How to Change Your IP Address: 5 Methods That Work

Most home internet connections use a dynamic IP address, so you can change it if you need to. Here are five methods, from simplest to most reliable, and what each really does.

1. Restart your router

Unplug your modem and router, wait a few minutes, then plug them back in. Your provider may assign a new address when the router reconnects. It does not always work, because many providers reserve the same address for your connection for days or weeks. Leaving the equipment off for longer, or overnight, improves your odds.

2. Ask your internet provider

If you have a dynamic address, support staff can often reset it. If you have a static address, they can issue a different one. This is the cleanest option when you need a genuinely new address, for example after being targeted by an attack.

3. Use a VPN

A VPN routes your traffic through a server run by the VPN provider, so websites see the server's address instead of yours. You can switch locations in seconds. Choose a provider you trust, because it can see your traffic instead of your internet provider.

4. Use a proxy or Tor

A proxy forwards your requests through another machine, and Tor sends them through several volunteer relays. Both hide your real address from the sites you visit. They are slower than a VPN and some websites block them.

5. Switch networks

Connecting through a mobile hotspot, a coffee shop or a friend's Wi-Fi gives you a different public address for as long as you are connected. It is simple, but obviously only temporary.

What does not work

Running ipconfig /release and ipconfig /renew on your computer only changes the private address your router gave to that device. Websites will not notice, because they see your router's public address.

Check that it worked

Open our IP checker before and after the change and compare the two addresses. If you use a VPN, also run the WebRTC leak test, because a browser can sometimes still reveal your real address. Read how WebRTC leaks work.

Is changing your IP a privacy fix?

Only partly. A new address stops sites from linking you to the old one, but cookies, logins and browser fingerprints still identify you. If you want websites to see a different address from your provider's, read how to hide your IP address. For the full picture, see can someone track you by your IP address?