How to change your IP address
Before you change anything, it helps to know which IP address you mean. Your public IP address is the one the wider internet sees, assigned by your ISP and shared by everyone on your network. Your local IP address is the private one your router gives each device inside your network. Our guide on public vs private IP covers the difference. The methods below are grouped by which one you want to change.
Change your public IP address
This is the address most people mean. Here are the practical options, roughly from fastest to slowest.
Use a VPN (fastest)
A VPN routes your traffic through a remote server, so websites see the server's IP instead of yours. It's instant, works on any network, and lets you pick a different country. This is the most reliable way to change your visible IP; our guide on how to hide your IP address goes deeper into choosing one.
Connect through a proxy or Tor
A proxy server forwards requests for a single app or browser, changing the IP those requests appear to come from. The Tor Browser does something similar for free by bouncing traffic through several relays. Both change your apparent IP but can be slower than a VPN and don't always cover every app on your device.
Switch to mobile data
Turning off Wi-Fi and using your phone's cellular connection puts you on your mobile carrier's network, which gives you a completely different public IP. Tethering a laptop to your phone works the same way. It's a quick way to get a new address without any extra software.
Restart your router
Unplugging your router for a few minutes and plugging it back in can make your ISP assign a new public IP — but only if you have a dynamic IP. Most home connections are dynamic, meaning the address rotates over time; a static IP is fixed and won't change no matter how often you reboot. See static vs dynamic IP to find out which you have. Leaving the router off longer (even overnight) improves the odds that your old address gets reassigned.
Ask your ISP or change networks
If a reboot doesn't work, you can contact your ISP and ask them to assign a new address; some will, and some offer static IPs on request. Failing that, simply connecting from a different network — a café, an office, or a friend's Wi-Fi — always gives you a different public IP, since the address belongs to the network, not to your device.
Change or renew your local IP address
To reset the private address inside your own network, you renew your DHCP lease. On Windows, open Command Prompt and run ipconfig /release, then ipconfig /renew; your device drops its current local address and requests a fresh one from the router. On macOS, go to System Settings > Network > Details > TCP/IP and click Renew DHCP Lease. On phones and many laptops, simply toggling Wi-Fi off and on forces a new lease. If you're not sure what your local address currently is, our guide to find your local IP walks through it.
How to verify it changed
The simplest check is to note your address first, apply one of the methods above, then reload the home page and compare. If the number is different, the change worked. For a local IP, re-run ipconfig (Windows) or check your network settings to confirm the new private address.
A word on anonymity
Changing your IP address is useful for getting around a block, refreshing a dynamic address, or picking a different region — but it is not full anonymity. Cookies, browser fingerprinting, and account logins can still identify you, and a VPN or ISP may keep records. For a realistic look at what an address actually exposes, read can someone find my location from my IP.