You cannot make an IP address vanish, because your device needs one to communicate. What you can do is show websites a different address from your own. Here are the main ways, from simplest to most private.
1. Use a VPN
A VPN sends your traffic through an encrypted tunnel to a server run by the VPN provider, so websites see the server's address and your internet provider sees only encrypted traffic going to the VPN. It is the best balance of speed, ease and protection for most people. Choose a provider with an independently audited no-logs policy, a kill switch and leak protection, and avoid free VPNs.
Disclosure: if you want a ready-made option, our privacy partner link is an affiliate link. We may earn a commission at no cost to you, and it does not affect what our tests report.
2. Use Tor Browser
Tor bounces your traffic through three volunteer-run relays, so no single relay knows both who you are and where you are going. It gives much stronger anonymity than a VPN for browsing, but it is slower, some sites block it, and it protects only traffic that goes through Tor Browser, not your whole device.
3. Use a proxy
A web or SOCKS proxy forwards your requests and shows its address. It is simple, but most proxies do not encrypt traffic and apply only to the app you configure. Treat it as a way to change location, not as privacy protection. See VPN vs proxy vs Tor.
4. Switch networks
Using your phone's mobile hotspot or another Wi-Fi network gives you a different address, but it is still tied to a provider and, in the case of home or work networks, to you. Public Wi-Fi shows a shared address but adds the risk of other people on the network.
5. Ask your provider for a new address
Restarting the router sometimes gives you a new dynamic address. This hides nothing from your provider, and many get the same address back.
How to check it worked
- Open the home page with the VPN off and note your IPv4 and IPv6 addresses and ISP.
- Turn it on and reload. The addresses and ISP should change to the VPN's.
- Run the DNS leak test and WebRTC leak test. A VPN that changes your IP but leaks either is only half working.
- Check the IPv6 line. If it still shows your home provider, the VPN is not covering IPv6 (see IPv4 vs IPv6).
What hiding your IP does not do
Your IP is one of many ways to track you. Cookies, logins and browser fingerprints will still identify you across sites, and a VPN does not make you anonymous, it moves trust from your internet provider to the VPN company. For the full picture, run the full privacy scan.