Most devices on the internet use IPv4 addresses to communicate, and the worldly concern is slowly adopting IPv4 ’ sulfur refilling, IPv6. Every device connected to the internet needs a singular IP address in holy order to connect and communicate with early devices online .
An IPv4 cover looks like this :
123.45.67.89
And an IPv6 cover looks like this :
2001:0db8:85a3:0000:0000:8a2e:0370:7334
If you ’ re connected to wifi right nowadays, you probably share a public IP address with everyone else connected to the lapp wireless local area network network, but each device has its own local IP address. however, if you ’ re on a smartphone and using a mobile data association, you might well have your very own public IP address .
When most people talk about changing their IP address, they ’ re referring to their public IPv4 address. This is the address seen and used by most websites, servers, on-line games, and other devices on the internet .
This article, however, will cover changing your IP address whether it be IPv4 or IPv6, public or secret .
Table of Contents
What are the best VPNs to change your IP address ?
- NordVPN: The best VPN to change your IP address. Fast servers in 59 countries. Apps for all popular devices. Many advanced features. No-logging policy. Works with Netflix US, iPlayer, and many more.
- Surfshark: Best budget VPN to change your IP. Allows an unlimited number of connections. Great for families. Apps for all popular devices. Built-in adblocking and malware filtering. 30-day money back guarantee.
- ExpressVPN: A superb all-rounder. Fast speeds thanks to its Lightway protocol. Servers in 94 countries. Works with around two-dozen Netflix regions.
- CyberGhost: Best way to change your IP for beginners. Over 7000 fast servers in 89+ countries. Fast Wireguard connections. Apps for all devices. Easy to use apps with fewer advanced settings.
- IPVanish: A fast US VPN with a proprietary network. Lots of advanced security features. No logs policy. Works with Netflix US. Apps for all platforms.
- PrivateVPN: Perfect for torrenting. Kill-switch and obfuscation features. Robust AES encryption. Great speeds. Servers in 63+ countries.
- AtlasVPN: Excellent option for streaming. Works with iPlayer, Hulu, Netflix, and more. Servers in 30+ countries. Includes malware filtering.
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Why would I need to change my IP address ?
many on-line services are geo-restricted, which means they are not available outside of their country of origin. The only way to access those services from afield is to connect to a VPN server in that localization. This gives you a valid IP address and causes the web site or on-line service to become available again .
If you travel abroad on vacation, services from back home plate, such as internet bank or streaming services, will be geo-restricted. As a result, you will need to use a VPN to get an IP address in your home plate county .
last, a VPN can help you get around government, ISP, or local network restrictions. By connecting to a VPN, you can get an IP address in a state where locally censored content is still available. Thanks to the privacy provided by the VPN, you can access those normally censored services without being tracked .
Best VPNs for changing your IP address – at a glance
We ’ ve compared the most important features for the top VPNs here. Prefer to read the in-depth reviews ? Start with NordVPN – our #1 choice for changing your IP address .
How to change your public IP address
here are a few ways to change your populace IP address ( vitamin e ) :
1. Connect to a VPN to change your IP address
Short for Virtual Private Network, a VPN encrypts your internet connection and routes it through a waiter in a location of your choose. Websites, on-line services, and early devices on the world wide web will only see the VPN waiter ’ s IP address and not your real IP address .
VPNs are utilitarian for torrenting, unblocking region-locked content like that from Netflix and BBC iPlayer, and bypassing censoring at schools, in offices, and in countries like China .
Most VPNs can easily hide your IPv4 address, but many VPNs can leak your IP address through respective security vulnerabilities. furthermore, not all VPNs hide your IPv6 address. Choose a VPN that either disables IPv6 or can prevent IPv6 leaks by default .
If you ’ re not sure how to set up a VPN just follow the elementary steps below .
Here’s how to change your IP address with a VPN:
- Sign up for a suitable VPN provider (we recommend NordVPN).
- Download the appropriate VPN app for your device.
- Open the VPN app and select a server, within your own country is fine although if you want to access a specific service make sure to choose a server in a country where it’s unblocked.
- That’s it! You should now have a different IP address.
2. Use a proxy to change your IP address
Proxies work similarly to VPNs but with far less versatility and security system. Your internet connection goes through a jobber waiter so that websites and other on-line resources see the proxy server ’ s IP address and not your own. Unlike VPNs, proxies much lack encoding, merely affect sealed apps, and can leak your IP address through early means .
A few unlike types of proxies can be used to change your IP savoir-faire :
- HTTP/S proxies – Usually either browser extensions or special websites that work like a browser within your browser. They only change the IP address on data sent to and from your browser, but do not affect other apps or even DNS traffic. If encryption is included, these are sometimes called SSL proxies.
- SOCKS proxies – General purpose proxy servers that can be configured for specific apps including most web browsers. SOCKS5, the latest version, includes support for encryption.
- SSH proxies – SSH proxies forward internet traffic from apps like your web browser through a Secure Shell (SSH) connection to a server, so your IP address is changed to that of the server. Although encryption is included, SSH is not a particularly fast protocol, and many websites and apps might not function properly when connected.
3. Use Tor to change your IP address for free
Tor, short for T he O nion R out, is a volunteer-run anonymity net. 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 association several times and then sends data through multiple nodes—servers operated by unpaid Tor supporters. Each node strips aside one layer of encoding, and the succession of nodes used changes every meter you access a different web site. This makes it about impossible to trace Tor traffic second to the reservoir .
Websites will see the IP address of the survive node in the chain, called the exit Node .
Tor is release, but has its drawbacks. It ’ s relatively slow and merely actually suited for basic web browse. Tor ’ s anonymity means it is much associated with illegitimate bodily process and the dark web, thus evening though it ’ s not illegal, using it might draw undesirable care from your ISP and possibly even law enforcement. Those entities can ’ t see what you do while connected to Tor, but they can see that you are connected to Tor nodes .
4. Change IP addresses by unplugging your modem
You might be able to get a new IP address by unplugging your internet modem, waiting a few minutes, and then plugging it back in again. When this happens, you release your existing IP address so that your ISP can recycle it. When you reconnect, your ISP assign you a new IP address .
This method acting international relations and security network ’ deoxythymidine monophosphate guaranteed to work because your ISP might fair give you the same IP address again. The longer you leave your modem unplugged, however, the higher the opportunity your IP address changes. If unplug for a few minutes doesn ’ triiodothyronine get the job done, consider leaving it unplug overnight .
Your ISP must use dynamic IP addresses in order for this to work. Most do .
5. Ask your ISP to change your IP address
Another option is to ask your ISP for a new IP address. Every ISP has different policies about how they handle such requests, so responses may vary. At minimal, you ’ ll need your account information and current IP address on hand .
Most ISPs use active IP address systems, meaning IP addresses occasionally change and get recycled as devices connect and disconnect from the internet. With that in thinker, note that your modern IP address might not stay the same everlastingly.
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In some cases, you can request a inactive IP address from your ISP, though this might require paying an supernumerary fee and/or going through an application process. once provided with a static IP address, you can enter it into your device ’ mho network settings. electrostatic IP addresses never variety unless you manually change them .
6. Change networks to get a different IP address
This might seem obvious, but you can get a different IP address by disconnecting from whatever network you ’ re presently connected to and connecting to a different matchless. You can switch to a unlike wireless local area network network, for model, or switch from wireless local area network to a mobile datum joining if you ’ re on a smartphone .
Remember that public and receptive wireless local area network hotspots are much prime hunting grounds for hackers. Try to stick with a wireless local area network network that requires a password and is encrypted with WPA2 .
How to change your private IP address
If you ’ rhenium connected to a wireless local area network router, then you probably partake a public IP address with all the early devices connected to the lapp net. Each device, however, has its own private, or local IP address .
Changing your local anesthetic IP address won ’ triiodothyronine truly affect how your device communicates with other devices and servers over the internet, but there might be instances in which you need a different private IP address. These include troubleshooting a malfunction router or configuring how local devices, such as printers and IoT devices, function on your home network .
Renew your local IP address
If you ’ ra connected to wifi or some other type of local network, you can change your private IP address from the router admin gore or from the device itself. I ’ ll show you how to do it on Windows and MacOS .
hera ’ s how to renew your IP address on Windows :
- Search for the Command Prompt and right click it to Run as administrator
- Enter ipconfig /release
- Enter ipconfig /renew
You should now see a new local IP address .
here ’ s how to renew your IP address on Mac :
- Click the Apple menu and open System Preferences
- Select Network
- Highlight the network that you’re connected to in the left pane
- Click Advanced…
- Select the TCP/IP tab
- Click Renew DHCP Lease
You Mac should now be assigned a newly local IP address .
The process for changing local IP addresses on the router varies depending on your router manufacturer and firmware. You can normally entree your router ’ south admin dashboard by opening a web browser and entering 192.168.0.1 or 192.168.1.1 in the address prevention .
How do I change my IP address on my mobile device ?
Changing your IP address is easily on a fluid call or pill device. All you need is a VPN. In this guidebook, we have recommended the best VPNs for changing your IP address. Our recommendations have servers located globally, to let you get an IP address wherever you need it. To change your IP address on a mobile device, follow the steps below :
- Sign up for the VPN by following the link in this guide (we recommend NordVPN)
- Install the VPN app for Android or iOS onto your device. You can find it in your regular app store.
- Launch the VPN app and login using your credentials.
- Choose a VPN server from the list and click connect.
- Your IP address will change as soon as the VPN connection is established.
Your ISP always knows your IP address
No matter what methods you use to change or hide an IP address, populace IP addresses are constantly known by the internet avail provider. This is inevitable because in order to connect to the internet at all, your ISP must assign you an IP address, and it must know what that IP address is in order to transmit communication and datum from the internet to your device .
indeed even if you used one of the above methods to mask your IP address from websites, services, and other devices on the internet, your ISP is an exception that can see behind the mask .
flush if your ISP can identify you by your IP cover, however, you can hide your on-line activity through encoding. A VPN or Tor will encrypt all data before it ever leaves your device, so even though your ISP can see that you are communicating, it can not see the contents of those communications .
If you need an easy way to change your IP address to that of a unlike ISP, try switching between wifi and your smartphone ’ s mobile data connection. Chances are, your phone carrier and family internet use unlike ISPs .
Changing IP address : faq
Why does changing my IP address catch CAPTCHA requests?
Changing your IP cover may result in you catching CAPTCHA requests. The reason for this is because the IP address in doubt is probable shared with many other users. From the perspective of an on-line service such as Google, it sees an unusually high number of requests from the same IP address. It then attempts to verify you ‘re human ( as opposed to a bot ! ) by presenting you with CAPTCHAs .
Will a free VPN change my IP address?
technically yes, you can change your IP address with a free VPN. There are, however, a few things about these services that make them less than ideal. For example, exempt providers normally have identical low monthly bandwidth limits and more users than their networks can support. This means that you may not be able to use the VPN ampere much as you like, and you ‘ll have to put up with slow speeds when you do get connected .
One of the main functions of a VPN is to keep you condom on-line. unfortunately, free providers tend to forget this, with plenty falsely claiming to follow no-logs policies or overhyping the potency of their security features. Why take a find when your privacy is at stake ? We ‘d recommend choosing a reputable no-logs provider rather of merely using whatever is free .
Is it illegal to change my IP address?
No, it ‘s not illegal to change your IP address. indeed, you can legally use a VPN in about any nation in the earth without having to worry about breaking any laws. however, some on-line activities are still illegal careless of whether you ‘ve used a VPN to change your IP. This includes torrenting copyrighted material or, in some countries, accessing betting websites .
Will a VPN ever expose my real IP address?
The short answer is no. A virtual Private Network ( VPN ) provides an code burrow between your device and the internet, shielding your real IP savoir-faire from anyone trying to track you online. The datum pass through this burrow is highly secured with strong encoding algorithm, making it closely impossible for person to determine which waiter or net you are connected to or even know who you are. however, there are a few situations when your real IP address can even be exposed :
- If a malicious actor takes see of the VPN server and gains access to its logs .
- If the VPN avail provider stores information that includes IP addresses ( although many reputable VPNs do not store any logs at all ).
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- If a web site or service you connect to uses an IP address check to detect your true identity .
In all these scenarios, it is important to remember that a VPN does provide extra security and privacy by masking your actual location and the IP address from websites and services you visit. however, for the farthermost security and anonymity, it is recommended that you besides use other privacy tools such as browser extensions, secure browsers, and encrypted messaging apps in addition to a VPN. With this multi-layered approach to online security, you can rest assured knowing that your real identity will remain concealed no topic what situation arises .
