Though Windows is still the most use operating systems world wide, the number of Mac users in increasing exponentially. For this reason, the differences between how to do 'this and that' no Mac and PC have lessened greatly in the last couple years. I remember about ten years ago when it seemed like there was virtually none of the cool stuff available for Mac that there was for PC. Nowadays, you'd be hard pretty to find something like that, and changes are that you'd be able to use Boot Camp or Parallels to get it running find. Whatever the case, to change your IP address for Mac is pretty much the same as PC, so if you're a PC user, you could still use these ideas for your computer, regardless of the operating system.

Manually Change The IP

Chances are that this is not what you're looking to do. Changing the IP of your Mac in this way won't accomplish much but giving yourself a new IP. The only think I could see this doing would be to solve an IP conflict between two computers on a network. In this case, you can just reset the router. If what you really want is an IP change, you could also contact your ISP and request this. Not all ISPs will do this, but you can try. Many times a router will give you a range of IPs anyway, so turning off your Mac for a while, then restarting could give you a new IP.

Change your IP for anonymity, bypass firewalls

It's most likely that you're searching for a way to change your IP address because you want to access some blocked sites, be anonymous online, or bypass firewalls for some reason. This is what this Hub is about.

Web based proxies are good to unblock websites because they're simple to use, and you don't need to install anything. Basically, you just need to know the URL of the proxy site, type the blocked URL into the browser bar provided on the site, and in most case it will unblock the site. You can use the same websites on your iPhone, which makes this method convenient.

The problem with these is that they're sometimes more of a security risk that a help because you're trusting your IP to an unknown source. You could sign up for a premium proxy service, but if you're going to pay a monthly fee, you could just use a VPN, which is basically an upgrade for the proxy.

The only disadvantage of a VPN is that they have to be installed, which means you'll have to get one subscription for your Mac, and one for your phone (assuming you want to change IP on both). However, they have way more advantages that disadvantages.

For Mac Users Only!

First off, the offer better encryption and anonymity, which means your privacy will be safer from eavesdropping and even full on attacks from malicious users. Second, the increase anonymity means that you'll be able to access more sites. For example, Netflix and Hulu block proxies, regardless of your location, while VPNs are not blocked. So if you want to watch Netflix at work, you can't use a proxy to jump your work firewall because the proxy will be blocked by Netflix anyway. A VPN will bypass the firewall more successfully.

And if you live in a place like The Middle East, Asia, or believe the FBI, CIA, SIS, or whatever western government organization has reason to be watching you, a VPN will keep your online data private and secure. In fact, for a reputable VPN service to give you over to the authorities, there has to be a court order from the country where the VPN service is based. This is why many Americans and British choose VPN services based in Europe.

To change IP address for Mac, the first step is finding a reliable VPN service. Getting the VPN installed is as simple as choosing a VPN package for Mac, downloading, and installing just as any other software. Most times you'll be able to get it running in a few minutes.