How to Hide Your IP Address
Hiding your IP address means replacing the public address that websites see with a different one, so your real location and internet provider stay private. Here are the five most common methods, from most to least practical.
1. Use a VPN (recommended)
A Virtual Private Network routes all your traffic through an encrypted tunnel to a server run by the VPN provider. Websites see the VPN server's IP, not yours, and your ISP can't see which sites you visit.
- Pros: Easy, fast, encrypts everything, lets you pick a country.
- Cons: You must trust the provider; good ones cost money.
2. Use the Tor Browser
Tor bounces your traffic through several volunteer-run relays, so no single point knows both who you are and what you're doing. The site sees the IP of the final "exit node."
- Pros: Free, very strong anonymity.
- Cons: Slow; some sites block known Tor exit nodes.
3. Use a proxy server
A proxy forwards your web requests through another server. It changes the IP a site sees but, unlike a VPN, usually doesn't encrypt your traffic.
- Pros: Lightweight, can be per-app or per-browser.
- Cons: Little or no encryption; free proxies are often unreliable or unsafe.
4. Switch to mobile data
Connecting through your phone's cellular network gives you a different IP from your home broadband — a quick way to change your address temporarily, though it doesn't hide you from the mobile carrier.
5. Connect through a different Wi-Fi network
Using public Wi-Fi at a café or library gives you that network's public IP instead of your home one. Pair it with a VPN, since public networks are easy for others to snoop on.
How do I know it's working?
After connecting through any of these, reload ifconfig.is and check that the displayed IP and location have changed. Our threat reputation panel will also tell you whether your new IP is detected as a VPN, proxy, or Tor exit node — exactly what websites see. For background, see What is an IP address?