Switch on a VPN before visiting a website: it will route the connection through its own server, and the website will see the server's IP instead of yours. An IP is a network address needed for exchanging data. To close other routes, restrict image loading in email and avoid opening suspicious links. But changing your IP does not erase previous records and does not prevent identification by account.
1. Find the source of tracking
Any website receives the IP of the other side of the connection. Without an intermediate server this is usually your network's external address. Using a website without providing any IP at all is impossible: the response has to be delivered somewhere.
The owner of a website or forum sees the IP in server logs, i.e. records of visits. An ordinary forum member does not have access to those logs themselves.
Find the source of tracking
Any website receives the IP of the other side of the connection.
An IP gives a rough indication of location.
On its own, an IP does not reveal the street, house or flat.
An email sender can embed a remote image: a picture loaded from their server. A tracking pixel is the same kind of image, just invisible. According to Apple's description, remote content makes it possible to learn when and how many times a message was opened, whether it was forwarded, and the IP address. But your email client's protections limit this collection.
A fraudster may send a link to their own server. When you follow it, the server will receive your IP, and a personal tag in the link can help identify the recipient. Shortened links conceal the final address. Do not open a suspicious link just to check it. Go to the website you need via a bookmark instead.
2. Separate IP from precise geolocation
An IP gives a rough indication of location. Google explains that the address is linked to geography only approximately. A label showing your city's name does not mean the person knows where you live.
| Source | What can be determined | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| External IP | Approximate area and ISP network; the city estimate may be wrong | Replace the visible address via a VPN |
| Device geolocation | A more precise location once permission has been granted | Revoke the website's access to your location |
| Account data | The address you yourself saved or gave to the service | Check the details in your profile |
Changing your IP only affects the first row. If the problem concerns search or advertising, use the guide on Google location and tracking. It covers individual account settings in detail.
3. Close the tracking route via email
The instructions below apply to Gmail in a desktop browser and Apple Mail on Mac. The help pages were checked on 23 October 2026.
1. Turn off automatic loading in Gmail
- Open Gmail's settings via the gear icon.
- Click "See all settings".
- Find the "Images" section.
- Select "Ask before displaying external images".
- Click "Save Changes".
By default Gmail displays images automatically, but it may block them itself in a suspicious message. Asking before displaying gives you control over loading.
But this is no promise to hide the fact that the message was opened. Once you follow a link, you are contacting the website directly, and your email client's protections do not extend to it.
2. Turn on Apple Mail's protection
- Open the Mail app on Mac.
- Open the "Mail" menu → "Settings".
- Select "Privacy".
- Enable "Protect Mail Activity".
This feature hides your IP and loads content in the background when a message arrives. Loading an image stops being a reliable indicator of when the message was read. When the overall protection is switched off, separate settings for hiding the IP and blocking remote content are available.
| Setting | What changes | Where the protection ends |
|---|---|---|
| Asking before displaying images in Gmail | External images are not shown automatically | If you allow them manually, they will load; following links is not protected |
| Protect Mail Activity in Apple Mail | The IP is hidden and content is loaded in the background | Works within Mail; does not extend to visiting a website via a link |
4. Change the address the website sees
A VPN creates an encrypted connection to its server. When your visit goes through it, the forum or website sees the VPN server's address. Your already-known home IP becomes useless for matching new visits by address alone. But the previous logs remain, and other signals may still link the visits together.
Change the address the website sees
When your visit goes through it, the forum or website sees the VPN server's address.
The VPN operator can see the address you connected from.
But the previous logs remain, and other signals may still link the visits together.
For this task I recommend CitadelVPN: the service lists more than 40 locations from which you can choose an exit point. The connection is set up in a compatible client, such as Hiddify, via the subscription link from your account dashboard. This is the address from which the client fetches the list of connections.
- Open an IP checking page before connecting.
- Note your current IP, country and provider.
- Add the CitadelVPN subscription link to a compatible client.
- Refresh the list of connections.
- Choose a location.
- Turn the connection on.
- Refresh the IP checking page.
- Compare the address, country and provider with the previous values.
If you choose a location in your own country, the country shown may not change. Look at the change of IP and network; the provider may be listed as the hosting company of the server. If your home IP is visible, check the connection and whether browser traffic is going through it. But a changed address in this check does not prove the absence of any leaks.
5. Deal with other ways of recognising you
A VPN does not delete cookies — the records by which a website remembers your browser. Signing in to an account tells the website outright who you are. Fingerprinting — recognition based on a combination of browser settings and device characteristics — keeps working too. An email pixel may still register a load even from a VPN address.
For example, you switched on a VPN and signed in to a forum under your usual name. The forum received a new IP but linked the visit to your profile. The same applies to any website with an account: changing your address does not hide your profile and does not override the service's rules.
Delete the website's cookies you do not need: this may sign you out. Set up browser protection against tracking. The remaining channels are listed in the overview of online tracking methods.
6. Frequently asked questions
Can a person find out your home address from an IP?
On its own, an IP does not reveal the street, house or flat. A device's precise geolocation and the address in your profile are separate sources that need to be checked separately.
Does Gmail protect against IP detection via images in a message?
According to Gmail's help page, loading images does not reveal to the sender any information about your computer or location. Do not assume this is a property of every app in which the same mailbox is opened.
Who can see the original IP when a VPN is on?
The VPN operator can see the address you connected from. That is why the EFF recommends studying its data policy: hiding your IP from a website shifts the trust to the VPN operator.
7. What to do now
Close the route by which an observer obtains your address. For a website or forum, switch on a VPN before visiting and compare the IP before and after. For messages, configure image loading in Gmail or Protect Mail Activity in Apple Mail. Do not open suspicious links. Separately, check the geolocation permission and account sign-ins: changing your network address does not switch those off.