How to hide your IP address, and how to check that it worked

Every time you visit a website your public IP address tags along with the request. That address tells the server your approximate city, your internet provider and whether you are on a home, mobile or business connection. Advertisers, data brokers and sometimes bad actors use this information to build profiles, serve targeted ads or restrict content based on geography. Hiding your IP is not about doing anything shady. It is about controlling who gets to see your digital footprint.

There are several ways to mask your real IP. Each comes with trade-offs in speed, security and ease of use.

1. Use a VPN (recommended)

A Virtual Private Network encrypts all traffic between your device and a remote server. Websites see the server's IP instead of yours. Modern protocols like WireGuard and NordLynx add barely any overhead. In our tests the best VPN services cut speed by 5 to 15 percent, which most people never notice during browsing, streaming or gaming.

2. Connect through a proxy server

A proxy sits between you and the internet and forwards your requests using its own IP. The catch: most proxies do not encrypt traffic, so your ISP can still see what you are doing. Useful for a quick IP change but not a real privacy tool.

3. Use the Tor Browser

Tor bounces your connection through three volunteer-run relays with triple encryption. The anonymity is strong but speeds typically drop to 2 to 5 Mbps. Good for sensitive research or whistleblowing, impractical for everyday browsing or video calls.

4. Switch to mobile data

Disconnecting from Wi-Fi and switching to your carrier's mobile network gives you a different IP address because it comes from a separate pool managed by the cellular provider. This is a quick workaround but offers no encryption or privacy beyond the IP change itself.

5. Use a different Wi-Fi network

Connecting to a different network (a coffee shop, library or a friend's house) assigns you that network's public IP. Again, this changes the address but does nothing to encrypt your traffic or prevent tracking through other means like browser fingerprinting.

When you tap "Connect" in a VPN app, your device establishes an encrypted tunnel to one of the provider's servers. From that point all outgoing packets are wrapped in encryption, sent to the VPN server, decrypted there and forwarded to the destination. The reply travels the same route in reverse. Your ISP sees only encrypted blobs heading to a single IP address. The destination website sees the VPN server's address, not yours.

• No-logs policy verified by independent audits (PwC, KPMG, Deloitte or Cure53)
• Jurisdiction outside mandatory data retention regions (Panama, Switzerland, BVI)
• WireGuard support for fast, modern encryption
• Kill switch that blocks all traffic if the VPN tunnel drops
• DNS leak protection so your queries stay inside the tunnel
• Large server network for better speeds and more location options

A VPN encrypts everything and covers all apps on your device. A proxy only handles traffic from a single browser or application and usually skips encryption. Tor provides the strongest anonymity through triple-layered relay routing but sacrifices speed. For most people a VPN hits the right balance between privacy, speed and convenience.

After connecting to a VPN, open our IP checker and confirm the address belongs to the VPN provider, not your ISP. Next run the DNS Leak Test to make sure DNS queries are not leaking outside the tunnel. Finally check for WebRTC leaks, a common browser-level issue that can expose your real address even with a VPN active.

VPN stands for Virtual Private Network. It is a service that creates an encrypted connection between your device and a remote server. All your internet traffic passes through this server before reaching websites. The sites see the server's IP address, not yours. Your ISP sees only encrypted data going to the VPN server without knowing which sites you visit. Think of it as a sealed envelope around every piece of data you send online.

Modern VPN apps handle everything automatically. You install the app, pick a server location and tap connect. From that moment your IP is hidden and your traffic is encrypted. No technical knowledge required.

What does a VPN do exactly?

A VPN does three things: it hides your real IP address by replacing it with the server's address, it encrypts your traffic so nobody between you and the server can read it, and it lets you appear to be in a different country by connecting to servers in other locations. This is why VPNs are used for privacy, security on public Wi-Fi, and accessing region-locked content.

How to use a VPN on any device

On a computer (Windows, Mac, Linux) download the VPN provider's desktop app, log in and click connect. On iPhone or Android install the app from the App Store or Google Play. Most VPN services also offer browser extensions for Chrome and Firefox that protect only browser traffic. For whole-network protection you can configure a VPN directly on your router, which covers every device in your home without individual apps.

All major VPN providers have dedicated mobile apps. NordVPN and ExpressVPN consistently rank highest in independent speed tests on both iOS and Android. Surfshark is the cheapest option that still performs well on mobile. Proton VPN offers a free tier that works on phones without data limits. When choosing a VPN for your phone, look for a provider that supports WireGuard (fastest protocol on mobile) and has a kill switch that works when the phone switches between Wi-Fi and cellular.

Yes, but with trade-offs. Proton VPN offers a genuinely free tier with no data caps, no ads and no selling of user data. The catch is a smaller server selection and somewhat slower speeds compared to paid plans. The Tor Browser is completely free and open source but too slow for streaming, video calls or large downloads. Most other "free VPNs" make money by logging and selling your browsing data or injecting ads, which defeats the entire purpose of hiding your IP. If budget is tight, Proton VPN Free is the safest choice.