Getting Around Proxies
How to Bypass Blocked Sites: 5 Methods to Try – MakeUseOf
You’re at work or school, but you want to check social media, check out adult activities (e. g. gambling), or watch something on YouTube.
Unsurprisingly, everything interesting is blocked. But you’re not out of options. You just need to learn how to bypass blocked sites at work, school, or home.
Note: Sometimes, sites are blocked for security purposes, i. e. they pose a threat to your device. Research the content you intend to access thoroughly before attempting to get past the blocks.
1. Bypass Blocked Sites With a VPN
The best thing you can do is use a Virtual Private Network (VPN). You’ve probably heard a bit about them, but they’re not as complicated as they initially sound.
VPNs add an additional layer of security and privacy using encryption. That’s useful if you’re entering sensitive information and are worried about hackers. In this case, however, VPNs can be used to bypass blocks. These networks connect you to a website via a “tunnel”, which scrambles data travelling through it either way.
Some security suites offer VPNs as part of a bundle. Some are free. And others cost. It’s worth shopping around, of course, but we’ve got plenty of VPN recommendations on MakeUseOf.
Any software monitoring your browsing activities only sees that you’re using a VPN. Individual URLs can’t be tracked without considerable work. There’s a chance that cybercriminals will put in the effort to view your data, but it’s doubtful your employer or educational institution ever will.
VPNs are great when you need to access region-blocked media on your device too.
2. Bypass Firewalls Using Proxies
Most treat VPNs and proxy servers as interchangeable. But proxies lack the encryption software that protects a lot of your data. That’s certainly not to say they’re useless though!
Proxies hide your Internet Protocol (IP) address—which anyone can trace back to your computer—making your searches anonymous by instead displaying another server’s IP.
There are literally thousands of proxy sites to help you bypass firewalls. Search online and you’ll be bombarded with results for free services and paid-for ones. The former is acceptable for occasional use. But if you intend to use it regularly (and want something more secure and anonymous), consider whether it’s worth paying.
Don’t be put off. It’s not difficult to set up a proxy server to get past restrictions, no matter what browser you use.
3. Use Cached Pages to Bypass Blocks
Search engines cache content when indexing websites. Think of it as a carbon copy of a webpage.
Just enter the page you’re looking for into a search engine and click on the downward arrow by a site’s name, then on Cached. Alternatively, type cache: into the search box then the URL you want to access.
There are limitations: formatting is generally lost and videos might not play. Nonetheless, this is a good way of getting around blocks.
Instead of a normal URL, cached content will be listed as something like “, followed by the website name.
This won’t work on all blocked sites and many admins will have also restricted cached material from questionable sources. However, it might work to get around blocks in schools, for instance, when conducting research. Some institutions use automated blocks which might pick up content through normal addresses but not necessarily related URLs.
4. Access Blocked Content With Remote Access
Remote access has negative connotations. Often you immediately think of hackers, taking control of your device for malicious purposes. Or you may recall the last time you’ve had to phone a computer helpline to get someone else to sort out an infuriating PC problem. But it’s not all bad.
Remote access means taking control of your home computer without actually sitting in front of it.
To do so, you’ll need to download a handy bit of software: it doesn’t really matter whether you use popular remote connectivity programs like LogMeIn or one of the lesser-known ones.
The important thing is that you can now browse the internet at your leisure—by using your own computer remotely! You might experience a lag, but it works, and means you can further use any software on your computer, not just your browser.
RSS feeds send web pages directly to your email address.
These are typically syndicated editions of pieces regularly collated and distributed to email addresses and RSS Readers. They save users the time spent visiting individual sites: you get the best content sent directly to you.
So if a site you frequent is blocked, you can either subscribe to an RSS feed or create one. You bypass blocks because you’re looking at RSS apps, not the sites themselves.
It used to be the case that you couldn’t view videos through RSS feeds. Fortunately, most services have amended this issue. That’s not always the case; some have issues with images too, but will should allow you to get around blocked sites.
If you can’t find a way to easily subscribe to a feed, check out some of the free services that allow you to create one:
RSS Feed Generator
Feedity
Feed43
PolitePol
Similarly, signing up to newsletters or following blogs via WordPress, Blogger, and similar platforms means you get curated content sent straight to you. However, you do surrender some privacy by submitting your email address to sites when joining newsletters. It may be worth the relatively small risk.
How Do You Bypass Restrictions?
You’ll likely get in a heap of trouble if you’re caught bypassing a block. That could mean a warning and enhanced monitoring at work. If you’ve attempted to get around a school firewall, you could face detention or in more extreme cases expulsion from class.
5 Ways to Bypass Blocked Sites Without Using Proxies or VPNsYou’re at work or school, but want to view a blocked website? Here are several methods you can try—no proxy or VPN needed.
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About The Author
Philip Bates
(276 Articles Published)
When he’s not watching television, reading books ‘n’ Marvel comics, listening to The Killers, and obsessing over script ideas, Philip Bates pretends to be a freelance writer. He enjoys collecting everything.
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How to Bypass Blocked Sites and Internet Restrictions – MakeUseOf
It doesn’t matter where in the world you live; there are times when you’re going to come across blocked sites and a restricted internet.
If you come across an internet block, don’t panic. Keep reading to find out more how to bypass barred sites and internet restrictions.
Why Do Blocked Sites Exist?
The possible reasons for the blocks are numerous.
Firstly, lots of services use geo-blocking tools to restrict access to their content in certain countries. The issue is perhaps most commonly associated with Netflix’s catalog. However, it can also apply to videos on social media (such as sports clips), news articles, and even entire services which are not available outside of their country of origin (like Hulu).
Secondly, governments often block access to sites to suit their agenda. The Twitter block in China is perhaps the most famous example, but we’ve also seen Turkey block access to social media in an attempt to quell protests in 2016 and Sri Lanka stop access to Facebook in the aftermath of the April 2019 terrorist attacks, supposedly to prevent the spread of fake news.
Thirdly, employers often block sites on their internal networks. Heaven forbid that you waste a few minutes of their time checking Facebook…
Lastly, some countries have odd laws that can restrict access to certain types of material. The UK’s controversial porn ban, which required users to verify their age, and Germany’s crusade against YouTube are two of the most notable cases.
How to Bypass Blocked Sites
If you run into a restricted site, what can you do? Here are the best ways to bypass blocked sites.
1. Use a VPN
The most popular way of accessing blocked internet sites is to use a high-quality paid Virtual Private Network (VPN).
VPNs have many benefits, but from a blocked sites standpoint, it’s the technology’s ability to provide you with an IP address in another country that’s the most important. The foreign IP address makes it appear as though you are based in a different location. Thus, you won’t trigger a site’s geo-blocks and can circumnavigate restrictions.
Some services theoretically block access from VPN IP addresses. In practice, this has resulted in a massive game of cat and mouse, in which the VPN providers are generally victorious.
VPNs are incredibly easy to use: download the app onto your phone or computer, enter your login credentials, and choose the network that you want to connect to.
Need a VPN? You can score discounted plans with CyberGhost and ExpressVPN if you sign up using these links. Both are reputable, performant, and mindful of your privacy.
2. Use a Smart DNS
The recent clampdown on VPNs by services like Netflix and BBC iPlayer has resulted in a growth of smart DNS providers.
Smart DNS services have some pros and cons when considered in contrast to VPNs.
One of the most significant advantages of using a smart DNS to get around a website block is internet speed. Unlike VPNs, which route all your web traffic through a different network, smart DNS providers only need to reroute information about your location. This process results in a faster browsing experience.
On the downside, DNS services do not offer any of the same privacy benefits as VPNs. They do not encrypt your traffic, nor do they change your IP. If authorities in your location are likely to prosecute based on the sites you visit, a smart DNS provider is not right for you.
One of the best smart DNS providers is Getflix.
3. Use a Free Proxy
If you need to quickly access a blocked website on a one-time basis, a free proxy might be the way to go.
A proxy will hide your IP address, thus helping to disguise your location. It will not, however, encrypt your traffic. The lack of encryption means proxies are not as secure as VPNs; they are an excellent option to get around blocks on work and school networks but are not suitable for browsing which requires anonymity.
Proxies are typically much slower than VPNs. You’ll also find they often have issues with page formatting and images. Both of these problems preclude them from being a reliable long-term solution.
Check out our guide to some of the best proxies for geo-blocked content if you’d like to learn more.
4. Use a Site’s IP Address
When you think of web addresses, you probably think of the domain name (e. g. ) that you type into your browser’s address bar.
In practice, the domain name is like a veneer for the IP address. It’s the IP address that points at a server and directs your traffic. DNS servers are responsible for converting domain names into their associated IP addresses.
However, if you know a site’s IP address, you can enter it directly into your browser, and you will still end up viewing the site.
Because many networks only block domain name URLs and not their underlying IP addresses, this trick is often a great way to circumvent internet restrictions.
The same principle applies to short URLs. It’s unlikely that a small employer or school has blocked all the short URLs that point to a site. You’ll often enjoy some success in bypassing school-blocked sites if you try to use them.
You can find the IP address of a site by opening Command Prompt as an admin, then typing tracert followed by the domain name; for example, tracert
5. Use Tor
When you use the Tor network to browse the web, your traffic is taken on a long journey through thousands of nodes all around the world.
This process makes it almost impossible for a regular website to know where the request originated, so it’s unlikely to get caught in any blocking filters.
Be aware that Tor and the dark web is not completely anonymous. Government authorities can, and do, monitor persons of interest on the network.
Learn More About How to Get Past Blocked Sites
Our preferred method for accessing blocked sites and bypassing internet restrictions on a regular basis is to use a VPN.
If you would like to learn more about using VPNs (along with some of the other methods for getting round online blocks), you should learn more about how to bypass Wi-Fi and internet restrictions.
How to Bypass Blocked Sites: 5 Methods to TryYou’re at work or school, but you want to check on Facebook, or watch something on YouTube. It’s blocked – so how do you get around this and ruin your productivity?
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About The Author
Dan Price
(1607 Articles Published)
Dan joined MakeUseOf in 2014 and has been Partnerships Director since July 2020. Reach out to him for inquires about sponsored content, affiliate agreements, promotions, and any other forms of partnership. You can also find him roaming the show floor at CES in Las Vegas every year, say hi if you’re going. Prior to his writing career, he was a Financial Consultant.
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From Dan Price
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How to access blocked websites in 5 minutes or less – GeekWire
WikiMedia Commons
There are many situations where a blocked website is an essential means of maintaining staff productivity or safeguarding a server from crippling computer viruses – but sometimes, the act of blocking a website is nothing but unjust.
If you ever find yourself in a situation where you’ve encountered a blocked website, and you desperately need to access it for either personal or professional reasons – there are a few swift and savvy ways around it. And we’re going to tell you what they are -without further ado, let’s dive in.
URL shorteners
This particular method is by no means foolproof, but it’s simple, it’s quick, and it has been known to bypass many a blocked website in recent times.
Most URL shortening services won’t be blocked from your server, and by using one of them to customize the URL you’re trying to access, you could trick your browser into believing it’s an entirely different website. Of course, if your shortened URL redirects back to the original, you’ll still find yourself locked out – but for the amount of time and effort this takes, it’s certainly worth a try.
Viewing in PDF format
With online URL to PDF converters, you’ll be able to work your way around a website blockage by viewing your desired website and all of its content in document format, once again tricking your server.
By using one of these services to punch in your desired URL and download its content in PDF format, you’ll be able to access the essential information you need. While this is fast and effective, sometimes it’s no substitute for navigating the real thing – but it’s a solution nonetheless.
Try the RSS feed
This blocked website aversion method is most useful if there’s a website at work that you need to access fairly regularly, but your access is permanently restricted.
If the website in question has an RSS feed, you can subscribe to it either in feed reader format or via good old fashioned email. The RSS feed is useful because you don’t have to access the actual website to view its content (updates, new blog entries, etc. ), rendering the blocked website conundrum obsolete.
Use a web proxy server
An online, or web proxy server, is a popular means of accessing blocked websites as it essentially acts as a shield or barrier between you and the site your browsing, and as such, can bypass certain network restrictions (goodbye blocked website).
All connections through the web proxy are encrypted, helping to prevent the monitoring of your network, which means that not only will you be able to access that blocked website, but your online activity won’t be traced back to you. Web proxies are relatively speedy to set up and make some of the most reliable means of getting around blocked URLs.
Go with a VPN
All of the above methods serve a purpose when it comes to accessing blocked websites, but we’ve saved the best until last.
A VPN – or Virtual Private Network – is a service that will give you the power to connect to the internet through a server run by a VPN provider. All of the data travelling between your computer, or device, and the VPN server will be securely encrypted, allowing you to browse the web anonymously and securely, eliminating the issue of website blocking as a result.
Choose a robust VPN service that will be right for your needs and budget and of course reliable. Other factors would be how it is quick to set up, or the level of privacy you need to browse the web freely, carrying out all of the research and tasks you need to without the prospect of unnecessary censorship.
We hope these top tips on unblocking a website in under five minutes have proved helpful and for more tech-based enlightenment, check out GeekWire’s How to be a tech security Jedi: 5 lessons from the original ‘Star Wars’ movies.
Frequently Asked Questions about getting around proxies
How do I get around a proxy block?
Here are the best ways to bypass blocked sites.Use a VPN. The most popular way of accessing blocked internet sites is to use a high-quality paid Virtual Private Network (VPN). … Use a Smart DNS. … Use a Free Proxy. … Use a Site’s IP Address. … Use Tor.Apr 28, 2021
How do I get around a blocked website?
How to access blocked websites in 5 minutes or lessURL shorteners. … Viewing in PDF format. … Try the RSS feed. … Use a web proxy server. … Go with a VPN.More items…•Feb 21, 2018
How do I get around a proxy at work?
If you need to visit a site that’s blocked by a company proxy, you can do so by using one of several sites. Use Web4Proxy.com (see Resources). This site uses a remote server to pass your Web traffic back and forth, bypassing the restrictive filter your company has in place.
