How To Change Your Ip Address: 4 Easy Ways
Changing your IP address is not only totally legal, it’s super easy, too. Here’s how to do it on a Mac, PC or mobile device.
Changing your IP address is easy, safe and legal.
Don’t worry. Changing your IP address is easy, even if you’ve never done it before. It’s also perfectly safe and — as long as you’re not using it to break other laws — it’s legal. Your computer and phone have several types of IP addresses , but we’ll focus on the type normally changed to protect your privacy as you browse, and those which make you appear like you’re in a different country.
There are four simple ways to change your IP address in under 5 minutes. Jumping behind a proxy server or a VPN is the best way to not only temporarily change your IP address, but also protect your privacy. If you just want to change your IP address without the additional privacy boost, you can either enter your preferred IP manually, or you can just force your device to retrieve a new one automatically.
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Keep in mind, changing your IP address will temporarily disrupt whatever internet-connected services or programs you’re using on your device. There’s no harm done, but it’s going to have the same effect as if you’d momentarily lost your Wi-Fi.
Your Spotify might hiccup. Media streaming services will have a momentary brain freeze. If you’re sending or receiving files, you may need to start over. And you might have to log back in to whatever secure site you’re currently using.
Use Tor To Change Your Ip Address For Free
Tor, short for The Onion Router, is a volunteer-run anonymity network. The easiest way to get started with Tor is to download and install the Tor Browser, a barebones web browser that routes all web traffic through the Tor network. Tor encrypts your connection several times and then sends data through multiple nodesservers operated by volunteer Tor supporters. Each node strips away one layer of encryption, and the sequence of nodes used changes every time you access a different website. This makes it nearly impossible to trace Tor traffic back to the source.
Websites will see the IP address of the last node in the chain, called the Exit Node.
Tor is free, but has its drawbacks. Its relatively slow and only really suited for basic web browsing. Tors anonymity means it is often associated with illicit activity and the dark web, so even though its not illegal, using it might draw unwanted attention from your ISP and possibly even law enforcement. Those entities cant see what you do while connected to Tor, but they can see that you are connected to Tor nodes.
How Can A VPN Change My Ip Address
A VPN encrypts your internet connection to keep your communications, data, location and other information private while online. By changing your IP address, you can appear to be browsing from the location of your choosing rather than revealing your true location. A VPN service will exchange your personal IP address with a remote VPN server’s IP address, creating a level of privacy that you could not otherwise achieve while on a public server. When using VPN technology, all network traffic, from voice to text to video, goes through a secure passageway between the client’s computer and the VPN server. Millions of people use VPNs, like VyprVPN, to change their IP address online and protect their privacy. This means your ISP will only see the VyprVPN location and IP address , allowing your personal IP address to remain private.
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Advantage : Access To Your Companys Network
More and more companies are giving people the possibility to work from home, or abroad for instance. Some people connect to the internet via a VPN to access the company network at home. This enables people to work from home safely and efficiently.
To read more about the different reasons why people use a VPN please read our article on the subject: What are the advantages of a VPN?
How To Get Your Own VPN
If youre already a McAfee Total Protection subscriber, you have access to unlimited VPN usage. Protect your personal information, like your banking information and credit cards, from prying eyes with McAfee Total Protections Secure VPN. If you havent already signed up, nows the perfect time. McAfee Total Protection provides security for all your devices, giving you peace of mind while you shop, bank, and browse online.
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Unplug Your Modem To Change Your Public Ip
If youre looking for how to change your public IP address without contacting your ISP, then you might get assigned a new IP address if you unplug your modem. You can do this by:
When you unplug your modem, your existing public IP address gets released, and when you connect back, there is a high chance that your Internet Service Provider assigns a different IP address to you.
However, this method would work best if you leave your modem unplugged for a longer time otherwise, your ISP might assign you the same IP again. If thats the case, then leave your modem unplugged for an entire day before plugging it back in.
Use A VPN To Change Your Public Ip Address
A VPN is one effective method to switch to a different public IP. A VPN encrypts your internet connection and alters your actual IP address to a VPN server of your choice. This encrypted VPN connection would let you access websites, streaming services, and others using the IP you chose for yourself.
But, you should always opt for a reliable VPN for this. Most VPNs are unable to protect and conceal your IPv6 address. Therefore, a secure VPN would either keep your IPv6 address hidden or would prevent it from leaks. The same goes with IPv4. While many VPNs tend to hide IPv4 easily, some might leak it.
VPNs allow you to access multiple geo-restricted sites like Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, using a different public IP and bypass multiple geo-restrictions. For example, you can get a UK IP address to unblock BBC iPlayer abroad.
ExpressVPN is a top VPN if you desire to switch to a different public address. This VPN offers 3000+ servers globally, and you can connect to any one of them to alter your IP and bypass multiple geo-restrictions. You can change your IP on your Fire Stick using ExpressVPN or by using your ExpressVPN app on iPhone. ExpressVPN offers a 3-month free subscription on its 12-month plan, which is pretty cool.
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Types Of Ip Addresses
Not all IP addresses are created equal! Rather, they can be divided into a few different categories, some of which have certain advantages over others.
- Public: Each and every internet-connected device has a public IP address, distributed by the Internet Service Providers vis-Ã -vis the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers. What, you havent heard of ICANN? Nevertheless, these public IP addresses are searchable on the web, which is why we can find our printer simply by Googling its IP address.
- Private/ local: In contrast to public IP addresses, private IP addresses arent searchable on the web. Rather, theyre numbers that routers assign the devices on their networks so that they can communicate with each other.
- Dynamic: Dynamic IP addresses, as we mentioned before, are any type of IP address that change every time you connect, usually through a VPN. This makes users hard to track online, as their literal address keeps changing.
- Static: Static means that the IP addresses do not change. With VPNs, static IP addresses are usually shared with thousands of users in order to obscure their identities. However, some websites block these shared IP addresses, which necessitates users getting dedicated IP addresses. What a convenient transition!
- Dedicated: Dedicated IP addresses are assigned to only one user rather than being shared by several. They usually cost a different fee on top of the regular VPN subscription.
Subscribe To A Trustworthy VPN Provider
For beginners we highly recommend using SurfShark or NordVPN. We tested these providers extensively and found them to be very suitable for beginners, as they are easy to understand and set up, while also being very fast. Moreover, these two VPNs allow you to secure multiple devices with a single subscription and offer a 30-day money-back guarantee. This way you can try them for a month without being stuck to a long-term subscription. Furthermore, using the links and buttons on our website will get you a discount with these providers.
You can check out our extensive reviews on our review page. Weve also reviewed other VPN-providers of course. Some other impressive VPNs are PIA, CyberGhost, and ProtonVPN. The latter also happens to offer one of the best free VPN subscriptions.
Many free VPNs are unsafe and work with data or speed limits, but ProtonVPN doesnt do this. Weve researched plenty of VPNs to search for free providers that are secure and safe to use. You can read all about these in our article about free VPN providers.
Once youve chosen your VPN service, youll have to subscribe to them. Create an account and make sure you have your log-in info at hand. Youll need it in the following steps. As weve mentioned earlier, CyberGhost and NordVPN both have a money-back guarantee, so you can always try them out and get a refund if you dislike the service.
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How To Change Your Ip Address
Many people enjoy the internet because of the way in which it helps them connect with services and information from across the globe, regardless of their own location. Just as we all have concrete addresses in the ârealâ world, we also have our own addresses that leave digital footprints in the online world when we connect to the internet through wi-fi, a computer, phone or router. These addresses are called IP addresses, and they are easy to change. Keep reading to learn why you might want to change your IP address, as well as find out the best advice for how to change your IP address.
Can My Ip Address Be Traced If I Use A VPN
Do I have a right to be tracked when ld if I use a VPN? Please stop tracking your website traffic and IP address. A premium quality VPN encrypts data and hides your IP address with VPN servers, even if someone attempts to monitor you via a VPN server, its still your IP address and gibberish IP address that theyll see.
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How Does A VPN Change My Location
When you use the internet, your IP address reveals where you are connecting from. However, a VPN reroutes your traffic through a VPN server. As far as anyone can tell, your traffic is coming from the server location. Anybody monitoring your traffic will see the servers IP address and its location rather than your actual whereabouts.
Some services may use your DNS address or WebRTC data to get your location data, but a good VPN takes care of that as well.
Using A Tor Browser For A New Ip
This anonymous network is one of the easiest ways to keep your data encrypted. All you need to do is install this encrypted browser on your device. Tor or The Onion Router encrypts all your data by passing it through multiple nodes. With every node adding up a layer of encryption to the traffic and the nodes changing every time you access another website, its impossible to trace Tor traffic and the actual IP of the user.
However, the Tor browser has its drawbacks. While being slightly slow, it also draws the attention of the ISP or government as its mainly used to access the dark web or any illegal site.
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Does A VPN Change Your Location
Have you ever wondered does a VPN change your location, in short, yes it does. You can redirect your connection and mask your IP address if you connect to a VPN server within a different geographic location, therefore geo-spoofing your location. There is no doubt, a VPN, or Virtual Private Network offers a strong layer of privacy protection and helps to keep users safe while using the internet but it also enables you to get around any geo-location or geo-restricted content and there are many valid reasons why you might want to change your location. Ive personally been using VPNs for privacy at home and in the office for many years. In this article, I explore how a VPN can change your location, why you would want to change your location, and take a closer look at why NordVPN is a great choice when it comes to wanting to change your location with a VPN.
Ok I Got It So How Do I Change Ip Address
If you renew your IP address from your current ISP, your ISP may or may not assign you a new IP address. Depending on how you’re connected to the Internet, you may have to reset a device. If you’re connected via a router, you’ll have to change IP address of your router. If you’re connected directly to the Internet via a layer-2 gateway, you’ll have to change your computer’s IP address. Most home network is connected via a router, so chances are that you need to change IP address of your router. In this article, I will describe how to change IP address of your router and also show you how to change IP address of your computer. There are a number of ways to change IP address, so I’ll describe easiest method first and then describe a bit more complicated methods.
In order to verify that you’ve changed an IP address of your device, you’ll have to visit Find My IP page of our website.
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How To Set Up A VPN To Hide Your Ip Address
How Do I Check That My Ip Address Has Been Changed
After connecting to one of ProtonVPNs servers or locations, your IP address will be changed automatically. To confirm that your IP address has been changed, please follow these simple steps:
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Advantage : Anonymity Online
Without a VPN your location and even your identity can be traced without too much hassle, thanks to your IP address. This IP address is unique to your internet connection. It is like an online postal code that tells people who you are and where you are at. It enables people to connect your online behavior to you.
A VPN hides your IP address and location. When you use a VPN, your internet traffic is rerouted through an external server and your online activities can only be traced back to the IP address of the VPN server, but no longer to your IP address and you.
By using a VPN, websites, marketeers, streaming services, governments and cybercriminals can no longer identify you with your IP address, because they only see the IP address of the VPN server youre connected to. Moreover, they wont be able to find out your real location, because to others it will look like you are where the VPN server is.
So by using a VPN your online activity will no longer be linked to your own IP address. This way you can browse the internet with more anonymity.
Advantage : Anonymous Downloading
Downloading certain Torrents is illegal in some countries and more than ever before tracked down and sometimes even prosecuted. Of course, we are not advocating any illegal actions. However, we do understand people want online privacy and anonymity, not just when browsing the internet, but also when uploading and downloading files.
To make sure nobody knows what you are downloading or uploading you can use a VPN. Because of the encrypted traffic and the rerouted IP address you can with a VPN.
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Cannot Change The Location On Android With A VPN
So, you just got a VPN subscription, tried connecting to another country, but it doesnt go through. In short, your VPN is not working as intended. You might be unable to change your location due to a few reasons:
- Your devices GPS location doesnt match your IP address
- Your IP address is leaking
- Your browser cookies are showing your actual location
- Your chosen VPN provider cant circumvent certain restrictions
Heres what you can do to solve the VPN error and finally change the location of your Android phone:
- Clear your browsers cookies & cache
- Contact your providers customer support and troubleshoot the issue together
- If the above solutions dont work , a robust VPN that can do its job