If you want to keep websites from seeing your home or office public IP, the common approaches are VPN, proxy, Tor Browser, SSH tunnel, and switching to a mobile network. This article compares how each method works, where it fits, and where the privacy boundaries really are, and clarifies what incognito mode, public Wi-Fi, and fingerprint browsers can and cannot do.
If you want websites to stop seeing the public IP of your home or office network, the most common approach is to route your traffic through an intermediate exit: the site then sees the IP of a VPN, proxy, Tor exit, or remote server rather than the IP you use when you go online directly.
But keep one thing in mind first: hiding your IP is not the same as being anonymous, and neither equals "leaving no trace online." A site can still identify you through a signed-in account, cookies, browser fingerprint, payment information, and behavior patterns, and a relay service can still hold the connection records. The real question is not "which tool can make me completely invisible" but "from whom do I want to hide which piece of information, and whom am I willing to trust."
Below are five workable methods, with the limits of each spelled out.
Why can a website see my IP?
When your device visits a website, the server has to know where to send the response, so it receives the public IP of the request. This address is usually assigned by your home broadband, office network, or mobile carrier. It can reveal a rough region, network operator, and ASN, but on its own it cannot pinpoint a specific address or prove a real identity.
Once you route through an intermediate exit, the chain becomes:
Your device → Relay service → Target website
The target website sees the exit IP of the relay. Meanwhile, your local network, ISP, relay service, and the target website can each see different information. Whether the traffic is encrypted, how far the encryption extends, and who keeps the logs determine the actual level of privacy.
Method 1: Use a VPN
A VPN establishes an encrypted tunnel between your device and the VPN provider, and the provider's servers access the internet on your behalf. As Mozilla's VPN explainer notes, the target website sees the VPN exit IP, and your local network cannot read the contents of the traffic between you and the VPN.
The strength of a VPN is its broad coverage. After you install a system-level client and turn it on, traffic from browsers, instant messengers, and desktop apps can usually flow through the VPN. It suits people connecting to untrusted networks while traveling, working remotely, or anyone who does not want a website to see their home public IP directly.
Before you use one, confirm:
- Whether the provider publicly discloses logging, audits, ownership, and jurisdiction;
- Whether it supports a kill switch so traffic does not fall back to your local exit when the VPN drops;
- Whether DNS goes through the VPN, and whether IPv6 might bypass the tunnel;
- Whether the chosen country or region permits the service, and whether the target platform's terms of use allow it.
A VPN shifts some of your trust from the local network and ISP to the VPN provider. Free or obscurely-sourced VPNs may make money from ads, data collection, or bundled software. Even when the VPN itself is trustworthy, it will not stop phishing sites, malicious attachments, or personal information you choose to submit.
Method 2: Configure a proxy server
A proxy server makes requests to websites on behalf of an app. HTTP, HTTPS, and SOCKS5 are common ways to connect; whether traffic is encrypted and which protocols are supported depends on the proxy type and how the app is configured.
The advantage of a proxy is its granularity: you can have only a specific browser profile, scraper, or business tool use a given exit, without changing the network for the whole machine. Cross-border teams also commonly bind different compliant accounts to stable proxy exits by business, country, or client.
The main risk is "thinking you set it up when in fact the traffic did not all go through the proxy." The browser request may go through the proxy, but DNS, WebRTC, plugins, or other apps may still connect directly. Some proxies only handle HTTP traffic and do not add encryption between the client and the proxy node.
When buying a proxy, at minimum confirm the exit country and ASN, dedicated or shared, fixed or rotating, session length, authentication method, protocol support, logging policy, and IP source. For long-term business logins, a stable, traceable fixed exit is usually more important than frequent random switching.
Method 3: Use Tor Browser
Tor Browser routes browsing traffic through several relays in the Tor network. According to the Tor Project's official introduction, the website sees the Tor exit node rather than your real IP, and the official browser also applies anti-tracking and fingerprint-focused changes on top of Firefox ESR.
Tor suits privacy-sensitive web browsing, researching sensitive topics, or accessing restricted information where it is permitted. The trade-off is explicit: multi-hop routing is usually slower, some sites block Tor exits or keep showing CAPTCHAs, and downloads and video can be affected.
When using Tor, use the official Tor Browser directly rather than connecting a normal browser to the Tor network through a shortcut. Do not freely install extensions or heavily change window size, fonts, and privacy settings, since a unique configuration can actually make the browser easier to single out. If you sign in to a real-name email, social media, or work account, the site still knows the account belongs to someone; Tor only hides the network source and does not undo an identity you have already exposed.
Method 4: Set up an SSH tunnel
If you have a remote server you control, you can build a dynamic SOCKS tunnel over SSH and point a browser or a specific app at the local SOCKS port. The website then sees the remote server's public IP, and the SSH link between you and the server is encrypted.
This approach suits technical teams that need to reach their own infrastructure, maintain remote services, or use a controlled fixed exit for development and testing. Compared with a consumer VPN, the server, keys, logs, system patches, and traffic configuration are all your responsibility. It is more controllable and also more maintenance-heavy.
Common mistakes include proxying only the browser while forgetting DNS, exposing the SSH port to the public internet, using a weak password, not restricting the login source, or assuming every piece of system traffic will automatically enter the tunnel. It is recommended to use key-based authentication, disable unnecessary password login, update the system in time, and explicitly enable remote DNS resolution in the browser.
An SSH tunnel is not an automatically anonymous network. The cloud provider and remote server can still tie the exit to your rented account, and target websites may also recognize the IP as a data-center address.
Method 5: Switch to a mobile network or another authorized network
Disconnect your current broadband and use a phone hotspot, mobile data, or another network you are authorized to use, and you will usually get a different public IP. This is the simplest way to change IP temporarily, with no extra relay software.
It is useful for checking "whether the issue only happens on the current network", testing the mobile version of a page, getting back online when the main link is down, or getting a network exit different from your home broadband. But mobile carriers often use shared addresses and carrier-grade NAT, and reconnecting does not guarantee a new IP each time. The carrier still knows the SIM card and the connection records.
Do not treat an unfamiliar public Wi-Fi as a privacy tool. It may change the IP the target website sees, while raising the risk of traffic sniffing, rogue hotspots, and device exposure. If you must use the network at an airport or a café, confirm the hotspot name, keep the system firewall on, prefer HTTPS sites, and pair it with a trusted VPN.
Which of the 5 IP-hiding methods should I pick?
| Method | IP the site sees | Coverage | Link protection | Speed and stability | Better suited for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| VPN | VPN server IP | Usually the whole device | Encrypted from device to VPN provider | Usually good, depends on node | Daily privacy, travel, and multi-app use |
| Proxy | Proxy exit IP | Specific browser or app | Depends on protocol and config | Flexible, quality varies | Business profile splitting, regional testing |
| Tor Browser | Tor exit IP | Web traffic inside Tor Browser | Multi-hop, with browser privacy hardening | Usually slow, may be blocked | High-privacy web browsing |
| SSH tunnel | Remote server IP | Manually configured apps | Encrypted from device to server | Depends on the server and link | Technical teams, self-owned fixed exits |
| Mobile or other network | New network's public IP | Traffic on that network | Depends on HTTPS, VPN, etc. | Affected by signal and carrier | Temporary switching and troubleshooting |
If your goal is to protect a whole device's traffic on public networks, prefer a trusted VPN. If you only want a specific business profile to go through a given exit, a proxy is easier to split. If you value anonymous browsing and can accept the speed and compatibility cost, use the official Tor Browser. If you have the operations skills and need a self-owned exit, consider an SSH tunnel.
After hiding the IP, what information can still leak?
| Information | Does changing the IP automatically remove it? | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Signed-in account | No | Signing in itself declares the account identity |
| Cookies and local storage | No | The site can still recognize the existing session |
| Browser fingerprint | No | OS, fonts, language, screen, and graphics capability can form a profile |
| DNS requests | Not necessarily | A misconfiguration can still leave DNS to be resolved by the local network |
| WebRTC local network info | Not necessarily | Requires both browser and proxy configuration to check |
| Payment and shipping info | No | Transaction data can be directly tied to identity |
| Behavior patterns | No | Timing, content, and habits can still form a link |
This is also why the claim that "changing IP lets you open unlimited accounts" is a dangerous misconception. Platforms usually combine account data, device environment, network, cookies, payment relationships, and behavior signals to assess risk. Compliant operation should focus on a clear environment, auditable permissions, and a stable network, rather than constantly disguising or bypassing platform rules.
Can incognito mode hide your IP?
No. Incognito or private browsing mainly reduces the history, cookies, and form data kept on the local machine after the window is closed. The website, your company or school network, and the ISP can still see the corresponding connection, and the target website still receives the public IP.
Clearing cookies, modifying the User-Agent, or disabling location permission also does not directly change the exit IP. They solve different layers of problems and should not be confused with each other.
Bind a proxy to a profile and verify the exit in PurpleMark
Temporarily switching a single browser to a proxy is usually enough with a local command line or a browser extension. But when you need to bind long-term exits to multiple accounts, configuring each one by hand is easy to get wrong and hard to trace.
When you create a browser profile in the PurpleMark web app, you can set a proxy for that profile alone: fill in the proxy type, host, port, and authentication, and explicitly choose whether to use the proxy. After saving, the proxy management page records the exit IP of that proxy entry, the number of profiles currently using the proxy, and the most recent use time, which makes it easier to keep a fixed mapping between profiles and business accounts.
To actually confirm that "the profile right now is going through the exit the provider promised", you need to open a third-party check page in that profile (for example IP geolocation, ASN, IP purity, or browser WebRTC leak checks) and compare the displayed exit IP, resolving DNS exit, and WebRTC candidate IP against the information the proxy provider gave you, item by item. PurpleMark cannot do this step for you. The proxy's own source, logs, availability, region rules, and compliance are still the responsibility of the provider and the user.
Pre-use security checklist
- Be clear about what you want to hide from the website, the local network, or the ISP.
- Check local laws, company policies, and the target platform's terms.
- Install software from official channels and verify the publisher and update mechanism.
- After connecting, check the public IP, DNS, IPv6, and WebRTC separately.
- Enable multi-factor authentication, and do not treat "IP is hidden" as an account security measure.
- Do not enter sensitive credentials on unknown proxies, VPNs, or public computers.
- Keep a stable, auditable network configuration for business accounts, and do not switch in the middle of a critical workflow.
FAQ
After hiding the IP, can the website still tell my location?
A website usually infers a rough location from the exit IP, but if you grant the browser precise location permission, fill in an address, or sign in to an existing account, you can still expose your real location. IP-based geolocation can also be inaccurate.
Can changing router settings hide the public IP?
Changing the local private address does not change the public IP the website sees. Restarting the router sometimes makes the ISP re-assign an address, but this is not guaranteed and does not provide anonymity.
Can VPN and proxy be used together?
Technically yes, but it increases latency and troubleshooting complexity, and is not necessarily more secure. Without a clear threat model and routing design, prefer one correctly configured and trustworthy option.
Are free proxies usable?
Not recommended for account, payment, or client data. The operators, logging, and traffic handling of free proxies are usually opaque, and their stability and security are hard to verify.
Closing notes
Hiding your IP is essentially switching the network exit the target website sees. VPN suits device-level protection, proxy suits app-by-app splitting, Tor Browser emphasizes anonymous browsing, SSH tunnel provides a self-owned server exit, and a mobile network suits temporary switching.
Before choosing a method, decide what you need to protect, which middle party you can trust, and what speed cost you can accept. Combined with HTTPS, account security, cookie management, and compliant operation, that is a complete privacy setup.
