How to Change Your IP Address

Why Change Your IP Address?

There are many legitimate reasons to change your IP address:

• Privacy: You want websites to see a different IP
• Banned from a service: Your IP was blocked and you need access
• Security incident: Your IP was targeted in a DDoS attack
• Network troubleshooting: Fixing IP conflicts or connectivity issues
• Testing: Developers testing geo-specific features
• New identity: Starting fresh after leaving a network

Before changing your IP, check your current one with What's My IP. After changing, verify it actually changed by checking again.

Understanding Public vs Private IP Changes

There is an important distinction. You have two types of IP addresses, and changing each requires different methods:

• Public IP - The IP the internet sees. This is what most people want to change. Assigned by your ISP.
• Private IP - Your device's address on your local network (e.g., 192.168.1.105). Only matters within your home network.

Read more about the difference in our public vs private IP guide.

Most of this guide focuses on changing your public IP, since that is what websites and online services see.

Method 1: Restart Your Router (Easiest)

Most home internet connections use dynamic IP addresses. Your ISP assigns an IP from their pool, and it may change when your router reconnects.

Steps

1. Check your current IP at What's My IP
2. Unplug your router's power cable
3. Wait 5 minutes (this is important - the ISP needs time to release your IP lease)
4. Plug the router back in
5. Wait for it to fully reconnect
6. Check your IP again at What's My IP

Does this always work?

Not always. It depends on your ISP's DHCP lease time:

Some ISPs assign semi-static IPs that rarely change. If restarting does not work, try leaving the router unplugged overnight.

Important caveats

• If you have a static IP (common for business plans), restarting will not change it
• If your ISP uses CGNAT, your visible IP may not change (you share it with others)
• Some ISPs use MAC-based assignment (same MAC = same IP). Changing your router's MAC address can force a new IP

Method 2: Use a VPN (Fastest, Most Reliable)

A VPN replaces your visible IP with the VPN server's IP instantly. No ISP involvement needed.

Before VPN: You → ISP → Website sees 203.45.67.89
After VPN:  You → ISP → VPN Server → Website sees 104.16.85.20

Advantages of using a VPN

• Instant IP change - Connect and your IP changes immediately
• Choose your location - Pick a server in any country
• Change again anytime - Switch servers for a new IP whenever you want
• Encryption - Traffic is encrypted, adding security

Quick setup

1. Subscribe to a VPN provider
2. Install the app on your device
3. Connect to a server
4. Verify at What's My IP - you should see the VPN server's IP

For a detailed comparison of VPN, Proxy, and Tor, read our complete guide to hiding your IP.

Method 3: DHCP Release and Renew

You can request a new IP from your ISP's DHCP server without physically restarting anything.

On your router

Most routers have a "Release" and "Renew" button in the WAN/Internet settings page:

1. Log into your router (typically 192.168.1.1)
2. Go to WAN or Internet settings
3. Click "Release" (disconnects from ISP)
4. Wait 30 seconds
5. Click "Renew" (reconnects and may get a new IP)

From your computer (changes private IP only)

macOS:

# Release and renew DHCP lease
sudo ipconfig set en0 DHCP

# Or manually
sudo ifconfig en0 down
sudo ifconfig en0 up

Linux:

# Release current IP
sudo dhclient -r

# Request new IP
sudo dhclient

# Using NetworkManager
sudo nmcli connection down "Wi-Fi"
sudo nmcli connection up "Wi-Fi"

Windows:

# Release and renew
ipconfig /release
ipconfig /renew

Note: Running these commands on your computer only changes your private IP (local network address). To change your public IP, you need to do the release/renew on your router, or use one of the other methods.

Method 4: Use a Proxy Server

A proxy server acts as an intermediary, showing websites the proxy's IP instead of yours.

Browser proxy (quick and easy)

Configure your browser to use a proxy server:

Chrome/Firefox: Settings > Network/Proxy > Manual proxy configuration

SSH SOCKS proxy (DIY, secure)

If you have a VPS or remote server:

# Create a SOCKS5 proxy through SSH
ssh -D 1080 -q -C -N user@your-server.com

# Then configure browser: SOCKS5 proxy at localhost:1080

This gives you the IP of your remote server. It is encrypted and free (if you already have a server).

Command-line proxy

# Use proxy for specific requests
curl -x socks5://localhost:1080 https://tracethatip.com/raw

# Or with HTTP proxy
curl -x http://proxy-server:8080 https://tracethatip.com/raw

Method 5: Use Tor Browser

Tor automatically assigns you a new IP from its exit node network:

1. Download Tor Browser from torproject.org
2. Open it - a new IP is assigned automatically
3. For a new IP within Tor, click "New Tor Circuit for this Site"

Tor is free but slow. Best for anonymity, not for daily browsing. See our VPN vs Proxy vs Tor comparison.

Method 6: Contact Your ISP

For a permanent IP change, contact your Internet Service Provider:

• Request a new dynamic IP - They can release your current lease and force a reassignment
• Switch from static to dynamic - If you have a static IP and want it to change
• Switch from dynamic to static - If you need a permanent, fixed IP
• Upgrade/downgrade plan - Plan changes often trigger IP reassignment

What to say

"I would like a new IP address assigned to my account. Can you release my current DHCP lease and assign a new one?"

Most ISPs will do this for free. Some may charge for static IP addresses.

Method 7: Change Your Network

The simplest "change" is connecting to a different network:

• Switch to mobile data - Your phone's cellular IP is different from your Wi-Fi IP
• Use a different Wi-Fi network - Coffee shop, library, friend's house
• Tether from your phone - Use your phone's mobile connection as a hotspot

Each network has its own public IP. Switching networks instantly gives you a new one.

# Check IP on Wi-Fi
curl https://tracethatip.com/raw
# Output: 203.45.67.89

# Switch to mobile hotspot, check again
curl https://tracethatip.com/raw
# Output: 100.72.34.56 (different!)

Method 8: Change Router MAC Address (Advanced)

Some ISPs assign IP addresses based on your router's MAC address. Changing the MAC forces a new IP assignment.

Most routers allow MAC cloning in their admin panel:

1. Log into router admin (192.168.1.1)
2. Go to WAN/Internet settings
3. Find "MAC Clone" or "MAC Address" section
4. Click "Clone" or enter a new MAC manually
5. Save and reboot

Warning: Some ISPs require you to register your MAC address. Changing it might temporarily disconnect your service.

Verification Checklist

After changing your IP using any method:

1. Check your new IP: Visit What's My IP
2. Verify it changed: Compare with your previous IP
3. Trace the new IP: Use IP Lookup to see what the new IP reveals
4. Test DNS leaks: Ensure your DNS requests also use the new path
5. Check WebRTC leaks: If using VPN/proxy, ensure your browser does not leak your real IP

Quick Reference: Which Method to Use

Summary

There are multiple ways to change your IP address, from simple router restarts to VPN connections. The right method depends on whether you need a temporary or permanent change, how quickly you need it, and whether you want to change just your visible IP or your actual ISP-assigned address.

Quick links:

• Check your current IP
• Trace any IP address
• VPN vs Proxy vs Tor comparison
• Public vs Private IP explained