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Accessing blocked content is easier than you think.
Last Updated: February 22, 2025
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It can be frustrating when you encounter blocked websites, whether at school, work, or even home. Internet service providers and the government sometimes block specific sites, limiting access to information. If you’re trying to access blocked social media sites at work or traveling abroad and want to access your favorite streaming services, there are some methods you can follow to reclaim your internet freedom.
This article will examine the most popular methods for unblocking websites. However, it is important to understand why websites are blocked before we discuss the specifics of unblocking them.
Websites can be blocked for several reasons. Your school or workplace may restrict access to increase productivity, or your government may impose censorship to curb communication and the spread of information.
The good news is that there are ways to bypass these restrictions content and access blocked content. The best method for you will depend on your location, the website you’re trying to access, and the reason it’s restricted. Before we address how to unblock websites, here’s a more detailed look at the reasons a website may be blocked for you.
Internet service providers block websites to protect your device from malware and other suspicious activity. Suppose you find that a site you can access using a different internet connection is blocked while using your connection. In that case, it’s usually because the site you’re trying to access is deemed untrustworthy by your ISP. In some cases, this can be a helpful safety measure to protect your personal information and data.
Additionally, in countries where censorship is prevalent, ISPs may be required to block specific websites in compliance with government regulations.
Most school, work, and public library computers have lists of blocked websites that could be harmful, inappropriate, or hamper productivity.
While this kind of restriction can be argued as justified, there are certain cases where you might need access to a site on your school or work’s blocklist. For instance, your employer or educational institution may have blocked all news websites, deeming them a hindrance to productivity.
Public institutions also sometimes block streaming services, as they require a lot of bandwidth and can cause issues for other users.
Streaming services primarily enforce geo-restrictions to control access to content licensed in specific regions. Content is geo-blocked to protect copyrights and ensure it is allowed. It is only streamed in locations that comply with licensing agreements.
Internet censorship by the government is a highly controversial topic, often criticized by advocates of freedom of expression and other human rights. Some governments have imposed strict restrictions on content and media to maintain social stability and control over public discourse.
The Chinese government, for example, has a long history of limiting freedom of expression, viewing the Internet as a potential threat to its authority. As a result, it has implemented a comprehensive system of internet censorship known as the Great Firewall of China, designed to block access to a wide range of websites and online content that the government considers inappropriate or threatening to its interests.
Iran, North Korea, Saudi Arabia, and Vietnam are other countries with a lot of internet censorship.
In most cases, yes, you can unblock websites. When a website blocks your access, it typically reads your IP address and associates it with whatever form of restriction—by your ISP, government, or any other institution.
Most of the methods we’ll explore below focus on bypassing these restrictions by masking your IP or giving you another IP from a different region. Virtual private network (VPN) servers are the first solution that comes to mind, but alternative methods are also available that don’t require installing an app or paying a subscription fee.
Blocked websites are terribly inconvenient, but getting past those blocks is possible. The best part is you don’t need a lot of technical expertise to follow these steps to gain access to a blocked site.
Here’s how to unblock websites using a few of the most well-known and low-effort techniques.
VPNs are widely regarded as the safest and most reliable tool to unblock websites. They work by rerouting your IP address via one of their servers in a different country. This allows you to access geo-restricted content and provides an additional layer of security by encrypting your internet traffic and shielding your online activity from view. As a result, they are the most straightforward way to maintain your freedom and stay private when you’re online.
Many free VPNs tend to be unreliable, throttle connection speeds, and expose users to spam and malware. If you choose to use a VPN, I recommend opting for a reputed paid VPN. Premium VPNs offer valuable features, can reliably unblock website, and keep your personal information secure without significantly affecting your connection speeds. Plus, VPNs offer money-back guarantees so you can test their services risk-free.
These three VPNs will do the best job of unblocking the sites and content you want to access:
A proxy server works similarly to a VPN by allowing you to swap your IP address with one from its servers. However, unlike a VPN that does this for all your internet traffic, a web proxy only reroutes traffic for a specific website. For that reason, web proxies make sense if you want to access blocked sites from school or work.
A key advantage of proxy websites is that they require minimal effort and don’t require downloading an app or paying for a subscription. All you have to do is input the URL of the website you want to access on a proxy website, and it will reroute your traffic through one of its servers, giving you access to the blocked site.
On the downside, web proxies are not as secure as VPNs and don’t encrypt your data, so you still run the risk of your information being stolen or hacked if you access a suspicious website. Plus, it requires you to manually input the URL to every page you want to visit and doesn’t reroute all your traffic like a VPN, only your browser traffic.
While using a proxy site can be cumbersome, it’s great for public systems where installing an app can be even more tedious.
A VPN or web proxy browser extension is built on what we discussed earlier. These browser extensions are usually secure since browsers like Google Chrome remove extensions suspected of malicious activity.
A web proxy browser extension is particularly useful because it eliminates the need to access the proxy website each time you have to unblock sites. It’s more convenient since it’s built into the browser, and you can access restricted content with a single click of a button.
Most paid VPNs also have reliable browser extensions that allow you to quickly change the VPN server or other settings without opening the VPN app.
To download a web proxy or VPN browser extension, search for one in your browser’s extensions store (such as the Chrome Web Store) and select the one that best suits your needs.
Tor Browser is an open-source browser widely known for its privacy and encryption features. Like a VPN, it masks your location by passing your data through multiple layers of encryption. As a result, it offers strong privacy and unblocking capabilities, but you will have to compromise on speed.
While the Tor Browser effectively protects your personal information, it also grants access to what people often refer to as the dark web, where malicious content or sites are more easily targeted. Unlike mainstream browsers like Firefox or Google Chrome, Tor Browser does not screen downloads, so you should be cautious about what you are downloading.
Aside from Tor, a few other browsers put privacy first. Some popular examples include Vivaldi and Brave. These browsers work like Tor, preventing corporations from tracking your activity or collecting your data. An example of this we see quite often is when you’re targeted with highly personalized ads, which these private browsers help you avoid. Private browsers also come with encryption features that will let you unblock sites.
Some users rely on incognito mode to stay private online. While incognito mode prevents your search history from being recorded, it does not stop your browser from storing some data usage statistics. In contrast, a private browser ensures that your data remains secure.
The methods listed above are the most commonly used since they’re the most straightforward and are usually reliable. However, if you find that you aren’t having much success with them, there are other methods you can try to unblock websites. Some require a bit more effort but don’t require much technical knowledge.
Each webpage has a unique URL and Internet Protocol (IP) address. If the block imposed is basic, sometimes only a website’s URL is blocked, not the IP address itself. This means that if you enter the site’s IP address in your browser’s address bar, you might be able to access it.
You can find the IP address of a website using a DNS lookup tool, like www.whatismyip.com/dns-lookup, to find the IP address associated with a site. Simply enter the website’s URL (including https://), copy the IP address, and paste it into your browser’s address bar.
As I mentioned, this doesn’t always work and can only bypass basic restrictions.
Some websites block groups of IP addresses that appear suspicious. If your IP address falls within one of these groups, you may be unable to access certain sites or pages.
Most ISPs use dynamic IP addresses, meaning your IP address changes each time you connect to the Internet. Restarting your router may provide a new IP address and restore access to blocked sites.
Many operating systems include a built-in firewall. For example, Microsoft’s Defender Firewall protects your device from malicious content and potential hackers, but it may sometimes block websites you want to access.
To unblock websites restricted by your firewall, you can temporarily disable it. To disable Microsoft’s Defender Firewall, search for Firewall & network protection in your system’s settings. Then, select your profile and turn off the Defender Firewall.
On a Mac, open System Preferences, go to Security & Privacy, and navigate to the firewall settings.
Keep in mind that sites blocked by your firewall are restricted to protect your device from potential threats, so you should be wary of suspicious links and files while your firewall is off. I recommend temporarily disabling your firewall to see whether that fixes your issue. If the blocked site becomes accessible, do what you need to do and then turn your firewall back on.
Some websites may be blocked because they’re on your browser’s restricted websites list.
Let’s use Google Chrome as an example. If Chrome restricts a site, you can adjust these settings by going to Chrome’s Settings > Privacy and Security > Security. Here, you can modify security settings that may be blocking certain websites.
Under the Safe Browsing panel, you can select between Enhanced protection, Standard protection, and No protection.
HTTP and HTTPS are the two most common internet protocols. HTTPS is an extension of HTTP and adds a layer of encryption to keep your data secure. Switching from HTTPS to HTTP can help you access a site otherwise blocked. However, remember that it’s a less secure protocol, so it’s best to exercise caution.
When accessing a site via HTTP, I recommend avoiding entering sensitive data or downloading files that could be harmful. That means I wouldn’t enter passwords, banking information, or other personal data.
Using a URL shortener is not a surefire way of bypassing restrictions and is simply a workaround that works in select cases. Some organizations, like schools or libraries, have systems in place to block particular URLs. By using a URL shortener, like TinyURL or Bitly, you may be able to access a blocked site since the shortened URL no longer matches the one on the block list.
A cache is a copy of data from commonly visited sites that browsers store to make them load faster when revisiting them. Sometimes, you can access the cached version of a blocked website.
To do this, open Chrome and type cache:[website URL] into the address bar. For example, try entering cache:www.facebook.com for the latest cached version of the Facebook home page.
As shown in the image above, the site will likely appear incomplete, displaying only a basic outline of the unrestricted version. You will also have difficulty navigating certain sites since not all parts of them will be cached.
When you try this method, you might find that it sometimes takes you to a Google Search results page. In this case, click the three dots next to the correct result and select Cached on the menu.
The Domain Name System (DNS) translates human-readable domain names (e.g., www.google.com) into numerical IP addresses (e.g., 142.251.162.99) that computers use to communicate with each other.
Changing your DNS server tricks a website into thinking you’re in a different location, allowing you to access geo-restricted content. This method is supported on most major operating systems, including Windows, Mac, iOS, and Android.
However, if you use a proxy DNS, your IP address remains visible to third parties, unlike with a VPN. In that sense, changing your DNS to unblock sites isn’t the most secure way and will not always work.
Using Google Translate seems like an unusual solution, but it can effectively bypass basic website restrictions.
Go to the Google Translate website. Choose a random language in the “From” section and English or your preferred language in the “To” section. Enter the URL for your desired website in the text box, and when it’s translated, click on the link.
There will be some changes in the website’s layout and functionality, but you should still be able to use and access most of its functions. Similar to previous methods, ensure you don’t share personal information or download questionable files when using this method.
This final method can be used as a last resort to access a blocked website. An HTML to PDF converter allows you to download the contents of a webpage as a PDF document, preserving all text and images on the site.
You can’t engage with the site when you view its PDF version, so this method doesn’t make sense unless you intend to consume static media.
The methods above should help you bypass most, if not all, restrictions on a website. However, I understand that many internet users are trying to access a handful of blocked sites due to regional or institutional restrictions. So, I’ve researched and compiled the best methods to access some of the most popular sites below.
Streaming platforms are blocked for two reasons: your school or work’s network administrator has blocked them to increase productivity, or the copyrighted content is licensed to be shown only in certain countries.
Changing your IP address is a surefire way to bypass these restrictions, and the easiest way to do so is by using a VPN. With a premium VPN, you can also access the international libraries of multiple streaming platforms while protecting your data and personal information from your ISP and other third parties.
While bypassing network restrictions, be mindful of your streaming habits. You may draw attention if your bandwidth usage is monitored and you stream a lot. Additionally, many public networks are not designed for high bandwidth activities, so excessive streaming could disrupt other users on the network. Naturally, you could land yourself in trouble if you’re found accessing sites intended to be restricted on your network.
Social media can be a major distraction, which is why educational institutions and workplaces often block sites like Facebook, Instagram, Reddit, TikTok, and Twitter. However, if you need to use these sites in an emergency or just need a little break, using a VPN is your best bet.
You may also be able to bypass restrictions using other methods, such as URL shortener, but a VPN ensures seamless access without compromising user experience.
Many users use a VPN to unblock gaming sites that are restricted in their locations. You can also use a VPN to switch to a different location if you want to play on another game server. For example, if all your friends are located in Europe and you’re in Asia, you can use a VPN to switch to a VPN server in Europe so you can all play together.
The legality of unblocking websites depends on the specific laws of your country or region and why the websites are blocked.
In some countries, governments censor certain websites due to illegal or objectionable content, making it unlawful to unblock sites in the context of government-mandated blocks.
However, in most countries, VPNs are legal, so using them to unblock websites is generally acceptable, provided it is not for illegal purposes. Still, it is important to be aware of and respect the laws and regulations of your country or region when it comes to unblocking websites.
If an employer or school blocks specific sites to prevent employees or students from accessing them, it would probably violate the organization’s policies to unblock the websites—but it is unlikely to be illegal.
Ultimately, there’s no simple yes-or-no answer to this. It depends on the circumstances in which you’ve decided to unblock sites.
Access to an open internet should be a fundamental right for everyone. However, a political or institutional body may choose to curb their patrons’ access to certain sites for multiple reasons. While some restrictions are justified, there are also instances where it’s done to restrict freedom of speech and information.
This guide showed you how to unblock websites using tools like a VPN, a proxy server, or a private browser like Tor. Each method has advantages and disadvantages, so it’s crucial to choose the one that aligns with your needs. Some methods I explained will also increase your online privacy and security.
I don’t recommend unblocking websites restricted for legal or security reasons. Some countries have strict laws against bypassing restrictions, which could result in legal consequences. Always verify the legality of unblocking a website in your country before proceeding.
In short, unblocking websites can help restore access to information on the Internet, but it should be done responsibly and within legal boundaries.
A VPN masks your IP address and encrypts your internet traffic, routing it through a server in a different location. This makes it appear as though you are accessing the internet from that server's location, bypassing local restrictions and unblocking websites.
Free VPNs can be risky, as they often have limited features and bandwidth caps and may log user data. Some free VPNs may also inject ads or malware into your connection. It’s generally safer to use a reputable paid VPN service.
A VPN provides a secure, encrypted tunnel for all your internet traffic, while a proxy server only reroutes specific types of traffic, such as web browsing. VPNs offer better security and privacy compared to proxy servers.
In most countries, using a VPN is legal. However, some countries with strict internet censorship, like China and Iran, heavily regulate or ban VPN use. Always check your local laws before using a VPN.
Yes, changing your DNS settings to a public DNS service like Google DNS or OpenDNS can help bypass some restrictions. However, it may not be effective against more sophisticated blocks imposed by ISPs or governments.
Yes, there can be risks such as:
• Legal Issues: In some regions, unblocking websites may violate local laws.
• Security Risks: Using untrusted tools or services can expose you to malware or data breaches.
• Privacy Concerns: Some methods may compromise your privacy if not used correctly.
Using tools to unblock websites can sometimes affect device performance, especially if the tool consumes significant resources or if your internet connection is slowed down by the method used.
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