There are several ways to unblock a website. Some are free while others cost a monthly fee. Some are also more effective than others. We’ve compiled a list of seven ways to unblock websites along with a price point and instructions on how to use each. Our list includes using a VPN, a proxy and Tor; using URL shorteners, changing your device settings and accessing the inaccessible website’s archived history.
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Here is a closer look at each of these options:
1. Use a Virtual Private Network (VPN)
Price: Free to $13 per month
VPNs, or virtual private networks, help internet users access websites and search the web with anonymity, which is especially useful when using public internet, for example. However, it can also be used to unblock a website due to its ability to hide your IP address and its associated location. Here’s how it works:
- When using a VPN, your data is first encrypted, or scrambled, making it unreadable.
- It is then sent to a secure server and, in the process, both the source IP address (this is your computer’s address) and the destination IP address are hidden.
- Your IP address is then replaced by the VPN server’s IP address, thereby masking your computer’s identity and location.
- Finally, your data is decrypted and sent to the recipient, who still cannot derive the source IP address (your computer’s address).
When using a VPN, your location (as indicated by your IP address) is replaced by the location of the server’s IP address. By hiding your location and your IP address, you can bypass many blockers, including geo-specific blockers, for example. In addition, if your IP address is blocked from a website, the server’s IP address may not be, enabling you to access the website by hiding behind the disguise of the VPN server’s IP address.
Still, this method of accessing a blocked website is not 100% guaranteed. Many websites also block known VPN server IP addresses, which are often listed publicly. In this case, you have two options. You can either turn to another option on this list or search for a VPN with more servers. More servers can mean the VPN is less likely to have all of its server IP addresses known and blocked, meaning you are likely to have more luck accessing blocked websites.
However, be prepared to pay more for more effective VPNs. The cheapest VPNs are free while premium VPNs can cost around $13 per month. Free VPNs have their catches, such as using your data to target you with ads related to your interest or even selling your data to third parties. To learn how to select a VPN and the best VPNs available, read our guide to the best VPNs.
2. Use a Proxy
Price: Free
A proxy is similar to a VPN in that it allows you to access a website anonymously. However, unlike a VPN, you can only do so from one tab or device and it does not encrypt your data. Still, when using a proxy, you can choose a location from which to appear when you access a website. Just as when using a VPN, this can help you bypass some blockers, including geo-specific and even organization-specific blockers.
As an example, when you use the popular HMA blocker, you must first visit the HMA website, then input the URL of the website you wish to access into the search bar labeled “Site you want to access.”
You can specify the location of the server you wish to use or let HMA choose for you by selecting “random server.” When specifying a location, you can choose from New York or Seattle, U.S.; Frankfurt, Germany; Amsterdam, Netherlands; London, U.K., or Prague, Czech Republic. By selecting a distant location from which to access the website, you set up the proxy to bypass location-specific blocks, including government and organizational blockers.
From there, you can select more options that offer slightly more browsing security, such as the option to disable cookies that track your web activity. You can access these extra security options from the “More options” drop-down menu. Finally, click “Agree and connect” to begin browsing the specified website anonymously and under the guise of the access location you selected.
In summary, there are disadvantages to using a proxy over a VPN. It is less secure than a VPN but a proxy does offer some advantages. Namely, most proxies are free and easily accessible. And, of course, they can help you bypass geo-specific blockers.
3. Use Tor
Price: Free
Tor offers free and open networks for the sole purpose of being able to surf the web in total anonymity. While you must download the Tor browser, unlike a proxy and like a VPN, it offers the advantage of being able to surf the web without having selected a specific URL beforehand. It also offers superior data encryption and thousands of servers from which you can access data. Tor’s goal is to help you get past censorship that may block web content.
To use Tor, simply visit the Tor website and click “download browser.” On the next page, you will be given a list of devices. Select the device that matches your own. You can choose to download for Windows, macOS, Linux or Android devices.
Once you’ve specified your device, you will be given step-by-step instructions on how to add Tor browser to your device applications. Once added, simply click on the Tor icon from your device’s applications folder to begin browsing privately for free.
4. Use a URL Shortener
Price: Free
URL shorteners change the URL, potentially allowing you to access a website using a URL that is not recognized by blockers. For example, https://www.forbes.com/advisor/ is reduced to https://tinyurl.com/2p9hkzrs when run through the free URL shortener TinyURL.com. Clearly, the shortened link is different from the original one. It is also uniquely made. As such, it is unlikely to be listed as a prohibited URL by website blockers. When website blockers do not recognize the URL as a restricted one, they are more likely to allow you to visit it.
5. Access the Website via Its Crawl History
Price: Free
Internet archive sites such as Archive.org keep a history of all content published on the internet. In doing so, Archive.org aims to allow researchers, historians and the general public to access all knowledge ever published internet-wide. It has 26 years of web history and often allows people to access content they would otherwise be blocked from accessing. Users type in a URL in the site’s Wayback Machine search bar to access a record of its content.
However, some governments have suffered controversies over blocking archive websites, including Archive.org. India, for example, blocked the site and, in doing so, prevented its citizens from accessing prohibited content. Other countries that have blocked the website at least for a time include Russia and Jordan.
6. Change Your Device Settings
Price: Free
Your device may have settings in place to prevent you from performing actions that may be harmful to your device, such as accessing risky websites that could put your device at risk for malicious malware activity, for example. Other device settings may be in place to help you be more productive or to help you make the most of your downtime, such as screen limit times. Disabling or adjusting these settings may help you access blocked websites.
For example, firewall protection can come in the form of hardware, software or via the cloud. Its purpose is to block websites based on its preset security rules. If a site is blocked via your firewall protection and you wish to access it, simply disabling the firewall can help you get around the block.
As a case in point, the Microsoft Defender Firewall can be disabled on a Microsoft 11 device by clicking Start and opening your settings. Find the “Privacy and Security” option. Look under it to find Windows Security, then Firewall and network protection. Click on Windows Security to open it. Select a network profile that applies to you. Your choices are domain network, private network or public network. Under Microsoft Defender Firewall, switch the setting to off.
7. Open a New Account
Price: It depends on the account-based site but this option is often free
Some websites that allow users to create an account to fully access the site can block users by simply disabling their accounts. Twitter, for example, can remove people from its platform by removing the user’s Twitter account. In this case, a user can often access the website by simply creating another account.
However, this is often not the case if an account-based site is blocked due to censorship. For example, Netflix users must create and pay for an account to access Netflix content. However, the citizenry of Syria, North Korea, China, Russia and Crimea are blocked from even creating an account. Unblocking account-based sites that are blocked due to government censorship will require a different approach than opening a new account.
