An IP address is your public identity that others can use to track your information. Some websites even track the patterns of how you click, which page you view the most, etc., and sell the data to companies. You might also want to hide your IP if you browse content, which is restricted to your area.
Some countries block specific content for their region, and as a result, the users can not view the content. If you are defying that restriction, you must change the IP address to avoid any issues.
Now, as you know why you must hide your IP, let’s see how you can change your IP address. There are numerous ways that you can use to change or mask your IP. There are browsers, proxy websites, and VPN clients that you can use.
The reasons why you might want to mask your IP address may include: Hiding your geographical location, preventing Web tracking, avoiding a digital footprint, or bypassing any content filters, bans, or blacklisting. There are a few ways to hide your IP addressthat unique number assigned to the network connection on the computer. Mac and ip are very different items to hide, ie if your attacking a website via a proxy or alike then you need not worry about your mac, if your attacking a lan then you have to use an ip for that segment unless you broadcast everything and its the lan attack that its important to spoof your mac. Your ip address will.
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How to hide or change your IP address
You can use these applications and services to hide your IP address:
- VPN or Virtual Private Networks (Paid and free)
- Tor browser (Free)
- Opera browser (Free)
- Public WiFi
- Proxy Websites
1. VPNs (Virtual Private Networks)
VPN lets you change your public IP. When you visit a website while being connected to a VPN, the site will not see your actual IP. VPNs give you a list of Countries or areas that you can choose from, and you’ll be assigned an IP address of that area or country. These IPs are owned by VPN providers. There are both paid and free VPN providers available, although premium VPNs provide more options and privacy.
Some good VPN providers:
- CyberGhost VPN: Best For new users
- Nord VPN: Rated best in 2020
- Express VPN: Top Rated for Speed
- Surfshark: Comparatively Cheaper
- Turbo VPN: Personal Favorite
- Private VPN: Numerous Protocols Available
- Ultra VPN: Good Customer Support
- Vypr VPN: Desktop Friendly
When buying a VPN, make sure it has a no-logging policy. Most VPN providers offer you a trial period that you should use before purchasing them so that you can make sure their IPs work on the websites that you regularly browse (some websites block VPN IPs). You can also buy a dedicated IP address from your VPN provider.
Note: You can also buy a Linux Virtual Private Server (VPS) from Vultr or Digital Ocean if your want to have a dedicated IP different from your actual IP. Install GNOME desktop on it, and browse any website without exposing your actual IP. This looks complicated, but there are tons of tutorials online to help you.
2. Tor Browser (Website)
It is a simple yet effective browser that will help you mask your IP address every time you open it and visit some websites. It gives you an anonymous identity. It changes your IP address so that it becomes hard for anyone to track you.
There are two ways of running Tor. Either you can go for the complex one that involves the command line, or you can simply install the Tor Browser application for your Windows and get going.
It is available for multiple operating systems like Windows, OS X, Linux, and Android. So, you can use Tor to hide IP address on your Mac and Windows for completely free. It has various other advantages like it is completely anonymous, and everything you browse gets deleted after you close the browser, no history is saved, and every time you connect, you get a different IP. However, some websites might not support Tor. Another disadvantage is that it can sometimes be slow. Still, Tor is probably the best way to hide your IP address, if you don’t want to pay for a VPN.
3. Opera (Website)
Opera can also help you mask your IP and assign you a new IP that makes it hard for others to track you. However, it uses an in-built VPN service that does the magic. There’s no subscription required, and it uses the 256-AES encryption that makes it safe.
Steps to enable VPN on Opera
- Open Opera
- Go to Settings in the top right Corner and search “VPN” in the top-right search box. If you still don’t find the VPN settings, follow the steps below.
- Then Go to Privacy & Security or Go to Advanced and then Privacy & Security.
- Then scroll down until you find the VPN tab. Click on Enable
- Close the declaimer if it appears and enable the VPN.
- You will see a small VPN logo in the URL address bar indicating VPN is live.
After enabling VPN, check your IP on ShowMyIP to confirm your location is hidden.4. Using a public WiFi
Note: Although using public WiFi will hide your IP, it’s not the best solution if you also want to protect your privacy.
These days cafes, local eateries provide free WIFI to their customers. You can order something and bring your laptop along and get going. Whether it is your mobile, tablet, or laptop, when you connect it to a WIFI and search for something on the web, the IP address of the WIFI is what becomes exposed. That way, your IP won’t be revealed to the websites you browse.
5. Proxy Websites
One of the oldest methods to change IP address is using Proxy Websites. There is no barrier to the device or platform, as you can use the proxy websites directly from your browser. You just have to visit a proxy website, and you can browse anything from that tab.
Many websites might not work the way they’re supposed to when you browse them using proxy websites. Also, I’d not recommend proxy sites to browse websites where you might have to add your credentials or other confidential information. Some good proxy sites:
- 4everproxy.com
- Hide.me
Disclaimer: The links above to CyberGhost VPN and Nord VPN are affiliate links and I earn a commission at no extra cost to you if you purchase from them after visiting their website via those links.
Why Would You Hide Your Mac’s IP Address?
The motives why Mac users decide to mask their IP addresses vary. In fact, some of them do it to download illegal content. But there are more reasons to mask your real IP.
For example, you may want to bypass geo-restrictions and censorship without getting in trouble. If you hide your IP address, it will look like you are sitting at a different place. Or you may do so to protect your privacy and stay away from annoying advertisers. Whatever your motives are, we have some ready-made solutions for you.
3 Ways to Hide Your Mac’s IP Address
There are actually more than 3 ways to hide your IP address. We’ve limited our guide to 3 approaches as the other ones like using mobile networks or public Wi-Fi are not secure enough.
Out of the methods described below, we recommend using a VPN. In this case, you’ll get both high speed and reliable encryption of your data. The other 2 methods will make you choose between fast and secure. Note that the best VPNs for Mac come at a price but isn’t your privacy worth it?
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Use a VPN for Mac
Choosing the right VPN for your Mac is probably the easiest thing to do if you want to mask your real IP address. This technology allows routing your Internet traffic through different servers which are a part of the VPN’s network.
The servers encrypt your data and set a different IP address to it. The new address may be from another continent, so no one will guess where you really are.
With a good VPN provider, you can torrent safely at your regular speeds, unblock geo-restricted platforms like Netflix and BBC iPlayer, and not sweat over the thoughts about the Big Brother watching you. It is your key to unlimited Internet freedom!
Setting up a VPN client on Mac is also easy and quick. Usually, providers offer custom Mac software for users’ convenience.
Use a Proxy
A proxy server is a bit similar to VPN. It is an in-between point between your device and the websites you are visiting. This means that your request does not go to the requested website directly but it “stops” at the proxy and then travels to the final destination. Proxy servers hide your real IP address and assign you with a new one.
Unlike VPNs for Mac, proxy servers don’t cost anything. You can easily find proxy servers with a simple Google search and may connect to any of them.
However, if compared to a VPN, proxy servers are not as convenient. You must remember using them whenever you want to go online, plus they may slow your speeds down significantly. Also, a proxy server would not encrypt your data, so anybody skillful enough can read it. Finally, you cannot use a proxy on mobile apps, just on a web browser.
With all said, a proxy is a simple yet one-time solution to help you mask your IP address and bypass geo-restrictions. But your ISP may track your activities. So do the government’s snoopers. Thus, if you want to get more solid protection of your privacy and more convenient service, choose a VPN instead.
Use Tor
Another tool that will let hide your IP address using The Onion Router, or Tor. Its principle is simple. All the data from your device is sent via many networks of servers around the globe which makes it impossible to track. With Tor, you can open blocked websites. It also encrypts your data. Plus, it is free.
However, Tor is extremely slow, and you will hate streaming or torrenting with it. The reason of such slowness is obvious: it takes time to kick your data from one server to another and later return it to you. But this is how Tor works.
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Bottom Line
The necessity to hide your real IP address on your Mac is not a whim anymore. This is more of a question of responsible attitude towards your own privacy and online, freedom.
Hide My Ip Address Free Mac
Fortunately, there are many ways to protect your Mac device from spying eyes and get access to the beloved content (for legal purposes we assume). Many of them don’t even cost anything. You may opt to try all of them and then decide what fits your needs better. Stay safe!