How to change or hide your IP address

There are two different goals here, and they need different tools.

Changing your IP address means getting a new one from your provider. Sites still see an address that belongs to your provider and your area.

Hiding it means sending your traffic through something else first, so sites see that service’s address instead of yours.

This guide covers both, with the trade-offs for each method. Whichever you try, you can confirm the result by loading the WebIPTool home page before and after.

First, why do you want to?

The right method depends on the reason.

Goal	What usually works
A site blocked my address because of a previous user	Get a new address from your provider. If the block was aimed at you, contact the site
I am on untrusted public Wi-Fi	VPN
I do not want sites to see my provider and city	VPN, or Tor for stronger separation
I need to test how a site looks from another country	VPN or proxy with a server there
Someone is flooding my connection	New address from your provider, then contact them if it continues
I need the same address every day	Ask your provider for a static address

Getting a new address from your provider

Restart the router

Most home connections have a dynamic address. Turning the router off, waiting, and turning it back on may get you a different one.

It is not guaranteed. Many providers hand the same address back if the router reconnects quickly, and some keep it for weeks regardless. Leaving the router off for longer improves the odds. How long depends entirely on the provider.

Ask your provider

Support staff can often release your address and assign a new one. If you are being targeted by an attack, tell them. They deal with it routinely.

You can also ask for the opposite: a static address that never changes. It usually costs extra and is useful if you host something or need to be on an allow-list.

Switch networks

Moving from home Wi-Fi to mobile data gives you a different address immediately, because it is a different provider or at least a different part of the network. On a phone, toggling airplane mode on and off often yields a new mobile address.

Mobile addresses are frequently shared between many customers through carrier-grade NAT, which makes them a poor fit for anything that needs incoming connections.

Hiding your address behind another one

VPN

A VPN creates an encrypted tunnel from your device to a server run by the VPN provider. Your traffic leaves from that server, so websites see the server’s address.

What it does:

• Sites see the VPN server’s address and location instead of yours.
• Your internet provider, and anyone else on the local network, sees only that you are connected to a VPN. They cannot see which sites you visit, as long as all of your traffic stays inside the tunnel.
• It adds a layer of encryption on public Wi-Fi, where other people share the network.

What it does not do:

• It does not make you anonymous. The VPN provider can see what your internet provider used to see. You are moving your trust, not removing the need for it.
• It does not stop tracking by cookies and logins. If you sign in to an account, that service knows who you are regardless of address.
• It does not block malware or phishing unless the service adds that as a separate feature.

Things to look at when choosing one: who operates it and where, whether it has had independent audits, what its policy says about logs, and whether it carries IPv6 and DNS through the tunnel. Be cautious with free services that do not explain how they are funded.

Expect some slowdown, since traffic takes a longer route. Some sites block known VPN addresses or ask for extra verification.

Proxy

A proxy relays traffic for one application, most often a browser, rather than for the whole device. Sites see the proxy’s address.

Proxies are lighter than VPNs and useful for narrow jobs such as testing a site from another region. Many do not encrypt the link between you and the proxy, and anything outside the configured application still uses your real address. Inside the browser, WebRTC, the technology behind video calls, can also bypass a proxy and reveal your real address. Treat an unknown free proxy as you would an unknown free VPN: the operator can see the traffic you send through it.

Tor

Tor routes your traffic through three volunteer-run relays, with a layer of encryption for each. No single relay knows both who you are and where you are going. The destination sees the address of the final relay.

Tor gives much stronger separation between you and the sites you visit than a VPN does. The cost is speed, and some sites block or challenge Tor traffic. The final relay can also see any traffic that is not protected by HTTPS, though not who sent it. It is used through Tor Browser, which also resists other forms of tracking.

A different network entirely

Using Wi-Fi at a library or a cafe means sites see that venue’s address. It is simple, but you are sharing the network with strangers. Stick to sites that use HTTPS, and prefer a VPN on top if you do anything sensitive.

Things that do not hide your address

Private or incognito mode. It stops your browser from saving history and cookies on your device. Sites still see your address.

Clearing cookies. Useful against tracking, with no effect on your address.

Changing your device’s private address. Switching your laptop from 192.168.1.20 to 192.168.1.50 changes nothing outside your home. Sites only see the public address. See public vs private IP addresses.

Changing DNS servers. Switching to a different DNS resolver changes who answers your name lookups, not the address your traffic comes from. See what is DNS.

Check that it worked

After any change, verify it rather than assuming.

1. Note the address on the home page before you start.
2. Make the change.
3. Reload the page. The address should be different. With a VPN, proxy, or Tor, the provider and location should change too.

To see who operates the new address, paste it into the IP Lookup tool. With a VPN it should name the VPN company or its hosting provider, not your own internet provider.

Check both lines. If the IPv4 address changed but the IPv6 address still shows your home provider, your real IPv6 address is leaking past the tunnel. Some VPNs carry only IPv4. Either enable IPv6 support in the VPN app or turn on its leak protection.

DNS can leak in the same way: your traffic goes through the tunnel, but name lookups still go to your provider’s resolver. Most VPN apps have a setting for this, and it should be on. Our DNS Lookup tool always queries a public resolver directly, so it is not a leak test, but it is handy for confirming that a site resolves at all when something looks wrong.

A note on rules and terms

Using a VPN or proxy is ordinary and lawful in most places, and many employers require one. Some countries restrict them, and some services forbid using one to get around regional limits in their terms. Check what applies to you. A different address does not change which laws or agreements you are bound by.

Key points

• Restarting the router or switching networks can change your address. It still belongs to your provider and area.
• A VPN, proxy, or Tor puts a different address in front of yours. Each shifts trust to whoever runs it.
• Private browsing, clearing cookies, and changing DNS do not hide your address.
• Always verify. Check IPv4 and IPv6 separately on the home page.