IP, Privacy & Security
How to Hide Your IP Address: VPNs, Proxies, and Tor
Hiding your IP address means making websites see a different address than your real one. Three tools do this, with different trade-offs.
What "hiding" actually means
You can't remove your IP address — you need one to use the internet. "Hiding" it means routing your traffic through an intermediary so that websites see the intermediary's address instead of yours. Your real IP still exists; it's just no longer what the destination sees.
Option 1: VPN (Virtual Private Network)
A VPN encrypts all your traffic and routes it through a server run by the VPN provider. Websites see the VPN server's IP. It covers your whole device, is easy to use, and adds encryption. The catch: you must trust the VPN provider, since they can see your traffic. Reputable, no-logs providers are the standard choice for everyday privacy.
Option 2: Proxy server
A proxy also relays your traffic through another server, but typically for a single app (like a browser) and often without strong encryption. Proxies are lighter and sometimes faster, but offer weaker privacy and security than a VPN. They're handy for simple tasks like appearing to be in another region.
Option 3: Tor
Tor routes your traffic through several volunteer-run relays, encrypting it in layers so no single relay knows both who you are and where you're going. It provides the strongest anonymity but is noticeably slower, which makes it best for privacy-critical browsing rather than streaming or gaming.
Quick comparison
- Ease + speed + encryption: VPN.
- Lightweight, single-app, region-switching: proxy.
- Maximum anonymity: Tor.
How to check it worked
After connecting through any of these, reload a tool like IP Ducky. If it shows a different IP address and location than your real one, your traffic is being routed as intended. If it still shows your real address, something isn't configured correctly — a quick, concrete way to verify your setup.