: no working IPv6. Work through the steps below.
IPv6 supported, IPv4 not available: you are on an IPv6-only network, common on some mobile carriers. IPv4 sites still work through translation (NAT64).

Test from the command line

These confirm the result and show where things stop. Use ipv6.google.com, which has only an IPv6 address.

Windows

ping -6 ipv6.google.com
ipconfig | findstr IPv6

macOS and Linux

ping6 ipv6.google.com        # macOS
ping -6 ipv6.google.com      # Linux
curl -6 https://api6.ipify.org
ip -6 addr show scope global # Linux
ifconfig | grep inet6        # macOS

If curl -6 prints an address, IPv6 works end to end. If ping says the network is unreachable, your device has no global IPv6 address or no IPv6 route.

Check your device's address

Look at the IPv6 addresses your device shows:

Starting with 2 or 3: a global address. Your device has IPv6 from the router.
Only fe80::: link-local only. It works inside your network, never on the internet. The router isn't handing out IPv6.
Starting with fd: unique local. Also internal only.

Seeing an fe80 address is the most common source of confusion. Every IPv6-capable device has one, even on networks with no IPv6 internet access at all.

If the test fails: work through these

1. Does your provider offer IPv6?

Many do, some only on certain plans or areas. Search for your provider's name plus "IPv6", or ask support. If your router shows an IPv6 address on its WAN or internet status page, the provider is supplying it.

2. Is IPv6 turned on in the router?

Open the router's admin page and look for an IPv6 section. Common settings:

Connection type: usually Native, Auto or DHCPv6. Use what your provider recommends.
Prefix delegation: should be on, so the router gets a block to share with your devices.
LAN IPv6: should be set to SLAAC, stateless DHCPv6 or both, so devices get addresses.

Restart the router after changing these, then reconnect a device.

3. Is something in the middle blocking it?

A second router behind the provider's one (double NAT) often doesn't pass IPv6 through. Put one of them in bridge or access-point mode.
A VPN may disable IPv6 to prevent leaks, or tunnel only IPv4. Test with the VPN off.
The device itself: check that IPv6 is enabled on the network adapter (Windows: adapter properties, "Internet Protocol Version 6").

Should you turn IPv6 off?

Rarely. Disabling it used to be common advice for odd network problems, but on a working dual-stack network it usually just removes a path your browser could have used. If one site or game misbehaves over IPv6, fix the specific firewall rule or router setting instead.

Keep going

For the background on why IPv6 exists and how its addresses work, read IPv4 vs IPv6. To see the provider and location behind your current address, use What is my IP.

How to test IPv6 and check if your connection has it