Unblock websites are such a common part of the internet that almost everyone comes across them at some point. There are a number of tools and ways to get around restrictions and get to restricted information.
While VPNs, proxies, and the Tor network are all excellent ways to unblock websites, they aren’t the only choice-and in certain cases, they may even be unneeded.
Choose your service provider.
You are not alone if you are unable to visit your favourite website. Over 76 per cent of Internet users live in countries with some form of online restriction. Plus, even if you don’t reside in a censored area, you’ve certainly experienced barriers near your workplace, school, or other locations.
In this article, we’ll look at the many tools and ways of unblocking websites on any device. But before we can do that, we need to figure out why (and how) your favourite websites are being restricted. Continue reading to discover more and get started unblocking.
While VPNs, proxies, and the Tor network are all excellent ways to unblock websites, they aren’t the only choice-and in certain cases, they may even be unneeded.
Why am I being denied access to a website?
- While blocks can occur for a variety of reasons, they are most commonly used to prevent you from accessing a certain website or app.
- The majority of blockages go into one of three categories: being blocked by your network (such as WiFi at work or school), being blocked by the website itself, or being banned by both. Finally, you may be blocked by your internet service provider (ISP) or the government.
- There’s typically a way past any roadblock. The solution you utilize, however, is determined by the type of block and what you’re attempting to access. Continue reading to discover more about the various sorts of blockages and the methods that may be used to get around them.
- While VPNs, proxies, and the Tor network are all excellent ways to unblock websites, they aren’t the only choice-and in certain cases, they may even be unneeded.
Your workplace or school has blocked it.
Almost everyone has experienced content restrictions at work or school. But why are these barriers there, and how do they function?
- The logic is simple: schools and workplaces have a financial stake in keeping pupils and employees productive. As a result, they restrict access to particular websites, such as social networking sites and online gaming.
- Websites are usually blocked by URL on your school or work network. This implies that every time you type a URL into your browser, the network checks it against its block list. It limits access and bans you if the address is on the block list.
- Rerouting your browsing through a third party, such as a proxy or virtual private network, is a typical approach to get around these prohibitions (VPN).
The government has blocked it.
- As we stated at the outset of this piece, governments put barriers on the majority of the world’s people. But why?
- The specific solution varies, but it all boils down to one thing: governments have a vested interest in maintaining their citizens’ trust. As a result, several nations impose restrictions on websites that disseminate humiliating or damning information about historical occurrences.
- The “Great Firewall” of China, which was immediately built once the Internet arrived in the nation in the early 1990s, is one of the most renowned examples of a government blockade. The firewall’s goal is to ban foreign websites and cross-border traffic that are in violation of China’s constitution and censorship goals.
- The Great Firewall prevents China’s almost 1.5 billion citizens from accessing major websites like Google and Facebook. This, however, hasn’t deterred them: In China, 29% of Internet users use a VPN to get around restrictions.
- Of course, China is not the only government that restricts Internet access to its residents. The restrictions are typically the same regardless of the nation, with government networks filtering web traffic based on URLs and host IP addresses.
- VPNs are typically the most effective way to get around government restrictions. Some people, however, may get around this by utilizing proxies and other techniques.
Your ISP has blocked it.
Many consumers experience blocks from their Internet service provider, which are not nearly as frequent as the other sorts of blocks we’ve examined so far (ISP).
While the reasons for ISP blocks vary, they are typically used to prohibit online traffic that could violate local laws or the provider’s terms of service. ISP “soft blocks,” in contrast to government-level “hard blocks,” are often simpler to get around using VPNs, proxies, and other ways. Some ISP bans can be circumvented by simply changing DNS servers.
Many Internet consumers are completely unaware that their ISP is blocking them. One of the most popular reasons is that these blockers can be a useful add-on service that protects your browsing experience. However, some ISPs may impose restrictions in order to protect their own interests.
But how can you tell if your ISP is blocking access? While it’s not always simple to determine, if you can’t access a website on an otherwise open network, you can typically assume it’s because of an ISP ban. If you reside in a nation without censorship and aren’t connected to a business or school network, any blockages you encounter are most likely due to your ISP.
It’s geo-blocked.
Many websites restrict access from specific countries or areas. This form of limitation often referred to as “geo-restriction,” is ubiquitous on streaming services like Netflix, YouTube, Prime Video, and others.
Why bother with foreign traffic blocking? Streaming services, in particular, must adhere to distribution restrictions that specify which nations and regions are permitted to access certain materials. Because of these rules, your Netflix experience varies greatly when you travel to a new country, even if you have the same account.
As you might expect, circumnavigating geo-restriction necessitates visiting the website from an “authorized” country. While travelling may seem difficult, VPNs and proxies allow you to do so by rerouting your traffic through faraway foreign servers.
Another concern for other sites is that excessive international traffic might cause server resources to become overburdened.
You’ve been banned.
Blocks can sometimes be found on a web page. Many major services, such as Omelet and Twitter, have the ability to prohibit users who break their terms of service or promote criminal activities.
It’s quite obvious whether you’ve been blacklisted in this scenario. But how are you going to get around it?
The response is different based on the website and the ban mechanism. Account-based sites like Twitter will just block the account, which means you won’t be able to get around it by utilizing a VPN. Instead, you’ll have to register a completely new account.
Many bans, however, are based on the user’s IP address. A website may instead block all traffic from the user’s IP address rather than delete an account. VPNs and proxies are excellent solutions to get around these restrictions since they can alter your IP address by rerouting your traffic.
Is It Possible to Unblock a Website?
- Yes, but it is contingent on the block. Most limitations can typically be bypassed via VPNs and proxies, but this is not always the case.
- Unblocking capabilities vary greatly across providers and software packages, as we’ll discover in the next section. To make matters worse, many major online services are always on the search for VPN and proxy server IPs, resulting in an ongoing battle to preserve a large pool of working addresses.
- Even if a VPN or proxy doesn’t work for a particular service, there are still lots of methods to get around restrictions. Learn more about VPNs, proxies, and other practical ways to unblock your favorite websites by reading on.
The Top 4 Website Unblocking Methods
Unblocking websites with VPNs and proxies is the most common and successful method. Many people, however, get excellent results using anonymous browsers like Duckling. There are numerous additional ways to unblock websites, but these four are the most popular.
1. A VPN (Virtual Private Network) is a type of internet connection (VPN).
- VPNs are the most commonly used method for unblocking websites. Bypassing blocks, on the other hand, is a result of their functionality.
- A virtual private network, as the name implies, reroutes your traffic through its own secure servers, essentially extending your private network at home, school, or business to a virtual public network. In other words, a VPN acts as a “middleman” who takes your data and resend it where it would typically be transmitted straight to a website.
- A VPN, unlike a proxy, encrypts your outgoing communication. As a consequence, your data and identity are kept private and safe. This is part of the secret to accessing banned websites, as we’ll discover later.
- The procedure may appear to be difficult, but it is actually rather simple:
- You use your desktop or web browser to access the VPN client.
- Your outgoing traffic is encrypted by the VPN client. You may be able to pick which applications use the VPN depending on the provider (this is known as “split tunnelling”).
- Your encrypted communication is routed through the VPN’s secure server network. Your traffic is separated into “packets,” which include source and destination IP addresses just like any other connection. The source IP address in this case is your personal, business, or school network.
- Each packet is stripped of your originating IP address and replaced with the VPN server’s own. The receiving end will believe that your traffic originated from the VPN server rather than your machine.
- Your data is decrypted and sent to the receiver, who is unaware of its real origin.
- Okay, so it’s not completely straightforward. You won’t have to worry about the technicalities of the procedure, though. You’ll be able to browse normally while the VPN encrypts and reroutes your traffic behind the scenes once it’s up and running.
That’s great, but how does that procedure unblock websites?
Your IP has the answer. Because many blocks and bans are dependent on IP addresses (websites use them to determine your location), changing your IP address during rerouting is generally enough to get around them. However, because most big websites try to ban access from recognized VPN servers, operators must maintain massive networks of scattered servers to ensure access.
However, the number of servers and their capabilities fluctuate significantly among-st VPN companies. Even a fast Google search for a VPN can turn up hundreds of results, each with a distinct number and range of servers.
As you might expect, cost varies according to performance, with top providers costing $10 or more per month for access to networks with thousands of secure VPN servers. While there are some free VPNs available, many individuals choose to use proxies to bypass restrictions.
While VPNs, proxies, and the Tor network are all excellent ways to unblock websites, they aren’t the only choice-and in certain cases, they may even be unneeded.
2. Proxy
- A proxy, like a VPN, reroutes data through its own servers, but there are a few major distinctions.
- The most significant distinction is that proxies do not encrypt data as VPNs do. As a result, third parties may see all of your traffic, posing extra security dangers if you’re using an untrustworthy service. When using a proxy, users should be cautious when inputting passwords or transferring other sensitive information.
- In addition, most proxies have significantly fewer servers than the average VPN service. While you may be able to unblock websites without a VPN, it is unlikely to be as secure.
- However, these disadvantages do not rule out the use of proxies. Proxies are a quick and easy solution to unblock websites while maintaining privacy because they are free and readily available. Only communicate secure data with caution, and be prepared to test a variety of servers before you may access restricted material.
- While VPNs, proxies, and the Tor network are all excellent ways to unblock websites, they aren’t the only choice-and in certain cases, they may even be unneeded.
3. VPN/Proxy Browser Extension
- Browser extensions are available for several VPNs and proxies (rather than full-fledged software tools).
- These are a fantastic way to unblock websites. Traditional VPNs will redirect your whole connection rather than individual app traffic. While some VPN companies enable customers to choose which applications use the VPN network, you may have to pay a premium for this option.
- Browser extensions also have the advantage of not slowing down your connection speed for another programmer. VPNs provide an extra step between source and destination, so expect a somewhat slower connection. If you solely use the VPN for the web browser, you’ll be able to keep your connection speed for other apps while unblocking websites in the browser.
- However, the difference isn’t as big for proxies. Because most proxies are free and frequently abused, there isn’t much of a difference in connection speed unless the browser extension gives you access to premium proxy servers.
- Tor In short, “The Onion Router” Tor is a free, open-source network committed to maintaining internet privacy. While its primary goal is to conceal your identity, it also has the added bonus of unblocking websites by redirecting your traffic through its huge network of relays.
- While this may seem similar to a VPN or proxy, they are not the same. Whereas VPNs and proxies rely on dedicated servers, Tor relies on a huge overlay network that is totally maintained by volunteers.
- When you use Tor, your traffic and data will be diverted via at least three volunteer relays until no trace of you remains. The Tor network has around 6,000 relays as of 2022.
- Tor is a free and simple network to use. By downloading the Tor browser and selecting a connection, you may connect to the network. While some nations prohibit Tor, you may get around these restrictions by enabling Tor to download through its own network. You’re ready to go after the installation.
- Tor, on the other hand, has several flaws. To protect your privacy, the Tor browser will frequently disable media plugins (such as Flash) that may be used to divulge personal information. It also disables scripts by default, resulting in a significantly less feature-rich surfing experience.
Unblock Websites in Other Ways
- While VPNs, proxies, and the Tor network are all excellent ways to unblock websites, they aren’t the only choice-and in certain cases, they may even be unneeded.
- Consider some of these less expensive options before paying for a commercial VPN or switching to Tor as your default browser.
- Make the transition from HTTP to HTTPS.
- It’s no longer a foolproof method, as HTTPS has become the industry standard for most websites. However, it can be a useful technique to get around restrictions on work or school networks.
- When adding a site to their network’s blocklist, administrators normally include the whole. Administrators may overlook the HTTPS variant, providing you with an easy workaround.
Use the IP address of the website.
- You may also try utilising the website’s IP address instead of its URL, similar to upgrading to HTTPS.
- Use any of the methods listed here to find a website’s URL. If your network administrator has done their due diligence and blocked the IP address, you should be able to access the website.
- For example, 172.217.204.102 is one of multiple IP addresses for the Google homepage. Try entering this address instead of google.com in your browser; you’ll arrive at the same location.
URL shortening services
- Another approach to getting around certain limitations is to use URL shorteners like TinyURL.
- These services take an existing URL and convert it into a shorter form that automatically returns you to the original website. You’re simply connecting to the abbreviated URL instead of the original, which your administrator may ban. As a result, depending on how URL-based blocks and blocklists are implemented, URL shorteners can occasionally work.
Change the DNS Server
- If you’ve been IP blacklisted, switching to a different Domain Name System (DNS) server is a good approach to unblocking websites.
- Without getting too technical, your DNS server is in charge of assigning IP addresses to URLs (e.g., google.com to 172.217.204.102). Blocks are controlled by private networks and ISPs via their DNS servers.
- You may change your DNS server by entering its IP address in the network settings of your computer. Google’s public DNS server, which has an IP address of 8.8.8.8, is one of the most popular (and easy-to-remember) options.
Translators are available online.
Submitting a URL to online translators like Google Translate generates an alternate link that can bypass many blocking mechanisms. Simply paste the URL into the translation form, choose your preferred language, and let the translator do the rest.
Website Archives and Caches
Google Cache and archive.org’s Wayback Machine keep copies of every website they crawl and make them publicly available. It’s an excellent way of seeing banned websites—although older ones—since you don’t need the original URL to access a cached page.
Browser Opera
The Opera browser comes with a free built-in VPN, making it a simple and quick option to unblock websites without having to pay for a membership. However, some reviews claim that it isn’t the ideal solution for protecting your privacy or accessing streaming services like Netflix. Despite the fact that there are other ways to unblock websites, VPNs remain the most popular and successful method.
Summary
Despite the fact that there are other ways to unblock websites, VPNs remain the most popular and successful method. A VPN is a terrific method to access prohibited material and protect your privacy, with major providers offering hundreds of servers scattered across worldwide networks.
Proxy servers, Tor, and the other tools and strategies we’ve discussed can all help in a variety of scenarios. Whatever method you employ, remember that changing your IP address or trying a different URL is the key to unlocking blocked websites.
- Save time, and money, and improve site performance by using:
- 24/7 assistance from WordPress hosting professionals.
- Integration with Cloudflare Enterprise
- With 32 data centers globally, we can reach a global audience.
- Our built-in Application Performance Monitoring allows for optimization.
- All of this and more is included in a single plan that includes no long-term obligations, assisted migrations, and a 30-day money-back guarantee. Check out our plans or speak with a sales representative to find the ideal plan for you.