About how to change the IP address of a computer, much has been said. Nevertheless, it is worth paying special attention to this topic, since sometimes not all possible solutions are described on the same Internet. Further it is proposed to consider the basic methods of changing IP, some of which are unfamiliar to many users. Just want to reassure even novice users that there is nothing particularly complicated in the methods described below.
Why may I need to change the IP address and what address should I change?
We begin, indeed, by considering issues regarding the need to change the IP address of a computer. But first, let's decide which address will be changed. The problem here is that in the default IPv4 protocol settings, you can only change the internal address used to initialize a computer device in a local or virtual network, but not external. To set the other value of the external address yourself, no matter how you try, will fail.
Such an address for each machine is a unique identifier and is assigned by the provider that provides Internet access services. Even if a dynamic external IP is specified in the router settings (for example, in the case of a wireless connection), this does not mean that it will change according to your whims. Yes, indeed, such an address, unlike the static one, changes, but only for each new session of Internet connection, but it is assigned anyway from the list of addresses that is provided to the provider itself. That is, your machine can be assigned the address of another computer that is served by the same provider as your system, even in the same region. This is the so-called territorial binding of the selected range of IP addresses to the location of the provider.
But why change IP? First of all, such actions allow you to remain unrecognized on the network and completely hide the traces of your stay on the Internet, gain access to resources blocked at the state level, which can be observed in Ukraine, China and North Korea. Quite often, such a procedure may be required to gain access to a certain online service that is forbidden from visiting your region (for example, American Internet radio stations or music portals when using Spotify). In general, there are many options.
How to change the IP address of a computer: basic methods
Theory is done. Let's move on to practical steps and see how to change the IP address of a computer with Windows 7 or another system on board. The main areas of action that make it possible to replace the real computer address with another are the following:
- use of anonymizers;
- connection via online or local proxy servers;
- Installation of VPN clients for web browsers and the entire system.
Using anonymizers
Anonymizers are special Internet resources that act as intermediate servers between your terminal and the server of a blocked site to which a request is made.
The principle of operation for all anonymizers is the same: go to the anonymizer resource, enter the address of the site to which you need to access in a special field, and click the button or connection link, after which the request will be generated no longer on your behalf, but on behalf of the anonymous resource.
Change address via online proxy
Proxy servers located around the world work similarly, you just don’t need to go to their sites on the Internet. How to change the IP address on the 10th modification of Windows (or in any other version of the system) in this case? Extremely simple.
Initially, you need to download and install a special program that will search for available proxy servers automatically. In the results, you just need to select one of the servers (preferably the one that is closest to your region) or provide the right to choose an application in automatic mode.
Note: in order not to install proxies, you can use portable applications that do not require installation, but work just as well.
How to change the IP address in Windows 7 or in another system: Internet Explorer browser settings
In the operating system itself, proxy settings are also provided. Those who use the IE native browser for Internet surfing can be advised to enter the browser settings and use the network settings button on the connections tab.
In the settings window that appears, you need to activate the proxy use item for local addresses and set port 8080, after which just save the changes. Note that a similar setting is available in the IPv4 protocol properties. But it is undesirable to touch it, because if the use of a proxy provider is not provided, you can simply disable Internet access.
Opera Browser
Now let's see how to change the IP address in some browsers, which are used as the main tool for displaying the contents of Internet pages or downloading files. The Opera browser, which is especially popular all over the world, can be called truly revolutionary. The fact is that its developers have included a VPN client in recent releases. Thus, there is no longer any need to download and install additional extensions and add-ons.
But how to change the IP address of a computer on Windows with the installation of the necessary settings for this browser? Easy too! Initially, you can use the browser settings and go to the security section in the main menu.
Here in one of the sections you just need to check the box next to VPN enable. To speed up access to the desired function on the main options page, you can use the search engine with a VPN shortcut in the search field.
If we talk about how to change the IP address from a practical point of view, it is worth noting that the browser automatically sets the optimal location by default.
If for some reason this does not suit you, you can change it by choosing Europe, America or Asia. By the way, in the settings window that appears after clicking on the VPN icon to the left of the address bar, you can immediately see the installed new IP.
TOR Browser
Now we’ll see how to change the IP address using the unique TOR browser, which is initially a kind of VPN client in itself, only to change the addresses it uses not the technology of anonymizers and proxies, but its own network of the same name.
With him, too, everything is simple. After starting the browser, you should wait for the connection to the TOR network, select a check, and after passing the validation, you can go to the necessary resources, which are blocked in normal mode.
Extensions for other browsers
Finally, a few words about how to change the IP address on Windows if other browsers are used to access the Internet. The essence of the question is to select the necessary VPN or proxy add-on from special "Extension Shops", and then integrate it into the browser. The most popular add-ons of this type are Hola, friGate, Browsec and others. After installation, a corresponding switch appears on the browser panel (usually to the right of the address bar), which you must use to activate or deactivate VPN mode.
VPN clients for the entire system
But not only browsers can access Internet resources. So, for example, many instant messengers equipped with email controls, such as Mail.Ru Agent, also require an Internet connection. In Ukraine, the main service is blocked. And how to change the IP address in this situation, it's not a browser and you can’t install the extension for it?
In this case, it is advisable to use applications like SafeIP, which change the required parameters for all applications installed on the computer. Again, you can use the automatic mode or set the desired region and even the city where the computer is supposedly located right now by yourself by selecting the desired options from the available list.