How to · 3 minutes
Every website you open sees your IP address, and with it roughly where you are and who connects you. To hide it, you send your connection through someone else first. Here are four ways, what each one really hides, and a check that it worked.
Your IP address
216.73.216.86
Every website gets this, without asking. See all five things it tells them →
Each one puts someone between you and the website. Pick one to see who still sees what.
You move your trust to the VPN company. It sees what your provider used to see. Covers every app on the device.
Easy and fast, but only in that browser. Good for everyday browsing; streaming apps and games still use your real address.
The most hidden, and the slowest. Some websites block Tor or show extra captchas. Only the Tor Browser itself is covered.
The weakest way. Many proxies don't encrypt the connection to them, and free ones are often run to collect data. Fine for a quick look from another country, not for privacy.
A new address is the first step. The full VPN check also looks for leaks through IPv6, WebRTC and your time zone.
Yes, it's an everyday thing. Millions of people do it to work from home, to stay private on café or hotel Wi-Fi, and simply to keep their location to themselves. A few countries limit VPNs, so if you travel, check before you go.
No. Private mode only forgets your history and cookies when you close it. Websites see the same address.
Some are, many aren't. Running servers costs money, so a free VPN may show ads, limit your data, or sell what it learns about you. Look for one from a known company with a clear privacy policy.
Your provider always knows your address, because it gave it to you. With a VPN or Tor, it can no longer see which sites you visit, only that you use one.
It can still recognize your browser by its fingerprint, and it knows who you are if you log in. Hiding your IP hides where you connect from, not who you are.