A Virtual Private Network or VPN is a smart piece of software that routes your traffic through secure, encrypted servers and also changes your IP address. For this reason, can they be used to get around IP bans or blacklists, when your current IP address gets banned from using a particular platform or service for whatever reason? Can a VPN be used to circumvent this and regain access to an account that is blocked from your current IP address?

As with many things in technology, there isn’t a clear cut black and white answer, but here is a general summary answer:

A VPN can sometimes allow a user to get around an IP ban because they mask your real public IP address and location and replace it with a new one that is  hopefully not banned.

However, many VPN IP addresses are also blacklisted, so it may require some persistence, along with the creation of new accounts on many platforms, with new usernames and email addresses not used previously.

In other words, while it can work using a VPN to get around IP bans and blacklists, it can be a hit and miss process. You might have to try a few different VPNs to get it to work, plus setting up whole new accounts if certain platforms ban entire accounts for infringements and not just IP addresses.

Let’s look at the whole issue in more detail – how VPNs can work to get around IP bans, when they might not work, plus some good free and Premium VPN options to try, plus alternatives to using a VPN to get around this problem.

 

Using a VPN To Get Around An IP Ban

A VPN works by masking your actual IP address and location, and replacing it with a new one as determined by the server location you pick. In this way, any websites you visit think you are actually based in the VPN server location you select, and your IP address is the one the VPN software assigns you. Your real IP address and location are concealed as long as you are using a VPN server connection.

Example – When you enable a VPN connection, your real IP address (blurred out) is replaced by the VPN IP address on the right, and your real location is replaced by the VPN server location selected.

To this extent, VPNs can theoretically be used to bypass IP bans, and they often do work. There are some caveats though, which we’ll cover below. But in general, masking and replacing your IP address is one of the core functions of a VPN, so it can be used precisely to solve this problem.

Here are some best practices to follow when using a VPN to get around an IP ban for an account/service/platform:

1. Use a good, reputable, reliable VPN provider – we provide some good options further below. Avoid free VPN/proxy hybrids with shared IPs used by lots of people – these often get banned right away.
2. Try to use a VPN server location somewhat close to where you normally logged in from before. And don’t keep changing the location you use if possible. Logins to many accounts from hundreds of miles away from the normal location tend to trigger account bans/freezes or verification checks. Pick, and stick to, a single server location to access a specific platform, to avoid arousing suspicion by logging in from loads of different locations.
3. Some platforms merely ban IP address, while other bans entire accounts, including any associated usernames or email addresses. If you suspect the latter, then set up any new accounts with a totally new email and username, never used before,  as well as using a VPN IP address, to be safe.
4. If it’s a game you are using, be sure to completely delete and reinstall it to remove any traces of the old username/email/IP address plus any other credentials. Activate the VPN to get the new IP address, and re-install and sign up again using your new credentials.

Do VPNs Always Work in Getting Around IP Bans?

While using VPNs can sometimes work fine in circumventing IP bans, they won’t always work, for a number of reasons.

Firstly, VPN IP addresses themselves are sometimes blocked by some platforms, especially streaming platforms, who are in a constant cat-and-mouse battle with VPN providers, constantly finding and blocking their VPN IP addresses, leading the VPN companies to issue new ones, and so the battle continues. Other on demand catch-up TV platforms also aggressively monitor and block VPN use, and can often detect when one is being used, so they don’t always work.

Game platforms are on the whole less aggressive in blocking VPN IP addresses, but it can still happen. Also using new IP addresses and locations to what you normally do to login to account can trigger account blocks and verification checks in itself, since the platform doesn’t know whether it’s the actual user accessing the account or an unauthorized user, if the login IP keeps changing.

Therefore, it depends on what type of service you’re trying to access with a VPN – results can be mixed.

Here are some more factors which can affect whether VPNs can work or not in bypassing IP bans:

• The quality of the VPN used.
• The server location selected.
• The VPN protocol used (some are better than others at fooling websites).
• The strictness with which the platform you are trying to access monitors and attempts to block VPN usage.
• The level at which account access is restricted (is it merely certain IP addresses that are blocked, or entire accounts?)

Some Reputable Free VPN Options

Because of the hit-and-miss nature of getting VPNs to work in bypassing IP bans, it can be a good move to try out a free VPN first, to see if this gets you anywhere.

Therefore are loads of rubbish free “VPNs” around, but there are some decent ones as well, some with unlimited data.

See the table below for some good, reputable options.

Provider	Free Server Locations	Data Limit	More Info
ProtonVPN	3 (USA, Amsterdam, Japan)	Unlimited	See here
AtlasVPN	3 (USA East, USA West, Amsterdam)	5 GB/month	See here
TurboVPN	4 (USA, Germany, Singapore, India).	Unlimited	See here
ZoogVPN	5 (USA, UK, Netherlands)	10 GB/month	See here
Hide.me	5 (Netherlands, USA, Germany, UK, Canada)	10 GB/month (random server selection)	See here
PrivadoVPN	10 (USA, UK, Canada, Germany, France, Netherlands, Switzerland, Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, New Zealand)	10 GB/month	See here
Windscribe	10 (USA, UK, Canada, Hong Kong, France, Germany, Netherlands, Switzerland, Romania, Denmark).	10 GB/month	Visit site
Tunnelbear	49	500 MB/month	Visit site

 

Server location can be an important criteria for lots of potential VPN users, so here’s a bit more of a breakdown for major countries:

• USA Users – AtlasVPN (New York, LA), ProtonVPN (Las Vegas, Houston, Chicago, New York, Atlanta) TurboVPN all have unlimited free VPNs with American servers, so try these first. PrivadoVPN (New York, Washington DC, Chicago, Miami, Los Angeles) also has a good free USA server choice, but a 10 GB/month data cap.
• Canada Users – Hide.me, PrivadoVPN (Montreal) and Windscribe all have free VPN servers in Canada with 10 GB/month allowances you can try out with Hypixel.
• UK Users – PrivadoVPN and Windscribe have free UK servers (London) to try out with 10 GB/month data.

Remember, if it’s an entire account that’s been banned, and you’re having to start from scratch with a new account, be sure to:

• Delete any traces of old accounts from your system
• Always have the VPN server enabled when creating the new account.
• Use brand new emails and usernames for any new accounts.
• Pick, and stick to, one VPN server location to continue accessing your account, to prevent more IP bans and account login checks/blocks/freezes due to a “new location/IP detected” or similar.

Reputable Premium VPN Options

Free VPNs can work for some users, but for more flexibility, including more precise server locations (especially within the USA), unlimited use, 24/7 support plus guaranteed streaming access, a Premium VPN plan is better.

Here are some good paid VPN providers with a good reputation for fast servers and successfully bypassing attempts to block their use:

1. Private Internet Access (PIA) – Excellent cheap VPN option that provides the best of everything – cheap plans ($3.33/month), LOADS of USA server locations (most of any VPN by far), plus UK/Canada/Australia servers, good access to streaming services and a nice, simple, clean interface. Shadowsocks protocol also available to obfuscate connections.
2. ExpressVPN – The most expensive VPN service ($8/month), but also considered the best for defeating attempts to block their use and accessing streaming services. Therefore a very good option to circumvent IP bans from other platforms as well.
3. NordVPN – Another well established VPN provider with an excellent reputation for accessing streaming services and lots of different connection types, including obfuscated and double encrypted servers, to defeat attempts to block their use. A good option for bypassing IP blocks.
4. VyprVPN – Another well established Swiss VPN service with a good reputation for server obfuscation. Their service is one of the few to work consistently in China, using it’s proprietary Chameleon protocol. And if it can defeat stringent China’s attempts to block it, it should also be able to bypass IP bans for most other websites and platforms as well.

All these services off a no questions asked 30 day money back guarantee, so if any of them don’t work in helping you bypass IP bans, you can get your money back within the first month.

Other Ways To Circumvent An IP Ban

Using a VPN is probably the best way to get around an IP ban long term, but there are a couple of other ways you might be able to do it.

1. Change Home/ISP – Obviously, you wouldn’t do this just to get around an IP ban, but if you do happen to move into a new house or apartment, or get a new internet service in your current home, the new router you connect to will have a different public IP address and will therefore not be on the blacklist. If this is something that comes up in your life, be aware it’s a good chance to setup brand new accounts with new emails and usernames, with any services or programs/games you are banned from with your old IP.

2. Contact ISP – A related tactic could be to simply contact your internet service provider (ISP) and either ask them to issue your house/router with a new IP address, or pay for a fixed static IP address (some ISPs do offer this for an extra monthly charge). Also watch out for your service going off late at night for maintenance resets, as while these outages can be annoying, they can issue your router with a new IP address, which is a great chance to create new accounts on platforms under a new username and email to start over.

3. Factory Reset Your Router – Another related thing you can try, although it’s very disruptive, is to reset your router to factory settings, which often also leads to it being issued with a new public IP address once your service is back online. Push a pin into the reset hole for 10-20 seconds until the lights blink or go out, and then wait up to 10 minutes for everything to re-initialize. Is a drastic option as it wipes all custom settings from your router, and will cut off the internet for up to 10 minutes or more, but can give your router a new IP in some cases, to get around any blacklists or bans.

4. Use Proxy Services – Proxies are similar to VPNs, in that they route traffic through an intermediary computer, so whatever platform you’re trying to access will see that computer’s IP address, not yours. However, many proxies aren’t as secure as VPNs, and there are lots of tacky, free proxies that are both slow and unreliable, and not particularly secure to be putting account login details into. As with VPNs, be very selective as to which proxies you use, and be careful what details you enter over a proxy connection. See this article for a good overview of using proxies, or close variants of proxies (browser add ons, Tor, Anonymising services etc) to get around IP bans. But using a VPN, or just getting a new router IP address from your ISP, is generally a better way to go.