How to Change Your IP Address on iPhone, Android, Windows and Mac
Published
Maybe a website keeps throwing CAPTCHAs at you. Maybe a game server banned the wrong person, your printer setup needs a fixed address, or you just don't like the idea that every site you visit can see roughly where you live. Whatever the reason, changing your IP address is usually easy. The catch is that most guides mix up two very different addresses, and the steps that change one do nothing for the other.
This guide starts with that difference, then walks through every method that actually works, with exact steps for iPhone, Android, Windows and Mac.
First: Which IP Address Do You Want to Change?
Every device on your home network has two IP addresses at the same time:
| Public IP | Local (private) IP | |
|---|---|---|
| Looks like | 73.162.45.18 or a long IPv6 address | 192.168.1.23, 10.0.0.15 |
| Assigned by | Your internet provider | Your Wi-Fi router |
| Who sees it | Every website, app and game server | Only devices on your own network |
| Shared? | Yes, by every device on your Wi-Fi | No, each device has its own |
| Change it to | Fix blocks and bans, hide your location | Fix network conflicts, set up printers, consoles, port forwarding |
If your goal has anything to do with websites, games, streaming or privacy, you want a new public IP. That's the one shown at the top of the home page. The local address only matters inside your house. You can read more about how the two fit together in the glossary entry on public vs. private IP.
Ways to Change Your Public IP at a Glance
| Method | Time | Cost | Hides your location? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Restart your modem | 5 min to overnight | Free | No |
| Switch between Wi-Fi and mobile data | Seconds | Free | No |
| Toggle Airplane Mode (mobile data) | Seconds | Free | No |
| VPN | 1 min | Free to ~$15/mo | Yes |
| iCloud Private Relay | 1 min | iCloud+ plan | Partly (Safari only) |
| Tor Browser | 2 min | Free | Yes, but slow |
| Ask your provider | A phone call | Free to a monthly fee | No |
The first three give you a new address from the same provider. Websites will still see your internet company and your approximate area. The next three route your traffic through someone else's servers, so sites see that server instead of you.
How to Change Your Public IP Address
1. Restart your modem, and give it time
Most home internet in the US uses dynamic IP addresses. Your provider leases an address to your modem, and when the lease runs out, the modem may get a different one. Restarting the modem ends the session early.
- Unplug the modem (and the router, if it's a separate box) from power.
- Wait at least 5 to 10 minutes. A quick off-and-on usually hands you the exact same address.
- Plug the modem back in first, wait for the lights to settle, then the router.
- Check your IP again on the home page.
Here's the part most guides skip: cable providers like Xfinity and Spectrum tend to give the same address back to the same modem, sometimes for weeks. If a short restart doesn't work, leave the modem off overnight. If that still doesn't work and you use your own router, look for a MAC address clone setting in its admin page (usually under WAN or Internet). Changing the MAC address the router shows to the modem often makes the provider treat it as a new device and assign a new IP. Note the original value first so you can switch back.
Fiber connections, such as AT&T Fiber or Verizon Fios, can be even stickier. For those, the provider is often the only reliable way to get a new address (see step 7).
2. Switch between Wi-Fi and mobile data
This is the fastest change there is. Your Wi-Fi and your phone's mobile data are two different providers, so turning off Wi-Fi on your phone instantly gives it a completely different public IP, usually from another company entirely. It's also the quickest way to test whether a problem is tied to your home connection.
3. Toggle Airplane Mode on mobile data
On mobile data, your IP usually changes every time your phone reconnects to the network. Turn Airplane Mode on, wait 10 seconds, turn it off. Mobile carriers share each public IP among many customers through a technique called CGNAT, so you'll often land on a different shared address. The same trick works on T-Mobile and Verizon 5G home internet by restarting the gateway.
4. Use a VPN
A VPN gives you a new public IP in seconds and lets you pick the city or country it appears to come from. It also hides your browsing from your internet provider, which none of the free methods above do. Every site you visit sees the VPN server's address, not yours. The Hide My IP guide compares VPNs with the other ways to hide your address, and the VPN comparison lists the providers I recommend.
Two things to know. First, VPN addresses are shared and widely known, so some sites block them or ask for extra verification. Second, a VPN can leak your real address through DNS, WebRTC or IPv6 even while it says "Connected." Run the VPN Test after connecting to make sure it doesn't.
5. Turn on iCloud Private Relay (iPhone, iPad, Mac)
If you pay for any iCloud+ storage plan, you already have this. Go to Settings > [your name] > iCloud > Private Relay on iPhone or iPad, or System Settings > [your name] > iCloud > Private Relay on a Mac. Safari traffic then goes through two relays, and websites see an address that matches only your general region, or just your country and time zone if you choose that option under IP Address Location.
It's not a full VPN. It only covers Safari, DNS lookups and some unencrypted app traffic. Other browsers and most apps still use your real IP.
6. Use Tor Browser
Tor Browser is free and sends your traffic through three volunteer-run relays. Websites see the last relay's address, and you can get a new one any time with New Tor circuit for this site from the menu. It's slow, many sites block it, and it only covers the browser, but it's the strongest free option. The Tor guide explains how it works.
7. Ask your internet provider
When nothing else works, call or chat with your provider's support and ask them to release your IP and assign a new one. Mention why, for example if you're being hit with DDoS attacks while gaming. That's a common reason, and support agents usually know what to do. Not sure which company actually runs your connection? The What Is My ISP tool shows your provider, connection type and network.
You can also go the other way and ask for a static IP that never changes. Most big US home providers, including Xfinity and Spectrum, offer static IPs only on business plans. A few fiber providers sell them to home customers for a monthly fee.
Step-by-Step on Each Device
The steps below cover both kinds of address. Remember that on Wi-Fi, anything that changes the local IP leaves your public IP exactly where it was, because the router still faces the internet for the whole household.
iPhone and iPad
- New public IP: turn off Wi-Fi to use mobile data, or toggle Airplane Mode while on mobile data. For a different location, turn on a VPN or Private Relay (above).
- New local IP: go to Settings > Wi-Fi, tap the (i) next to your network and tap Renew Lease.
- Set a fixed local IP: on the same screen, tap Configure IP > Manual and enter the address, subnet mask and router address.
- Private Wi-Fi Address: also on that screen. Set to Rotating, your iPhone shows the network a different hardware (MAC) address over time, which makes it harder for public Wi-Fi operators to track you between visits. It changes your local IP, not your public one.
Android
Menu names vary by brand. These are the steps on a Google Pixel. Samsung puts the same options under Settings > Connections > Wi-Fi.
- New public IP: switch from Wi-Fi to mobile data, or toggle Airplane Mode on mobile data.
- New local IP: go to Settings > Network & internet > Internet, tap the gear next to your Wi-Fi network, tap Forget and connect again.
- Set a fixed local IP: on the network details screen, tap the pencil icon, open Advanced options and change IP settings from DHCP to Static. Android asks for a network prefix length instead of a subnet mask. On a typical home network it's 24, the same as 255.255.255.0.
- MAC randomization: under Privacy on the network details screen, keep Use randomized MAC selected for public Wi-Fi.
Windows 11
- New local IP: open Command Prompt and run
ipconfig /release, thenipconfig /renew. Your connection drops for a few seconds in between. - Set a fixed local IP: go to Settings > Network & internet > Wi-Fi (or Ethernet), open your network's properties, find IP assignment, click Edit and switch to Manual.
- Random hardware addresses: on the Wi-Fi settings page, turn on Random hardware addresses, the Windows version of MAC randomization.
- New public IP: restart your modem, connect through your phone's hotspot or use a VPN. Nothing in Windows itself changes the address your provider assigns.
Mac
- New local IP: open System Settings > Wi-Fi, click Details next to your network, go to TCP/IP and click Renew DHCP Lease.
- Set a fixed local IP: on the same tab, change Configure IPv4 to Manually.
- Private Wi-Fi address: in the same Details window, choose Rotating or Fixed on recent versions of macOS.
- New public IP: restart your modem, use a VPN or turn on Private Relay.
Setting a fixed local IP for a printer, console or port forwarding? It's usually better to do it in your router instead of on the device. Look for DHCP reservation (sometimes called "address reservation" or "static lease") in the router's admin page. The device keeps the same address, and you avoid the conflicts that happen when you pick a manual address the router later hands to something else.
How to Check That It Worked
- Before you change anything, note your current IP on the home page.
- Make the change, then reload the page. Use a private window if the old address seems stuck, since some browsers keep old connections open for a minute.
- Look at both IPv4 and IPv6. Many US providers, including Xfinity, T-Mobile and AT&T, now give you an IPv6 address as well, and it can stay the same when the IPv4 changes, or the other way around. The IPv6 Test shows whether you have one.
- If you used a VPN, run the VPN Test to confirm your real address doesn't leak.
What a New IP Address Doesn't Change
A new IP is one less way to recognize you, not a fresh identity. Websites and ad networks have plenty of other signals:
- Cookies and logins. If you're signed in, or your browser still holds a site's cookies, the site knows it's you before it even looks at your IP.
- Your browser fingerprint. Screen size, fonts, graphics card and dozens of other details add up to a profile that often stays unique across IP changes. The Browser Fingerprint Test shows what yours gives away.
- Your account history. A game or platform that bans an account, not an address, won't care about your new IP.
A new IP won't fix a blocked network. If a site blocks your whole provider, every new address from that same provider gets blocked too. That's a different problem with different fixes, covered in "Your Network (ASN) Has Been Flagged for Abuse": What It Means and How to Fix It.
For most people, the whole job takes a minute: switch networks or toggle Airplane Mode for a quick change, restart the modem (and be patient) for a new home address, or use a VPN when you also want to hide where you are. Check the result, and remember that your IP is only one of the things that give you away.