Skip to main content

Top10VPN is editorially independent. We may earn commissions if you buy a VPN via our links.

How to Hide Your IP Address

Updated Aug 20, 2024

Simon Migliano

Simon Migliano is a recognized world expert in VPNs. He's tested hundreds of VPN services and his research has featured on the BBC, The New York Times and more. Read full bio

Fact-checked by JP Jones

Our Verdict

The most effective way to hide your IP address is to use a VPN. It replaces your IP with the VPN server’s address, and features like a kill switch, leak protection, and IP rotation ensure your identity remains concealed. For changing your IP address for free without using a VPN, we found the Tor Browser to be a reliable option, though its slow speeds are frustrating.

How to hide your IP address

Your IP address is the unique identifier assigned to your network by your Internet Service Provider (ISP). It allows web-connected devices, such as your smartphone and a web server, find and communicate with each other.

Unfortunately, your IP address reveals a lot of personal information about you, too.

Websites can use it to record your browsing activity and identify your location. Along with cookies and other tracking methods, they can then use this information to monitor your activity, enforce geo-restrictions, or impose personal bans.

Learning how to hide your IP address is therefore essential for protecting your privacy and security online. Fortunately, there are dozens of tools and methods you can use – many of which are completely free.

Summary: 4 Best Ways to Hide Your IP Address

Here are the easiest and most effective ways to get another IP address:

Use a VPN: Best overall option, with IP leak protection & a choice of global IPs.
Use a Web Proxy: Doesn’t require downloading additional software.
Use the Tor Browser: Free and safe way to change your IP address.
Use a Mobile Hotspot: The quickest way to get a new IP address.

Setting up one of these methods significantly reduces the amount of personal information you expose to websites while browsing online.

4 Ways to Hide Your IP Address Online

Ultimately, the best way to hide your IP address depends on why you’re trying to hide it in the first place. Here’s a comparison of each method’s strengths and weaknesses:

In the following sections, we’ll explain in more detail how each method conceals your IP address, how to use them, and the advantages and disadvantages of each option.

1. Use a VPN

The safest and most effective way to hide your IP address is to use a VPN.

They are easy to use, available on almost any device, and are by far the best option if you’re trying to spoof your location.

Every top VPN service also comes with a kill switch and leak protection. These security features prevent your true IP address from ever being exposed.

Unlike most other methods, including Tor, The best VPN services allow you to select a server in a specific country, letting you choose exactly where you want your temporary IP address to be located instead of having one randomly assigned.

IP address test while connected to a German VyprVPN server. The IP address is located in Hesse, Germany.

Here, we’re hiding our IP address by connecting to a VyprVPN server in Germany.

Some services even offer dedicated VPN IPs if you need your IP address to stay the same rather than changing with every server connection.

Most paid VPNs average around $4.00 per month, though there are also some reputable free VPNs available.

How a VPN Hides Your IP Address

A VPN reroutes your internet traffic through a remote server, replacing your actual IP address with the server’s IP.

This process prevents websites and apps from identifying your true location and identity, making it difficult to enforce IP-based bans.

How a VPN hides your IP address

Using a VPN prevents the websites you visit from seeing your public IP address.

The target website only sees the VPN server’s IP address, which is typically shared among multiple users.

However, it’s important to note that websites can still track your activity if you’re logged into a personal account, as is often the case with platforms like Google and Facebook.

Benefits & Drawbacks of a VPN

Pros	Cons
Hides your IP address for all traffic	Good VPNs require a subscription fee
Reliably unblocks geo-restricted content	Requires installation of a VPN app
Offers different servers for multiple IP address locations	You are trusting your VPN service with your online privacy and security
Securely encrypts your web traffic	Slows down your connection speed, though by a negligible amount
Often includes dedicated customer support	Some websites and services block VPN IP addresses
Can include additional measures to hide your location (e.g. GPS and DNS spoofing)	Your WiFi administrator can see that you’re connected to a VPN

How to Use a VPN to Hide Your IP Address

Choose and subscribe to a trustworthy VPN service. We recommend using ExpressVPN, our top-rated VPN.
Download and install the VPN software onto your device.
Open the VPN app. You will typically have to log into your account the first time.
Choose a VPN server location. For the fastest speeds, choose the closest location.
Click Connect.
Browse the internet as usual. Your IP address will now be hidden.

How to change your IP address with a VPN.

2. Use a Web Proxy

You can quickly hide your IP address for free by using a web proxy. You simply visit the web proxy in your browser, enter the URL of the website you want to browse, and click Connect.

The proxy then accesses the website on your behalf, thereby concealing your true IP address as you browse.

Hide.me's web proxy

Hide.me’s web proxy service.

Web proxies are well-suited for quickly accessing censored information, reading articles on sites with metered paywalls, or unblocking websites at school, where it’s often not possible to download a VPN app or use a proxy browser extension.

It’s important to note that a web proxy only masks the IP address for traffic from that specific browser window.

Your activity in other tabs and apps is not routed through the proxy server, leaving your IP address exposed.

How a Web Proxy Hides Your IP Address

Similar to a VPN, web proxies route your traffic through a remote server, hiding your IP address behind the proxy’s. This allows you to access geographically restricted content.

Diagram of how a proxy server works

How a web proxy server works.

However, unlike VPNs, proxies have several limitations:

Free web proxies are often heavily congested, resulting in slow speeds and potential IP blocks by popular websites.
Web proxies typically don’t support multimedia content, making streaming difficult or impossible.
Most free proxies offer a limited selection of server locations, reducing the likelihood of finding an IP address in your desired location.

Though both alter your IP address, the crucial difference between web proxies and VPNs is that proxies generally do not encrypt your traffic.

This means your ISP or network administrator can still monitor your browsing activity.

Benefits & Drawbacks of a Web Proxy

Pros	Cons
Hides your IP address for traffic from that specific browser window	Even the best web proxies only offer a handful of server locations
Usually free and very easy to use	Your connection is usually not encrypted, leaving it open to interception
No software downloads or manual installation necessary	Any traffic outside of the browser window, including other tabs, is not protected
Bypasses many IP-based website blocks	Connection speeds are often slowed by server congestion and poor maintenance
Prevents advertising companies from tracking your activity across the web	Doesn’t work for video streaming (e.g. Netflix)
Most web proxies cache web pages to improve download speeds	Many web proxies inject adverts into your session or keep records of your activity

How to Use a Web Proxy to Hide Your IP Address

Visit a safe web proxy in your browser. We recommend Hide.me, our top-rated free proxy site.
Enter the URL of your desired website. Some web proxies also offer you a choice of server location.
Click “Connect” and your chosen website should appear in the browser window. The website will see the IP address of the proxy server instead of your personal IP.

How to hide your IP address with a web proxy.

3. Use the Tor Browser

The Tor Network is one of the most effective ways to ensure your IP address remains anonymous online.

Tor is a free and open-source system, and is available on Windows, macOS, Linux and Android devices. There’s also an adapted version for iOS, called the Onion Browser.

However, when using it, your IP address remains exposed when using external apps like torrent clients or email services.

Accessing the Tor browser

The Tor Browser is required to access the Tor Network.

The biggest frustration we had when using Tor was with its incredibly slow speeds. The routing through various servers significantly increases loading times compared to using a VPN.

Additionally, you have minimal control over the final server’s location, making precise location spoofing difficult.

How Tor Hides Your IP Address

When you use Tor, your connection is wrapped in multiple layers of encryption and bounced through a global network of servers before it is sent on to your target website.

From the website’s perspective, this makes it look as though your traffic requests are coming from the IP address of the final server in the network – thereby concealing your true location and identity.

Data passing through the Tor network

How your data passes through the Tor network.

Tor’s decentralized network is its main strength. It lets you hide your IP address with unparalleled levels of anonymity because, unlike with a VPN or a proxy server, there is no single entity or individual who knows both who you are and what you’re doing.

The servers you’re connected to also refresh every ten minutes, providing an extra source of privacy and security. For this reason, Tor is popular among journalists, activists, and whistleblowers.

Benefits & Drawbacks of Tor

Pros	Cons
Effectively hides your IP address	Difficult to spoof your location precisely
Provides maximum anonymity online	Extremely slow connection speeds
Uses strong encryption methods	Not suitable for streaming or torrenting
Free to use	May attract unwanted attention due to Tor’s reputation
	Not officially available on iOS
	Using Tor is illegal in some countries

How to Use Tor to Hide Your IP Address

Download the Tor Browser: iOS users will need to use the Onion Browser site, everyone else should use download from The Tor Project.
Select your operating system of choice and download the appropriate installation software. An .exe file should begin the download.
Open the file once it has downloaded and go through the installation process. You’ll need to click your language from the drop-down menu.
Double-click the Tor Browser icon on your desktop. Click Configure connection to choose your preferred settings.
Press “Connect” and start to browse freely. Your IP address will be hidden by the Tor network.

How to hide your IP address and unblock .onion websites using the Tor Browser.

4. Use a Mobile Hotspot

A quick and easy way to hide your IP address is to connect your device to a mobile data hotspot.

Setting up a mobile hotspot on your smartphone is free and very easy to do. You can then connect to it from any nearby device, including laptops, PCs, smart TVs, games consoles, or even from another smartphone.

Once connected, your device uses your smartphone’s IP address for all of its internet activity.

Setting up a mobile hotspot on iOS

Setting up a mobile hotspot from your phone is quick and doesn’t require any additional software.

How Mobile Hotspot Hides Your IP Address

When you connect to a cellular network, you immediately change your IP address from the one assigned to your WiFi network by your ISP, to a new one assigned by your mobile carrier to your smartphone.

Using a mobile data hotspot is therefore a great option for evading personal IP bans, because these bans typically target your WiFi’s IP address, not your smartphone’s IP address.

NOTE: Connecting to a public WiFi network has the same effect and is a reliable, alternative option. However, be aware that using public WiFi comes with security risks.

Benefits & Drawbacks of Mobile Hotspot

Pros	Cons
Assigns you a completely new IP address instantly	Consumes your mobile data allowance, which can be costly
Easily evades personal IP bans	Won’t let you bypass geo-restrictions
Avoids ISP surveillance (although swaps it for mobile carrier surveillance)	Your activity can still be traced back to you
Doesn’t require any downloads or new software
All traffic from your device will be protected

How to Use Mobile Hotspot to Hide Your IP Address

Find your smartphone’s mobile hotspot settings. For iOS users, go to Settings > Personal Hotspot. For Android users, go to Settings > Connections > Mobile Hotspot & Tethering.
Turn the hotspot on and choose an appropriate username and password. Make sure your smartphone isn’t connected to WiFi.
On your other device, open WiFi settings. This is the device you’re trying to hide your IP address on.
Find your smartphone’s hotspot and connect to it. The hotspot should be listed in the list of available WiFi networks.
Browse the internet. Your connection will now be associated with your smartphone’s IP address.

How to Confirm Your IP Address is Hidden

Here’s how to check if your IP address is hidden:

Find your original IP address: Before attempting to hide it, first check what your current IP address is using our IP checker tool.
Connect to a VPN server, proxy, Tor, or a mobile hotspot: Do this by following our instructions in the dedicated section of this guide.
Check your IP address again: Use the tool again to verify that your real public IP address from step 1 is no longer visible.

Example of a IP checker tool.

Our IP checker tool can test if your IP address is being hidden effectively.

Why Do You Need to Hide Your IP Address?

Your IP address can reveal personal information, allowing websites to track your browsing activity and determine your approximate location.

We used IPVanish to hide our IP address as it doesn't leak data

Here, we use IPVanish to hide our IP address as it doesn’t leak data.

Given that your IP address can be used to track your activity, reveal your location, or restrict your access to content, it’s crucial to know how to protect it.

This is one of the primary reasons people use VPNs.

Here are eight specific reasons why it’s often a good idea to hide your IP address:

1. Hide Your Physical Location

Your IP address can reveal your country, city, and even your ZIP code to anyone with access to a simple IP lookup tool. Spoofing your IP address will hide this information, preventing third parties from tracking your physical location.

2. Hide Your Identity from Websites

When you visit a website, it will usually log your IP address and location information. This can be used to identify you in the future. It might also be used to impose a personal site ban against you.

3. Evade Online Surveillance

Governments, advertising networks, and cybercriminals use your IP address to collate and track your activity across the web. They can use this to surveil you and build up personalized profiles about your identity and browsing habits.

4. Access Geo-Restricted Content

Streaming services have different content libraries depending on where you are located in the world. By hiding your real IP address, you can spoof your location and access new streaming content.

5. Protect Yourself against Hackers

Hackers can use your IP address to scan your device for open ports. If open inbound ports are detected, your device may be vulnerable to malicious attacks. They can also use your IP address to target you with Denial of Service (DoS) attacks.

6. Avoid Targeted Ads

Advertising companies can send you personalized advertisements based on the geolocation and activity profile associated with your IP address. Sites might also use this information to change the product prices you see.

7. Prevent Doxing Attacks

A doxing attack occurs when someone exposes your sensitive information online, which may include your physical address. These attacks usually begin with your IP address.

8. Safeguard Your P2P Activity

Copyright trolls and hackers exploit the visibility of your IP address within torrent swarms to carry out legal action and cyberattacks against you. It is therefore always safest to hide your IP address before torrenting.

FAQs

Does Incognito Mode Hide Your IP Address?

Incognito mode on Google Chrome does not hide your IP address.

The only advantage of Incognito Mode or Firefox’s Private Browsing Mode is that the websites you visit aren’t saved in your browsing history.

ISPs, authorities, and the websites you visit are still completely free to track and record your browsing activity. If you’re on someone else’s WiFi network, your incognito history may be visible to the WiFi admin, too.

What’s the Best Way to Hide Your IP Address?

The best way to hide your IP address is to use a VPN. VPNs are by far the most effective and most reliable option for IP hiding on desktop PCs, smartphones, laptops, streaming devices, and routers.

The best VPNs offer a wide selection of server locations, allowing you to change your virtual location and unblock region-restricted content with ease. They also secure your connection with robust encryption, so you can hide from ISP surveillance and stay secure online.

Is Hiding Your IP Address Illegal?

Hiding your IP address is not illegal, but a small handful of countries do outlaw the use of VPNs and the Tor Network.

For example, VPNs are illegal in Belarus, Iraq, North Korea, and Turkmenistan. Their use is restricted in China, Iran, Oman, Russia, Turkey, and the UAE, too.