In today’s era where malware attacks are becoming very common, there is always a fear of data hacked. Once you entered the internet world, it is possible that anyone can hack your account and can reveal your data. You can’t control that thing. But can hide your IP address to remain anonymous on the internet.
Hiding your IP address is very important in today’s world especially if you have a low tolerance for spam, targeted ads, geo-blocks or otherwise unwanted violation of your privacy.
If you know the right tricks or tools for IP address hiding from public view, then your internet activity would become extremely difficult to trace. Curious to know how? Let’s find out.
Here I’m going to talk about 5 best methods that will help you to hide your IP address from the most internet server.
Before that get a clear Idea on what does “IP address” stands for, how it works? And how other third parties able to know your IP address etc.
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What is an IP address?
The first thing, an IP address stands for Internet Protocol Address.
The internet being nothing more than a vast group of interconnected networks. Which requires a system to create a bridge between these networks and the IP address does the same job.
it is a label assigned with each device by which you are able to exchange communications with all other devices through the web.
Just like the address of your house or license plate of your car, every system that connected to the internet has an address and i.e called IP address. It serves two principal functions one is identified network interface and the other is to provide location-based data.
In the internet protocol version four (IPv4), IP address is defined as 32-bits number like X.X.X.X.X where X stands for the number between 0 to 255.
Due to the growth of the internet, the depletion of available IPv4 addresses. So a new of IP (IPv6) incurred which define as 128-bits number.
IP addresses are usually written and showed in human-readable symbols. like 207.241.148.80 or 192.168.1.1. In IPv4 and 3ffe:1900:4545:3:200:f8ff:fe21:67cf. In IPv6.
As I said every system connected to the internet has its own unique IP address. This means your phone, laptop, desktop, any smart device including your printer have their different IP address.
Every time you connect them to the internet you sharing the same address with the site you visit, Apps or any service you use.
That IP address of your device transfer online and recorded in log files and kept in those servers. By accessing to these log files your internet activity will get to know.
Though these are a sensitive piece of information as they share the location of the device they are attached to. Because the physical location of the device is precisely the data required by internet protocol to establish a most effective connection.
But if you don’t want any third party Knowing which website you visit, what you download and who you talk to then you need to hide your IP.
5 methods to hide your IP address
So, check out these methods to know how to hide your IP address from the rest of the world.
1. Use VPN service (The best way)
This is the best and most reliable method to hide IP address online.
Here is What does VPN (Virtual Private Network) provide you.
- Hide your IP address
- Complete privacy
- Encrypt your internet traffic
- Allow you to access a geo-blocked site like Netflix, Hulu, ESPN and many more.
- Provide a speed, secure and private connection
Online VPN service assigns a new IP address to a system connected to them, which is different from your real one.
If you wondering how VPN change or hide my IP address? Let me clarify you.
While you signing into a VPN, the VPN service provider will assign you a Virtual IP address until you signing off from it.
Whereas your real IP address is still be used to connect to said VPN. All other traffic will be tunneled through your private network and as such this external traffic will only connect to your second, virtual IP address.
The new IP address can originate from different state or country or you have the freedom to choose the location that you want people to think you are.
There are many VPN service providers present online, some of them are free and some are paid, service providers.
Remember one thing always choose paid VPN service over a free VPN. Because free VPNs tend to collect your data and do not offer the same bandwidth or geo-blocked content as other.
Here are some trusted and most convenient VPNs that can easily hide IP address online. Choose any one from them and remain anonymous on the internet.
2. Use a proxy (slower than VPN)
A proxy server is a great tool which acts as an intermediate your home network and the rest of the internet.
These anonymous proxy servers connect your information packets to your desired location by using its IP address instead of your.
In a simple word: the proxy server intercept your traffic and take control of your connection. From your computer everything you do, the proxy server reflects the same. It is like a mirror of your internet activities.
You can access websites indirectly, through the proxy server. As a result, the website will see the proxy’s IP address, not yours.
If you worried about how to hide IP address online, then proxy servers will help to get out of it.
Using a proxy server is very easy. It just requires a simple configuration of the web browser or other internet software that support proxies.
If you are searching for “how to hide my IP address free online”, then my opinion is to stop doing that. Because free anonymous Proxy servers may run on the compromised machine, may have bandwidth traffic limits, may suffer from reliability or speed problems, or might permanently disappear from the Internet without notice.
So, instead of searching for a free Proxy server, it is better to use a paid proxy.
Here is the list of Proxy service providers on which you can trust easily. These are also VPN service providers. They may include VPN and proxy services in one package or they offer as a separate plan.
Nord VPN
Express VPN
Cyber Ghost VPN
Private VPN
Hotspot Shield
3. Use Tor browser
Tor named after the original project “the Onion Router”. It is a free software program that to use access to all corner of internet keeping your IP address hidden. You may think about the dark web after heard the name Tor browser.
As I said Tor is free software like Chrome or Firefox, that let you use Tor network anonymously without revealing your real IP address.
You just have to download the tor browser according to your operating system i.e Windows, Mac or Linux.
The performance of the Tor browser is much slower than your native browsers because it uses a network of distributed relays.
If you are wondering for how to hide my IP address free online, then Tor is the best option out there.
It allows you to access blocked websites and also to onion dark websites. But this browser is limited to web traffic as the traffic going through the onion network, you will experience slow loading sites.
It is not fully safe enough, as your data bounced from server to server until they finally reach the site you want to see. So, your traffic and online activities can be monitored.
Even with it’s known flaws and vulnerabilities, Tor browser will help you to begin anonymous on the internet. This is another best way for how to hide your IP address
4. Use mobile network (slow and not encrypted)
If you are in a hurry to surf to a website with a different IP address and not in the situation to use VPN or Proxy or even Tor browser. Then you can use your mobile’s data to hide IP address online.
A question might arise in your mind that How a mobile could help to hide IP address? Great question, but if you remember as I said before that every device has a unique IP address attached to it.
With no doubt, your mobile phone has a different IP address. This of course not the substitution to your laptop or Pc but it will work in emergency situations.
This is one more method to hide any IP address.
5. Use free or public Wi-Fi (Not secure)
Using public Wi-Fi is the easiest way to hide IP address online. Your IP doesn’t travel with you. So if you go to a coffee shop, hotel or any public location and use the free Wi-Fi services, your IP address will temporarily hide.
Whenever you connected to the public Wi-Fi, you will be using the Wi-Fi router IP address as long as you are online.
It is neither an effective nor sustainable method to hide your IP address. Because using the Wi-Fi network’s IP address means you are sharing your IP address to the Wi-Fi network.
If you are connected to it, All your internet activities can be traced and not much help to overcome geographical restriction.
This is why it is said that there are many risks when using public Wi-Fi.
It can cause some other major problems.
- Your logging details can be intercepted by hackers as most Wi-Fi networks do not encrypt the information you send over the internet.
- Viruses/malware easily spread to your device without you even know about it.
- One of the most common threats using public Wi-Fi is “Man in the middle” (MitM) attack. When a computer makes a connection to the Internet, data is sent from computer to a website, and vulnerabilities can allow an attacker to get in between these transmissions and “read” them.
- By using special software and devices Cybercriminals can eavesdrop on a Wi-Fi network. This technique can allow attackers to access everything that you are doing online. It is called snooping and sniffing.
So, here these are the five best methods for how to hide your IP address. Now you have a complete idea about how to hide your IP address.
Everything is OK. Now you got to know about all the best possible ways for how to hide your IP address. But have you ever thought what is the need to hide IP address?
Why hide IP?
Let me clarify to you what are the major reasons for which you should hide your IP address.
1. Hide your location
As I said before IP address is like the identity of your device. So it reveals things like your country, region, city, Zipcode, longitude, and latitude.
If someone gets your IP, then it is not a much difficult task for that person to find your current location.
2. Access geo-blocked content
Countries like China, Russia and also US restrict certain websites and services by blocking their nation’s IP address.
By hiding your IP address and obtaining a new IP address from different geo-location, you can unblock the websites.
You can also enjoy premium platforms like American Netflix and BBC iPlayer, regardless of your location.
3. Prevent website tracking
Every time you visit a website your data is tracked by the server hosted by the website owner.
By hiding your IP address your internet activity cannot be tracked and making data collection close to impossible.
4. Block targeted attacks
If you are targeted by a cyber-criminal who is after your personal details, then it becomes a must to do security task to hide your IP address.
By changing your vulnerable IP address you can throw off and block this specific type of cyber attack on your system.
5. Remain anonymous on the internet
As the internet is spreading with lightning speed and privacy is always under danger so it is better to remain anonymous on the internet.
And by changing your IP address ensure your anonymity is preserved on the Internet.
Conclusion
That’s it. Now you get a complete idea on what is IP address? How to hide your IP address? And not ignore what is the need to hide your IP address.
Most people don’t give any special importance to their IP address as they think that it is not such a big issue. But do not forget that your privacy can be hampered by it. Of course, it is not a rule written on any paper that you have to hide your IP. But you are hideing the IP, then you will get the benifits of it.
Changing your IP is always great to step to secure your data on the internet and help you to remain anonymous.
I have decribed sthe best possible methods which will help you to keep your IP address hidden.
If this article is helpful for you then share it with your friends, colleagues who are wondering for how to hide their IP address, in the same way, you are looking for.