How to Change Your IP Address (7 Safe Methods)

There are plenty of good reasons to want a new IP address: a game or forum has banned an address you inherited from someone else, a website keeps showing you CAPTCHAs, you want to test how a site behaves from another country, or you simply want more privacy. Below are seven reliable methods, from the simplest to the most flexible, with what each one actually changes.

Before you start: note your current IP

Open our home page and write down the IP address and provider. After each method, reload the page to confirm the change.

1. Restart your router

Most home connections have a dynamic IP. When your router reconnects, the provider may assign a different address.

1. Switch the router (and the separate modem, if you have one) off at the power socket.
2. Wait. Some providers hand back the same address if you reconnect within minutes. Leaving it off for 10–30 minutes – or overnight – improves your chances.
3. Switch it back on and check our home page.

Some routers also have a “Reconnect” or “Renew WAN lease” button on their status page, which does the same without unplugging. If your address never changes, your provider may use long “sticky” leases, a static IP, or CGNAT.

2. Switch networks

Every network gives you a different public IP. The quickest change is to turn off Wi-Fi on your phone and use mobile data, or to tether your laptop to your phone. On mobile networks, toggling aeroplane mode on for 10 seconds and off again often gives you a new address, because the phone re-registers with the network.

Public Wi-Fi in a café, library or hotel also gives you a different address – but use HTTPS sites and preferably a VPN on networks you do not control.

3. Use a VPN

A VPN routes your traffic through a server run by the VPN company, so websites see that server’s IP instead of yours. You can choose a server in another city or country and change it whenever you like. This is the most flexible method and also encrypts your traffic on untrusted networks.

After connecting, make sure it really works:

• Run our VPN check – the provider should be the VPN, not your internet company.
• Run our WebRTC leak test to make sure your real address and browsing are not leaking around the tunnel.

4. Use a proxy

A proxy server forwards requests from one app – usually just your browser – rather than your whole device. Proxies are useful for testing or for a single application, but most do not encrypt traffic, and free public proxies are often slow, unreliable or run by unknown people who can see what you send. For privacy, a reputable VPN is the better choice.

5. Use the Tor Browser

Tor bounces your connection through three volunteer-run relays, and websites see the address of the final “exit” relay. You can get a new route at any time with “New Tor circuit for this site”. Tor is free and strong for anonymity, but slower than a VPN, and many websites block or challenge Tor exit addresses.

6. Ask your internet provider

If you need a fresh address because yours is on a blocklist, or you have been targeted by attacks, your provider can often assign a new one on request. This is also the route to a static IP if you need one that never changes, and to opting out of CGNAT if you need a real public address for hosting.

7. Change your private (local) IP

This does not change what websites see, but it is useful for fixing an address conflict or giving a device a fixed address for port forwarding.

Windows

To get a new address from your router automatically, open Command Prompt and run:

ipconfig /release
ipconfig /renew

To set one manually: Settings › Network & internet › Wi-Fi or Ethernet › your network › IP assignment › Edit, choose Manual and enter an address outside your router’s DHCP range.

macOS

System Settings › Network › Wi-Fi › Details › TCP/IP, then click Renew DHCP Lease, or change “Configure IPv4” to Manually.

iPhone and Android

Tap the network in Wi-Fi settings and choose “Renew lease” (iPhone) or change IP settings from DHCP to Static under Advanced (Android). Simply forgetting and rejoining the network also works.

The best long-term way to fix a device’s local address is a DHCP reservation in your router’s settings.

Which method should I choose?

Is changing your IP address legal?

Yes, in almost every country. Restarting a router, switching networks and using a VPN are ordinary, legal actions. However, using a new IP to evade a ban may break a website’s terms of service, and some countries restrict VPN use. Changing your IP does not make illegal activity legal.

Remember: your IP is not the only identifier

Websites can still recognise you through cookies, logged-in accounts and your browser fingerprint. If you want a genuinely fresh start on a site, also clear its cookies or use a private window – and check what your browser reveals with our fingerprint test.