Enhance your privacy by instantly hiding your IP address
Keep your personal information secure
Protect your device from malware
How to hide your IP address
Every device connected to the internet — from your smartphone to your printer — is given an IP address to communicate with websites and other devices. Your IP address can be used to track your activity and reveal your location, so hiding your digital identity is a great way to stay private and secure online.
Masking your IP address with a VPN (virtual private network) is the safest and fastest way to protect your privacy online. NordVPN can instantly hide your IP address and secure your online activity so your ISP (Internet service provider) can’t track your browsing history.
Hide your IP address in 3 easy steps
Once you’ve downloaded the NordVPN app, follow these three steps to hide your IP address:
1. Open NordVPN
Launch the NordVPN app on your device
2. Choose a subscription
Choose a monthly or annual subscription and sign in
3. Connect!
Hit “Quick Connect” to instantly hide your IP address
Different ways to hide your IP address
Hide your IP address with a VPN
A VPN hides your IP address and encrypts your online activity for increased privacy and security. It assigns you a new IP address by connecting you to an encrypted, private VPN server instead of the ones owned by your ISP. This means your activity can’t be tracked, stored, or mishandled by third parties.
Hide your IP address with Tor
The Tor Browser can hide your IP — just keep in mind that your internet connection may become sluggish. Be cautious when using the Tor network because it has no shortage of scams, phishing sites, and malware, all designed to trick new users. We recommend always using a VPN and verifying publicly posted Tor URLs from multiple sources.
But, in this case, you’re only protected inside the browser. If you decide to chat to someone or play an online game, your current IP and other sensitive data will be visible to your ISP. To hide all your internet activity on your device, use a VPN.
Hide your IP address with a proxy server
A proxy server hides your location and IP address by using the IP address of the proxy server instead. It can also block access to certain websites based on their IP addresses, which is great for making the internet more child friendly at home.
A proxy will need to be configured on your web browser and may slow down your internet speed. You should also keep in mind that proxy servers offer no guaranteed protection.
Use public Wi-Fi to hide your IP address
When you connect to public Wi-Fi on your laptop or smartphone, you’re assigned a different IP address from your real one. However, using public Wi-Fi without security measures such as a VPN may be unsafe and unreliable. Criminals can easily intercept your data on unsecured Wi-Fi hotspots or even set up fake hotspots to compromise your mobile device upon connection.
4 best ways to hide your IP address
Pros
Instantly hides your IP address when you use a VPN
Encrypts your data traffic for more privacy and security
Allows you to access your home content safely while traveling
Bypasses activity-based bandwidth throttling
Cons
Reliable VPNs charge a subscription fee
Some websites block VPN users’ access
Pros
Hides your IP address by default
Allows you to browse in relative privacy
Cons
Only protects browser traffic
Can be extremely slow
Some websites block Tor users’ access
Pros
Hides your IP address
Helps filter explicit content
Cons
Vulnerable to security exploits
Can slow down your connection
Servers can crash often
Can log your online activity
Pros
Millions of hotspots worldwide give free internet access
Cons
Leaves your data unencrypted
Connections can be unstable
Can make you vulnerable to cyberattacks
4 reasons to mask your IP address
You might be wondering why you need to hide your IP address in the first place. Here are the main reasons why:
Hiding your location
If you want to hide your virtual location from websites and third parties, masking your IP address will do the trick.
Online freedom
Using a different IP address lets you avoid many censorship and surveillance measures.
A better online experience
Hiding your IP prevents your ISP from tracking your online activity and throttling your internet speed based on what you’re doing. Remember, when you use the incognito mode, companies can still track your sensitive information.
Online privacy
Shield your online activity, including the websites you visit, from your ISP and others to enjoy privacy on the internet.
NordVPN makes your online data unreadable to others
Surf the internet in privacy and security, protected by state-of-the-art encryption.
Your location:
Not available
Your IP address:
Not available
Your ISP:
Not available
Your status:
Not available
Your location:
Not available
Your IP address:
Not available
Your ISP:
Not available
Your status:
Unprotected
Your location:
Not available
Your IP address:
Not available
Your ISP:
Not available
Your status:
Protected
Why choose NordVPN to hide your IP address
The best way to hide your IP address and mask your internet activity is by using NordVPN to encrypt your connection.
- Maximum protection on all of your devices, even home routers
- Simultaneous connection on up to 10 devices
- Threat Protection helps against malware, trackers, and ads
- Use Meshnet to link up with other devices directly for secure file sharing or gaming
- Additional VPN features for security and privacy
Available on all major operating systems:
Available on popular browsers and third-party devices:
Ready to hide your IP and browse privately?
Frequently asked questions
Is my IP hidden?
To check whether your IP is hidden, visit our What is my IP page. See if the IP address at the top of the page matches your real one. If it does – your IP is not hidden, and you should use one of the ways we described to change your IP address.
Is hiding your IP address illegal?
Hiding your IP address is legal. However, VPNs, proxies, and other methods of changing your IP may be illegal in some countries. If you suspect that you might get in trouble for using them, do your research beforehand.
Can you hide your IP without a VPN?
Yes. A VPN routes your internet traffic through a remote server. The websites and online services you use will only see the IP address of the VPN server. But you can also use the Tor browser, proxies, and even public Wi-Fi.
What happens when you hide your IP address?
Let’s say you use a VPN to hide your online activity and IP address (which indicates your location). The VPN encrypts your traffic and routing it through a secure remote server and assigns you the server’s IP address. In practice, when you hide your IP address: 1) Your ISP can’t see what your request is, where it’s ultimately going, and where it’s coming back from — in short, it doesn’t know what you’re doing.
2) If someone intercepts your data, it looks like gibberish.
3) The site you’re visiting doesn’t know your location and lets you safely access local content.
How can I hide my IP address for free?
You can hide your IP address for free with the Tor browser. However, it’s slow and unstable, and some websites block it due to its bad reputation. NordVPN offers a 30-day money-back guarantee — you can cancel your subscription at any time if you’re not satisfied with the service. Avoid free VPNs and proxies to hide your IP address because they’re neither secure nor private.
What does a VPN hide?
In addition to hiding your IP address (your virtual location), a VPN will also shield your online activity. Anyone trying to spy on your traffic will see only gibberish. For most intents and purposes, your virtual location would be the IP address of the server you chose to connect to.
How do I hide my IP address?
Whether you understand the purpose of a VPN or not, hiding your IP address is as simple as hitting the “Connect” button on your VPN app. Now, your internet traffic will travel through a remote VPN server giving you a private IP address as well as a way to hide your online activities and sensitive data.
