How to Hide Your IP Address For Free
Want to stay safe from online threats? Hide your IP address to ensure your online safety. There are several methods to do so and many tactics are available for free.
Internet protocol address, commonly known as the IP address is a number-based label. This label is assigned to all devices that are connected to a computer network utilizing the Internet Protocol for communication.
IPv4 is an IP address consisting of 32-bit numbers. The IP address mainly helps to identify the network and recognize the network address.
Therefore, hiding your IP address ensures that you can not only hide your geographical location but also avoid leaving a digital footprint. Accessing certain contents that have some geographical restrictions imposed on them is a breeze if you know how to hide your IP address.
Therefore, we have jotted down a list of methods in this post that can help to hide your IP address for free.
6 Best Ways to Hide Your IP Address:
Below are the ways in which you can hide your IP address.
#1. Using a VPN Service
VPN is an acronym for Virtual Private Network and is an application that serves as an intermediary between the computer and the World Wide Web.
It routes your device’s internet connection through the chosen VPNs private server. This way it avoids the internet service provider (ISP). The benefit of this being that whenever your data gets transmitted to the internet, it arrives from the VPN instead of your computer.
Moreover, your sensitive data travels through a private “tunnel” that the VPN creates from your device to the internet. This way it encrypts important data and protects you from online threats. Numerous VPNs in the market are available with exquisite features.
VPNs employ a number of methods to impart online safety and protect viable stored on your computer. Features of a good VPN include the following:
- Encryption
- Private DNS Servers
- Leak protection
- Kill Switch
- No Logs Policy
Read More: How To Hide Apps on Android
#2. Using a Proxy Server
Proxy servers reroute the browser around certain content filters and hide your IP address for free. It displays the server’s IP address in place of the real IP address but they are not sufficient in providing strong encryption. Proxies act as a middleman between your system and the internet.
SSL, SSH, SOCKS, etc. are several types of proxies that can be used to configure the browser and other applications. Proxy servers are similar to VPNs and to put it the other way around, VPNs are a type of proxy.
Proxy servers lack DNS traffic. This means that the website requests go to a third-party DNS server who can view your real IP address, thereby making you prone to exposure.
The use of free proxies can also be a bit risky as they may expose the real IP address if the connection to the server gets interrupted somehow. They may also slow down the internet speed and may have some legal restrictions imposed upon them in some regions.
#3. By Changing Networks
If you are certain that your IP address is in a compromised situation, or it has been blocked, then you can easily go for the option of switching the network to acquire a new IP address. This is another easy way to hide your IP address for free online.
You must already know that there are three types of networks viz; Public Network, Private Network, and Smartphone Internet Data (Mobile Internet).
Being on the Public network makes you vulnerable, hence choose a network that is password protected.
#4. Changing the IP address
The IP address of a system is usually dynamic and keeps changing once in a while automatically. This is because IP addresses are limited in number and therefore, are recycled occasionally by the ISP.
However, if there is a particular time when you want to renew and change your private IP address, then you can do so in the following way:
- Go to the Command Prompt in a Windows computer and opt to run it as an administrator.
- Input the following commands: Enter ipconfig /release Enter ipconfig/renew
- This will change your IP address.
#5. By Asking Your ISP
If you are wondering how to change your IP address, then you can get in touch with your Internet Service Provider. Your Internet Service Provider assigns you a particular IP address, so if you do feel vulnerable, then you can formally request them to change your IP address.
This may be a lengthy process and the application process might incur some charges; however, this is the best way to obtain a static IP address.
Read More: How To Clear Cache in Chrome, Firefox, Safari & IE Browsers
#6. By Using NAT Firewall
If you use a wireless router, then you are already behind a NAT firewall (Network Address Translation). NAT firewall automatically allows multiple devices on the same network to display the same public IP address. However, these devices have their own unique IP address.
Therefore, by hiding your private IP address, a NAT firewall maintains a connection between your system and the internet connection by allowing only those responses that have been requested by your IP address whereas keeping the other irrelevant responses at bay.
Final Thoughts
So, you can see that hiding your IP address is no big deal as several easy hacks let you accomplish this conveniently.
You can also try to unplug your router and reconnect it to change your IP address if you want to change your IP address easily apart from the above-suggested hacks. Though this isn’t a sure tactic but can work sometimes.
