Have you just discovered a beautiful website, full of interesting videos and information, but you cannot view it because a message warns you that you do not reside in the country it is intended for? Would you like to use that P2P software that a friend of yours recommended to you but you can’t make the most of it because you would first have to open the ports on the modem / router and don’t know how to identify your PC within the network? Don’t worry! There is only one answer to these and other similar questions: you just need to change your IP address .
How do you say? Don’t have the slightest idea what it is? Don’t worry, I can explain everything to you! The IP address is that “thing” that uniquely identifies us when we are connected to the Internet. There are two different types: private (or internal) and public (or external) ones. The private IP address is the one that the router assigns to computers and any other devices that are part of the local network, while the public one, otherwise called “global”, uniquely identifies a connection and is common to all devices that make use of. IP addresses can also be dynamic, that is, they change with each connection, or static, that is, fixed.
How do you say? Everything is perfectly clear to you but now would you like to take action and understand how to change the IP address? You are right, I have dwelt a little too much but before giving you all the explanations on what to do it seemed only right to do a deepening on the matter. Anyway, if you want to know more keep reading, below you will find all the explanations you need. Ah, I forgot: beyond the “big words” you have absolutely nothing to worry about since all the operations that you will need to perform are very simple and can be put into practice without problems even by the less experienced in computer science. Ok?
Index
- How to change public IP address on the Internet
- Change modem IP address
- Change the IP address of the SIM
- Use a VPN
- Change private IP address
- How to change IP address Windows 10 and later
- How to change IP address on Mac
- How to change IP address on Android
- How to change IP address on iPhone and iPad
- How to change the IP address from the router
How to change public IP address on the Internet
Do you want to find out how to change the external IP address , that is the one with which your router (and all the devices connected to it), smartphone or tablet is “recognized” on the Internet? In this case, you just need to temporarily disconnect the device from the network, if your subscription includes a dynamic public IP address, or use a VPN. Before doing anything, I recommend that you check that the public IP has actually been changed by visiting the Whatsmyip.org website both before and after the change.
Change modem IP address
If you have an Internet subscription with a dynamic public IP address , you can easily change your IP by simply disconnecting the router from the network for a few minutes, in order to “force” the service provider to assign you a new address.
To succeed in the enterprise, you simply need to turn off the modem / router connected to the Internet (the one connected directly to the fiber / ADSL cable) and wait 8-10 minutes before turning it on again, in order to obtain a new public IP.
Generally, the switch to turn off the network device is located on the back of the device, has the shape of a button or a switch and is marked with the word ON / OFF ; if you just can’t find it, you can turn the modem router off and on by simply unplugging it from the power supply and reconnecting it after 8-10 minutes.
Alternatively, if you do not want to turn off the router (because, for example, you are carrying out operations on the local network), you can temporarily put it “offline” by directly disconnecting the Internet connection cable and reconnecting it after the same time as previously seen: the cable in This issue is typically found inside the WAN / Internet port located on the back of the router.
Change the IP address of the SIM
The IP modification policy is the same also for cellular network connections via SIM : almost all mobile phone operators assign dynamic IPs, so it is sufficient to remain disconnected from the 3G / 4G / 5G network for about 15 minutes to achieve the desired result.
If you use Android , you can disable the Internet connection by calling up the notification area of the operating system and tapping on the icon dedicated to the Mobile network , Conn. Data , Data or similar, in order to “turn it off”.
Alternatively, if you can not locate the correct icon, open the settings of the device by tapping on any lot ‘ gear on your Home screen, in the drawer or in the notifications menu, join sections Network and Internet , and moves to OFF l’ switch corresponding to the item Mobile data .
Keep in mind that, depending on the version of Android in your possession, the path to follow may be slightly different: for example, on Xiaomi devices , you need to follow the path Settings> SIM cards and mobile networks , while on Samsung you need to go to Settings > Connections .
After the necessary time has elapsed, activate the Internet connection again via the data network by “turning on” the relative icon in the notification area, or by moving the previously modified switch from OFF to ON .
The steps to follow on the iPhone and iPad are quite similar: to deactivate the data network quickly, call up the Control Center of the operating system, make a long tap on the Network box and “turn off” the indicator dedicated to Cellular data , by pressing on it . Alternatively, you can get the same result by going to the Settings> Cellular menu of iOS / iPadOS and moving the lever relative to the Cellular data option to OFF .
Once this is done, wait about 15 minutes and reactivate the Internet connection through the Control Center, or by acting on the lever I told you about a little while ago.
Use a VPN
For more intense network activities than simple online browsing, or if your Internet subscription includes a static (and therefore non-modifiable) public IP address, it may instead be useful to resort to the use of VPN (acronym for Virtual Private Network ). These are systems that connect the computer to a secure remote network that becomes the “protagonist” of communications to the outside world and makes its connection appear in other geographical locations (that of the network and no longer that of the local modem / router).
Among the many VPN services on the market, I suggest NordVPN , which is very simple to use and very secure: the connection data is in fact encrypted with a very advanced algorithm and hidden not only from potential malicious people, but also from ISPs and operators. by NordVPN itself.
The service is available on Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iPhone / iPad, Smart TV, Google TV, NAS, Raspberry Pi, routers and other devices and offers a wide range of servers to choose from, scattered all over the world.
The plans available are different, all with a 30-day money-back guarantee and support for simultaneous use on 6 devices: the 2-year plan based on current promotions (currently minus 2.80 euros / month, billed annually); the one for 1 year (4.18 euros / month, billed annually) and the one for 1 month (10.56 euros).
Once you have created your account and chosen your plan, if you want to change your PC IP address , download the NordVPN client for Windows following the instructions on the screen. Then, start the .exe file obtained and press the Yes , Next , Install and Finish buttons , to conclude the setup. If you have a Mac , however, you can download the NordVPN application directly from the Mac App Store .
As for smartphones and tablets, you can download the dedicated application on both Android and iOS and iPadOS : once you reach the appropriate section of the reference store on your device, tap the Install / Get button and, if necessary, authenticated by facial recognition, fingerprint or password of the account configured on the device.
Once the download is complete, press the Open button to start the app, or use the icon that, in the meantime, has been added to the Home screen or to the app drawer / library of the smartphone or tablet.
Once the installation is complete, all you have to do is start NordVPN, log in with your account details and select the nationality of the server or a specialty server from those available, to start protecting your connection: for more details, read my NordVPN review .
As an alternative to the previous service, you can also consider Surfshark , another excellent one that allows you to select your IP address from over 1040 servers scattered in more than 61 countries around the world.
The software is natively compatible with Windows, macOS, Linux, Chrome and Firefox browsers but, if you intend to change IP to bypass regional blocks, you can take advantage of Surfshark’s intelligent DNS, which can also be used on devices that do not support installation of VPNs such as Smart TV / Apple TV, game consoles and so on.
Surfshark is available with various subscription plans, the prices of which vary according to the promos in progress and with a 30-day money-back guarantee: the 24-month one (currently at 1.99 euros / month, billed annually); the one for 6 months (currently costs 5.62 euros / month, billed every semester); and the one for 1 month (currently costs 11.22 euros / month, billed monthly and without obligation of renewal).
Once you have identified the plan that suits you best, press the Buy Now button , select the subscription in question from those available and proceed with creating a new account by entering your email and selecting a payment method from those available.
After completing the purchase of the package of your interest and completing the creation of the account, connect to the client download page and, if you use Windows , download the app for your operating system by pressing the appropriate button. When the download is complete, open the file obtained and proceed with the automatic installation of the software by clicking on the Yes button . If, on the other hand, yours is a Mac , you can download and install Surfshark directly from the Mac App Store .
As already mentioned above, Surfshark is also available in the form of an application for Android , iOS and iPadOS smartphones and tablets : to get it, connect to the appropriate page of the Play Store (or the alternative store on the device) or the App Store and complete the download of the app following the classic procedure provided by your operating system.
In any case, once you have finished downloading the most suitable software for your device, start it and log in with the account you created earlier; then, click on the Connect button , to automatically connect to the fastest server, or on the Locations tab , to manually choose the server to connect to. To find out more, I refer you to reading my full review of the SurfShark service .
Change private IP address
As for the private IP address , you can act directly from your computer, smartphone, tablet or router, assigning a static type address. To do this, you do not have to resort to third-party services or tools: everything you need is already usable directly from the device you are using. In short, you must first locate the router’s IP address and netmask , and then apply the change directly from the operating system settings.
In order for everything to go smoothly, the new local static IP to be assigned to the computer must be generated by changing the final digits of the router address (the one after the last point) and setting in them a value between 2 and 253: for example, if the router has the address 192.168.1.1, the local IP of the computer can be 192.168.1.2, 192.168.1.3, 192.168.1.59and so on. Keep in mind that the local IP addresses of the various devices connected to the same network must necessarily be different , in order to avoid conflicts and communication errors.
How to change IP address Windows 10 and later
If you have an animated PC from Windows 10 or Windows 11 , right click on the Start button (the Windows flag icon located on the left side of the taskbar), select the item Windows PowerShell / Windows Terminal from the menu that appears and give the command inside the window that opens ipconfig.
Now, press the Enter key on your keyboard and take note of the IP addresses related to the Default Gateway (which corresponds to that of the router ) and the Subnet Mask / Subnet mask : you will need them soon.
Now, to set a static IP, right-click on the Windows network icon residing near the clock (depicting the Wi-Fi cleats or the cable screen ), select the Open Network and Internet settings / Network settings item and Internet from the menu that appears, click on the Status tab (on Windows 10) and then on the Properties item , corresponding to the name of the network to which you are connected.
Once you have reached the next screen, locate the wording IP Assignment , click on the Edit button corresponding to it and set the drop-down menu that is proposed to you on the Manual option . Once this is done, move the lever below the IPv4 item to Enabled and fill in the proposed fields as follows.
- IP address: the new local IP to assign to the computer.
- Subnet Prefix Length / Subnet Mask: The IP of the Subnet Mask retrieved earlier.
- Gateway: the IP of the router.
- Preferred DNS: The router IP or the custom DNS one you prefer.
- Secondary DNS: You can leave this field blank.
When you are done, press the Save button and wait a few moments for the network connection to be established with the new parameters.
How to change IP address on Mac
To identify the IP of the router and the subnet mask to be applied via Mac , click on the multifunction icon of macOS resident near the system clock (depicts two levers of opposite color ) to open the relative menu, click on the name of the network you are using and then on the item Network preferences … which appears later. Now, click on the Advanced button , then on the TCP / IP tab and take note of the addresses related to the Subnet Mask and the Router .
At this point, still from the same window, you can assign a static IP to the computer: set the Configure IPv4 drop-down menu to the option Manually and enter the new static IP to assign to the computer in the IPv4 address field .
Finally, fill in the Subnet mask and Router fields with the information retrieved previously and click on the OK and Apply buttons , to finalize everything and assign the new IP.
How to change IP address on Android
If, on the other hand, yours is a smartphone or tablet with an Android operating system , you can retrieve the router / gateway address and the subnet mask by going to the Settings> Network and Internet> Wi-Fi menu of the device, by tapping on the gear symbol located next to the Wi-Fi network you are using and then on the Advanced button .
The path to follow may vary, depending on the version of Android in use on your device: in some cases, you may need to open the Settings> Connection , Settings> Wi-Fi or similar menu .
To change the IP address of the device, tap on the pencil symbol (at the top) or on the Edit network item (at the bottom) in the panel you opened a little while ago, click on the Advanced options item and set the IP Settings drop-down menu on Static . Then fill in the proposed fields with the necessary information.
- IP address: the new IP to assign to the device.
- Gateway / Router: the IP address of the gateway / router.
- Network Prefix Length: Leave unchanged.
- DNS 1: the IP address of the router or that of the DNS server you are using.
- DNS 2: Leave blank.
When you are done, click on Save and wait a few moments for the IP to be changed correctly and the connection restarted.
How to change IP address on iPhone and iPad
To find out the IP address of the router and the subnet mask on iPhone and iPad and set a static IP, open the iOS / iPadOS Settings by tapping on the resident gear on the Home screen (or in the App Library), reach the Wi menu -Fi and tap the button (i) located next to the name of the connection you are using. Next, locate the IPv4 box and take note of the values corresponding to the Router and Subnet Mask items .
Once this is done, click on the Automatic item corresponding to the Configure IP heading , then on the Manual option and enter the new IP address to be assigned to the device and the subnet mask and router addresses retrieved previously, in the appropriate fields. Finally, click on the Save item located at the top right and that’s it.
How to change the IP address from the router
If you want to change the IP address of the devices connected to your network from the modem / router , you can do so by accessing the device configuration panel. The procedure to follow is quite simple but considering that the configuration menus may differ according to the make and model of the modem / router in use, it will not be possible for me to provide extremely detailed information. In any case, do not worry, I will still try to be sufficiently exhaustive.
To begin with, connect to the modem / router configuration panel by starting the Web browser that you generally use to surf the net, typing in the address bar 192.168.1.1 or 192.168.0.1 , pressing the Enter button on the keyboard and providing the username and required passwords which are generally admin / admin or admin / password .
In case the coordinates provided turn out to be inaccurate, feel free to read my guide on how to find the IP address of the router I wrote on the subject and my tutorial on how to see the modem password to try to deal with it.
Once logged in, go to the LAN , Devices or Local Network Settings section of the modem / router management panel, then select the name of the device to which you want to change the IP address and click on the button to make the changes.
At this point, type the IP address you want to use in the field that you find in correspondence with the wording IP Address , IP or IP Address and then click on the button to save the changes made. Note that in some cases it may be necessary to restart the router or device you have chosen to act on in order for the changes to take place.
If the steps to be taken to change the IP address that I have just indicated are not correct for your modem / router, I suggest you try to find out which operations to perform exactly by looking at the user manual attached to the sales package of the device. Alternatively, you can try to take a look at the thematic guides relating to the most commonly used routers ( TIM , Vodafone , WINDTRE , Fastweb , FRITZ! Box / Eolo , D-Link , TP-LINK and Netgear ) or search on Google for phrases such as IP static [router brand and model], IP assignment [router brand and model] or DHCP reservation [router brand and model]
