If you are an ex-pat or are on holiday and want to regain access to geo-restricted websites, you will be well aware that you need a UK IP address. The best way to get a UK IP is to use a VPN. A VPN is more secure because it also provides encryption. However, in this article, we will describe three different methods for getting an IP address in the UK.
IP ADDRESS FOR FREE: If you plan to travel outside the United Kingdom for a short period of time, say, on a business trip or on vacation, you can grab a U.K. IP address for no cost. By taking advantage of NordVPN’s 30-day money-back guarantee, you can use their comprehensive VPN service and then get a no-questions-asked refund.
In this guide, we will show you how to unblock UK websites by getting UK IP address anywhere in the world!
Get a UK IP address with these VPNs
- An IP lookup tool can verify an IP address and help check for any malicious activity. Find the geo-location of an IP. An IP lookup tool can give you exact location details of an IP address. If you already know the IP address, you can find out the city, state, zip-code and country of an IP address instantly. Find the ISP and Hostname of an IP.
- CC Get MAC Address is a handy tool for getting MAC address and computer name from IP address. You can use it to get MAC address of a computer on LAN even out of your LAN range. It's based on Microsoft Net bios technology.
The most reliable way to get a UK IP address is to connect to a UK VPN server. We list best VPNs that have UK servers below, so that you can easily get a UK IP address. Scroll down for more details about each VPN and the privacy features they provide.
- ExpressVPN - The best service to get a UK IP. It has super-fast servers in the UK, it's reliable and won't let you down, and it unblock everything.
- NordVPN - Lightning fast | Apps for all platforms |Fully featured privacy service
- CyberGhost VPN - Excellent value VPN service that provides several UK IP addresses. It has servers in London, Berkshire, and Manchester.
- Private Internet Access - Servers in London, Manchester, and Southampton. It is private and has proven it's no logs claim in court.
- Surfshark - The cheapest service to get a UK IP address, costing less than $2 a month. Servers in London, Manchester, and Glasgow
How to get a UK IP address with a VPN
To get a UK IP address all you need to do is follow the steps below:
- Subscribe to one of the VPNs mentioned in this guide, all of them have servers based in the UK.
- Download and install the VPN software onto your device(s).
- Connect to a server that is located in the UK.
- Go to the website you want to access (such as BBC iPlayer).
- Sit back, relax, and enjoy unrestricted access to UK websites and services.
The best services to get a UK IP - In-depth analysis
All the VPN services in this article have a UK IP address. However, they also have a whole host of useful privacy and security features. Below you can see exactly what makes each service unique, so you can pick the right service for your needs. For more info, you can read our in-depth VPN reviews.
ExpressVPN is the best service to get a UK IP address. It has four super-fast servers based in the UK, it's very reliable, and it unblock everything!
Pricing
From $6.67 - $12.95Servers in UK
- 150
Unblocks
- Netflix
- iPlayer
- Amazon Prime
- Hulu
Available for
- Windows
- macOS
- iOS
- Android
- Linux
Torrenting
- Torrenting allowed
- No port-forwarding
Encryption
- IKEv2
- OpenVPN
- WireGuard
ExpressVPN tops on our list of recommended VPN services for anyone that needs to unblock websites in the UK. The service is highly-featured and uses top-of-the-range OpenVPN encryption, which means that your data and online habits will always remain private. The provider has plenty of UK servers to choose from, and they are all lightning-fast. This makes it great for streaming HD content or torrenting. It is also a zero-logs VPN, which is the best kind of VPN privacy policy money can buy.
Thanks to its servers in over 94 countries, you can spoof your IP address to anywhere else that you fancy. And this VPN is known to work with Netflix UK, Netflix US, BBC iPlayer, ITV Hub, and pretty much anything else you can think of. Customer service is 24/7 and ExpressVPN has some of the best operatives in the business. It also offers a 30-day money-back guarantee, so you can try the service entirely risk-free. It also lets you install the VPN on up to 5 devices simultaneously - which makes it great for families or people with more than one device.
- Fastest VPN we test
- Servers in 94 countries
- Unblocks Netflix, iPlayer and more
The fastest VPN we test, unblocks everything, with amazing service all round
Large brand with very good value, and a cheap price
Longtime top ranked VPN, with great price and speeds
One of the largest VPNs, voted best VPN by Reddit
Make your Mac invincible
When your computer connects to the internet, it has a unique number assigned to it called an Internet Protocol (IP) address. Similar to a mailing address, each computer on the network has a dedicated IP address that identifies it. Without an IP address, no messages or information packets can be sent or received.
You should be wary — if someone knows your IP address, they may be able to hack your computer or find you via geolocation data. Although to actually pinpoint your location they would need information from your ISP provider that’s only accessible with a search warrant.
So if you want to fix a network access problem or set up certain types of software, sometimes you might need to search for “how to find my IP address on Mac”. Luckily, there are a few simple and quick ways to find your IP address or change IP address on Mac by using a VPN. Let’s break this down step by step.
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How To Find IP Address On Mac
Before you find your Mac IP address, it’s important to know the difference between the two kinds of IP addresses — internal and external.
An internal IP address (local or private) is only used within your home network and always for a single device. For example, if you have a group of offline computers on a network, they will communicate with one another through internal IP addresses, which always have the IPv4 format.
External (public) IP addresses are assigned by your internet service provider (ISP) when you first go online and hook to a device or network that connects to the internet. Usually, when you need to find your Mac IP address it means an external one, but you’ll learn how to check both in the explanation below.
MAC Address vs IP Address difference
A MAC (Machine Access Control) address is a serial number assigned to every network adaptor. Your computer’s network adaptor MAC address travels the network only until the next device along the way. This means that your MAC address won’t go further than your router and is less at risk of being hacked. So when you’re looking to change IP address on Mac to protect your network, you’ll need to watch for your IP address rather than your MAC one.
How to check IP address on Mac: external (public) IP address
What is the process you would follow to find your IP address on a Mac computer? The method you use to find your external IP address will depend on whether you’re connected via a router or directly to the modem.
In the rare case that you’re connected to the modem via an Ethernet cable, find IP address on Mac with these steps:
Open System Preferences by clicking the Apple logo dropdown menu
Choose Network
Highlight the option on the left with a green dot. On the right, it should say Connected and show you the IP address right under.
If you’re connected to a router, you can try a few other options on how to find IP address. First is to use a special service such as What’s My IP Address? Alternatively, if you type “What is my IP address” in Google, the results will show your public IP address.
How to find your local internal IP address
In case you need to know your local or private (internal) IP address or if you’re wondering how to find IPv4 address, you can also do so through the Network section in System Preferences. Actually, it’s exactly the same process as looking for your external IP for when you’re connected via an Ethernet cable:
Open your Mac’s System Preferences
Click on Network
Highlight the green-dot option and see the IP in the right pane. It’s likely to have a xxx.xx.xxx.xxx format.
How to find your IP address using Terminal
Just like on a Windows computer, you can use ipconfig on Mac with Terminal to find your local IP address. If you’re connected to the internet through a wireless network:
Hit ⌘ + Space to search and open Terminal
Type in ipconfig getifaddr en0
Every device connected to your network including the router is assigned an internal IP address. Together, the entire network is assigned a single external IP address once it’s connected to the internet.
How to hide your IP address with a VPN
Need to protect sensitive data while you’re browsing the internet with public WiFi? You may be wondering how to change IP address on Mac. In this case you need a reliable way to hide your IP address when on the internet, and using a Virtual Private Network or VPN can be a big help, since your IP address will be replaced with one from a Virtual Private Network provider.
Get a tool that hides your IP address
With Shimo, a full-featured VPN client for Mac, you’ll be able to protect your sensitive data and hide your Mac’s IP address while browsing.
Shimo, a full featured VPN client for Mac, can help you create, edit, and control VPN connections with military-grade security — meaning you can reliably obscure your IP address at any time. You don’t need to be a tech geek or have a special technical background to use VPNs. Shimo’s intuitive interface makes it quite simple and straightforward:
Click on Shimo’s icon in your menu bar
Choose Add VPN Account…
If you don’t have any VPN accounts saved, hit the plus button
Select one of the available VPN options or get a special offer with tigerVPN
Click Create…
Checking your WiFi network health
If you’re having trouble with your internet connection, whether you’re using a VPN or not, it’s a good idea to check on your WiFi network health with an app like NetSpot or WiFi Explorer.
NetSpot is a WiFi analyzer that helps you create a flawless wireless network and troubleshoot your internet connection problems at home or at work. The app allows you to see data like a graph with a signal strength history to check the wireless spectrum in your area. You can then use this data to improve the location of your wireless router, tweak your WiFi network settings, or switch to less crowded channels.
WiFi Explorer can similarly give you extensive details about networks in the vicinity, including their band, rand, signal strength, and security. Referring to its extensive help manual, you’ll be able to quickly troubleshoot your own internet issues without the help of a professional. You can also easily customize the colors and columns of certain networks you wish to track while ignoring irrelevant ones.
So once you know how to find your IP address Mac security or WiFi problems should bother you much less. Best of all, helpful apps like Shimo, NetSpot, and WiFi Explorer are available to you for free for seven days with a trial of Setapp, an app platform with more than 150 Mac apps that can quickly get you out of any trouble with your Mac, your productivity, and even your finances. Why not give it a try today and see how you can improve your WiFi connection in minutes!