How to change your IP and location: VPN and other methods
7 min read
It’s useful to have a tool that can change your location online whenever you want, but how? Luckily, VPNs are popular and easy-to-use cybersecurity tools that can change your location to almost anywhere in the world. Read on to find out how to get and use a VPN location changer.
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Does a VPN change my IP address?
A VPN replaces your IP address with that of a VPN server. A VPN makes it look like you’re connected to the internet from a different location. If anyone were to try and spy on your activity, they would see only the IP address of whichever VPN server you’re connected to rather than your actual IP address. You might be living and browsing in the UK, but with the tap of a button you can connect to an Australia VPN server and start using an Australian IP address.
Why would I want to change my location?
The main reason you might want to change your IP address is to protect your online privacy. By changing your IP address, you can avoid potential hackers and even avoid some website trackers.
Anyone who knows your true IP address can find out a lot about you with just a simple IP lookup, an online tool that allows users to find out the general location of certain IP addresses entered. So, there are many ways to take advantage of an IP location changer.
- Comparing prices while shopping: Some sites offer different prices to visitors from different countries. Once you learn how to change your virtual location, you can hop around the globe and look for the best price.
- Hiding your identity from trackers: If you’re connecting from home, your location is an important part of tracking your identity online. By hiding your location, you can throw off annoying online services that keep trying to track your location. For example, if you’re based in the US, you could use a Canada VPN server and appear online as a Canadian internet user.
- Practicing freedom of speech: Hiding your IP address is a necessary step for any privacy-conscious internet user. It’s especially important for journalists working on sensitive topics or anyone else who’s concerned about their location being discoverable online.
Six ways to change your IP address and location
1. How to use a VPN to change virtual location
When you use a virtual private network to hide your physical location, you also change your IP address in the process. Here are the steps you need to take to change your IP address:
- Get a reliable VPN subscription to change your IP address. Choose the best one for you from all NordVPN subscription plans.
- Download the VPN app to your device and install it.
- Open the application and enter your credentials to log in..
- Click the “Quick connect” button to connect to the best remote server in seconds.
- After you’re connected, your virtual location and IP addresses are changed!
If you want to change your VPN server to, say, USA, just tap the country pin, and NordVPN’s smart algorithm will find the fastest server available.
There are other ways to use NordVPN as a location changer as well. You can install it onto your router or download our proxy extension for Chrome or Firefox. In fact, it supports almost any device, and you can even set up a NordVPN on your router. Also, check out NordVPN reviews where people share their experiences about our VPN as an IP address changer tool.
How does a VPN change your IP address and location?
A VPN, or Virtual Private Network, changes your apparent location by sending your traffic through a server in another location. Here’s how that works:
- Your VPN app lets you select a server anywhere in the world where your VPN service has servers. NordVPN, for example, has servers in 60 different countries (in some, you can also select the city). For example, if you pick a server in Texas, any websites you visit will only be able to see the IP address for the server location in Texas.
- When you connect to the server you’ve selected, your app will form an encrypted tunnel around all of the traffic coming from your device. That VPN tunnel will lead straight to your selected server, which will decrypt your traffic and send it to its final destination. However, your IP address (internet protocol) – which helps determine your location and identity – will now be that of the server. Yours will be hidden from the world.
- That’s it – anyone using your IP address to discover your location will now see your location as the location of the server. You can still use the app and change your VPN server to new locations whenever you want and acquire new IP addresses.
2. Use a Proxy
In general, it works much like a VPN. A proxy acts as a middleman that connects to the website for you and sends it the proxy’s address instead of yours. The most significant difference is that, unlike a VPN, a proxy doesn’t encrypt your connection. By definition, a proxy has to change and modify your IP address, and that’s it. VPN services generally offer more features as well.
3. Use Tor
It works by sending your communications through a number of nodes around the world. Each node only knows the node that came before it and the one after it, so it’s difficult to trace the original connection back to you. It also usually has a strong negative effect on your internet speed, as the Tor network usually sends you through at least three nodes.
4. Unplug your modem
When you connect to the internet, your ISP assigns your network an IP address. If you disconnect your modem or router completely, wait a few minutes, and then reconnect, you may be given a new IP address, if the one you had previously has already been assigned to another network. However, there’s no guarantee you won’t get the same one again.
5. Change networks
If you change your network, you’ll appear online with a new IP address, since your public IP address associated with the specific network you’re on. However, that’s not a very convenient solution, because unless you’re traveling around the world before connecting to that new network, you’re going to have roughly the same location information.
6. Ask your ISP to change your IP address
You can contact your ISP and ask them to give your network or your device a new IP address. Of course, this really isn’t a convenient option to do regularly, and they won’t be able to give you a new location, since the IP address they give you will always be tied to the location of your router or your device.
How to change VPN location on iOS and Android
Both the mobile and desktop versions of the NordVPN app make it simple to change your location whenever you want. First, You’ll need to install the NordVPN app. Next:
- Open the NordVPN app.
- Scroll down to the list of countries and locations.
- Once you’ve found the desired VPN server location, just tap it.
- You should now be immediately connected to a VPN server. It’s that easy.
Check out our video on how to change your virtual location below.
What is the best way to change your location?
There are a couple of other ways to change your IP address and thus hide your location.
While proxy and Tor are alternatives to a VPN IP changer, they also come in the form of VPN features. For example, NordVPN has proxy extensions for Chrome and Firefox. Unlike most proxy services, they also encrypt your browsing data.
PRO TIP: You can always use NordVPN’s Onion Over VPN feature to connect to the Tor network. With NordVPN, you can stay safe as you browse.
What is the best IP changer? A VPN service like NordVPN is one of the simplest and most effective options available. Not only will your IP address be hidden, but you’ll also get the benefit of placing that protection across 6 devices. It also comes with a lot of other features, including the Threat Protection system, which can protect you from online tracking. You can also try our NordLynx protocol to get the best out of a VPN.
