How to change location and IP address with a VPN

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Although the main employ of a VPN for many is online security and anonymity, lots of people download them thank you to their ability to change location of the IP address of your laptop, mobile, tablet and even your unabridged router, to somewhere entirely different.

And why would they want to do that? Maybe it's to get effectually the blocks that some offices and countries put on social media sites and apps like Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram. And another popular use-case is to watch overseas Netflix catalogs and stream foreign sport.

In internet slang, this process is often chosen 'geo-spoofing', but don't worry – geek lingo aside, it's very straightforward and we're going to testify you the easiest way to change location with a VPN.

Why would I desire to change location of my IP address?

The most popular reason to change location is to access region-locked content. For example, some of the best Netflix US shows aren't available to the streaming service'due south subscribers in the residue of the world, while BBC iPlayer is similarly blocked for everyone outside the UK.

So there may be certain sporting events you want to see that simply aren't beingness circulate where you lot alive. If streaming is your main concern for using a VPN make sure you check our dedicated guides to the all-time Netflix VPN and streaming VPNs.

Masking your true IP address is likewise a great mode to stay more bearding and, by definition, secure when you lot're online. In basic terms, they preclude the online activities you partake in from being known to the prying optics of your cyberspace service provider and even your government. Of class, the finish-to-finish encrypted tunnels they use don't hurt, either! You can read more almost this in our more detailed caption of how does a VPN work.

ExpressVPN app interface on mobile — (Image credit: ExpressVPN)

How to modify location on phone, laptop and more

Believe it or not, this is actually the like shooting fish in a barrel bit. Simply scroll below and follow the easy steps to modify location with a VPN:

Observe and download a reliable VPN – or just caput directly to ExpressVPN
Open the download packet and install it on your computer
Once everything is set, open the VPN application
Log-in with your details, follow whatsoever welcome prompts, and you should soon be offered a list of VPNs to connect to
Pick the land you want your computer to change location and click the appropriate push – the screenshot in a higher place shows how this looks on ExpressVPN
That's it – it may take a few seconds, merely your chosen VPN's servers volition do the grunt piece of work for you and give you a new IP accost

The steps above are based on a macOS computer, simply you'll be able to follow a similar process on other desktop operating systems and will also discover VPN apps available for Android and iOS mobile devices. The very best software will brand this nice and piece of cake for you, that's why we like providers such as ExpressVPN and NordVPN so much.

Y'all tin can brand things even easier for yourself by installing a VPN extension in your browser. As information technology'south the net'southward well-nigh popular browser, we've tried and tested all the all-time Chrome VPN extensions.

What else are VPNs useful for?

Plenty! Some countries censor popular websites entirely – China's outright ban on Facebook and Twitter being one of the meliorate known examples - that's why our best VPN for Mainland china guide is pretty useful.

Or bated from the streaming and app accessing, there's also the security business organization - you may not want search engines logging your online activity. The information gleaned from such tracking helps advertisers target you with what they consider to exist relevant content beyond multiple platforms. The list of VPN uses seems to go on and on!

Needing to change your location in Google and Google Play?
Want to effort it before you buy information technology? Check out our VPNs with free trials guide
If you're looking to salvage, make certain you cheque out today'south all-time VPN deals

James is a applied science journalist with nearly 10 years feel and currently Sports and TV Streaming Editor at Future, where he works across TechRadar, T3 and Tom'south Guide. He is hither to help you detect the best means to watch sports, Television shows and movies online. Previously, he was News and Features Editor at Trusted Reviews, Editor of Lifehacker UK, and Senior Staff Writer at ITProPortal.