Geo-spoofing: How to change your location online

In essence, geo-spoofing means changing your virtual location. It’s typically achieved by changing your IP address. There are several reasons why you might want to do this. The most common is that it lets you access geo-blocked content from the likes of Netflix and Disney+. It also allows you to bypass state-imposed online censorship which might block access to news, political blogs, social media, sports broadcasts or gambling sites.

The easiest way to change your virtual location is by using a Virtual Private Network (VPN). By connecting to a VPN server, you assume the IP address of that server. So, for example, if you connect to a VPN server in the US, you look as if you’re connecting from the US, regardless of your physical location. As a bonus, a VPN will also encrypt your internet traffic, preventing third parties like your ISP or government from being able to monitor your online activities.

How to pretend to be in a different country (spoof your location) with a VPN

The process of faking your location is the same whether you’re connecting to a server in the US or Australia. Below is our short step-by-step guide explaining how you can quickly and easily spoof your location.

Here’s how to fake your location with a VPN:

1. First, sign up with a VPN provider – we particularly recommend NordVPN. However, Surfshark and IPVanish are strong alternatives.

2. Next, download and install the appropriate VPN app for your device. Many of the best VPNs also offer browser extensions for Chrome and Firefox.

3. Open your VPN app (or browser extension) and connect to a server in the country from which you want to browse. For example, you’d use a server in the US to access Netflix US securely or the UK to access BBC iPlayer. This will change your IP address.

4. You now have a new, temporary IP address that you can use to stream geo-restricted online content. This includes popular platforms like Netflix and Amazon Prime Video.

5. Is your desired content still blocked? Try clearing your browser’s cache and cookies. You may also connect to another server in case the IP address you’re using has been blacklisted. Alternatively, contact your VPN’s customer support for further guidance.

How does Google Chrome know where you are?

Some browsers, such as Google Chrome, use the latest geo-location API, which means they may be able to detect your location even if you’re connected to a VPN. The best way to protect against this is to connect to a VPN’s browser extension. However, you can also block location sharing by turning off geo-location settings within your browser.

Here’s how to fake your location in Google Chrome (with a VPN):

1. Click on the three dots in the top right corner of your Chrome window and select Settings.

2. Click on the Advanced tab on the left-hand side of the screen.

3. Select Privacy and Security and then Site settings.

4. Select Location underneath the Permissions section.

5. Finally, click the toggle button so that location-sharing is blocked. Now, you can simply follow the steps above to set up the VPN of your choice.

How to fake your location on Mobile devices

A VPN hides your IP address but won’t prevent GPS tracking. In order to stop a particular app from tracking you, you’ll need to turn off GPS tracking. Below, you’ll find out how you can do this on iOS as well as Android.

Here’s how to turn off location tracking on Android:

1. Go to Settings
2. Search for Security and Location.
3. Turn off Location.

Note that the menu layout and titles vary from phone to phone. As such, it may be easier to simply type ‘location’ in the search bar in order to find what you’re looking for quickly.

Here’s how to turn off location tracking on iOS

Go to Settings > Privacy > Location Services. Toggle Location Services on or off as required. Note that doing so means that none of your apps (not even Google Maps) will be able to detect your location.

If you’d rather switch locations on an app-by-app basis, scroll down to find the app and choose between the following permissions: Never, Ask Next Time, While Using the App, and Always.

You can also toggle off the option of Precise Location, which means that if the permission is enabled, apps would only be able to determine your approximate location.

Best VPNs to change your location

Ready to access region-locked content while enjoying greater online privacy? Here’s our list of the best VPNs for changing or spoofing your location:

1. NordVPN: Best VPN for faking your location. Works with Netflix and Amazon Prime Video. Offers over 6,600 servers including P2P and Double VPN servers. 24/7 support and a strict no-logs policy. Also comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee.
2. Surfshark: Our favorite budget VPN for changing locations. Secure an unlimited number of devices simultaneously. Securely stream Netflix and Disney+. Static IP servers available and an audited no-logs policy.
3. IPVanish: Thousands of secure servers and unlimited device connections. Great for streaming and uses strong 256-bit encryption. Subscriptions include access to a SOCKS5 proxy.
4. CyberGhost: Easy for beginners. No-logs VPN with very fast servers in 100+ countries that makes it great for geo-spoofing. Has servers optimized for specific streaming platforms. Includes 4/7 live chat support.
5. ExpressVPN: Good all-rounder with consistent connections and servers in 105+ countries. A reliable location-spoofer with built-in obfuscation. Very user-friendly and has a dedicated router app. Strong streaming abilities and 24/7 support.
6. PrivateVPN: Great for torrenting and works well with numerous popular streaming platforms. Easy-to-use apps and hands-on customer support. Low-cost subscriptions.

TIP In our testing we found that the cheapest NordVPN plan (Basic) works perfectly for changing your location.

Best VPNs for geo-spoofing: Our hands-on review

We’ve compared the most important features of the top VPNs here. Prefer to read the in-depth reviews? Start with NordVPN – our #1 choice for geo-spoofing.

Finding the best VPNs for changing your location online: Our methodology

You can use any VPN to change your location online. However, some VPNs are simply better — with more location choices, faster speeds, and stronger security. To find which these are, we evaluated a range of popular providers according to our in-house methodology.

Servers

The first thing we wanted to know was how many servers each VPN had and the number of countries these were in. We combined the results and converted them to a score out of ten for comparison. This score makes it easy to compare providers in terms of the number of different virtual locations they have available. As you can see below, CyberGhost scores highest for this thanks to its massive network of over 10,000 servers in 100+ countries.

Speed

There’s no point spoofing your location if the resulting connection is too slow to be usable. With this in mind, we then tested each provider’s speed three times over the course of a day while connected to servers in three different countries: the US, the UK, and Japan. Tests were carried out on virtual machines that had been rate-limited to 250 Mbps. This figure was chosen as the median average of fixed broadband speeds in the US as of Sept 2024. It, therefore, gives users a realistic idea of what speeds to expect from each provider. Below, you can see how each provider fared when connected to a UK server and the average they scored across all three locations.

Streaming ability

The reason the majority of people want to change their IP address is to access geo-restricted streaming content. For this reason, we also evaluated each provider’s streaming ability — which included tests to ensure they worked with Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+, and others.

Overall scores

We also tested and scored VPNs on their relative security and privacy, ease of use, and value for money; the results of these tests, plus the ones above, were combined to give an overall score for each VPN and gave us the rankings for the best VPNs for Geospoofing.

As you can see, NordVPN is our clear winner, with an overall score of 9.0 out of 10. Check out our detailed NordVPN review for more information.

If you want more choices, Surfshark scored 8.7 out of 10, making it a solid alternative. IPVanish and CyberGhost also performed well, with scores of 7.9. ExpressVPN and PrivateVPN bring up the rear but are both still great choices and are well capable of spoofing your location.

VPN not changing your location? Try these troubleshooting steps

If your VPN isn’t helping you bypass geo-restrictions, try these solutions:

• Check for IP leaks: Your VPN might appear connected, but your real IP could still be visible through IP leaks. Use our IP address checker to verify your IP address. If you see your actual location, your VPN isn’t working correctly.
• Switch servers: Content platforms often block known VPN IP ranges. Try connecting to a different server in your desired country. This can often resolve access issues, especially for streaming services.
• Clear browser data: Websites remember your previous visits through cookies and browsing history. Before accessing geo-restricted content, clear your cache and cookies to ensure the site doesn’t recognize you from past visits.
• Disable location services: Some apps and websites use your device’s GPS to determine your location, bypassing your VPN. Turn off location tracking in your device settings to prevent this. Be aware that some apps may not function without location services.
• Update VPN software: VPN providers regularly update their software to improve geo-blocking capabilities. Ensure you’re running the latest version of your VPN client to take advantage of these improvements.
• Try a different browser: Sometimes, switching from one browser to another can help you access geo-restricted content. This is especially useful if your usual browser has cached your real location.
• Check for DNS leaks: Your DNS requests might reveal your true location even when using a VPN. Use a DNS leak test tool to check, and if necessary, manually configure your DNS settings to use your VPN’s DNS servers.
• Contact VPN support: If you’ve tried all the above and still can’t access the content you want, contact your VPN provider’s customer service. They may have specific solutions for the service you’re trying to access or can provide additional troubleshooting steps.
• Use a dedicated IP: Some VPN providers offer dedicated IP addresses. These are less likely to be recognized and blocked by streaming services or websites.
• Check browser geolocation settings: Browsers like Google Chrome can sometimes bypass your VPN using their geolocation API. To prevent this, disable location sharing in your browser settings.
• Try a different device: Sometimes, the issue might be device-specific. Try accessing the content on a different device connected to the same VPN if possible.
• Use incognito/private browsing: Incognito mode can help prevent websites from accessing stored data that might reveal your true location.
• Check for WebRTC leaks: WebRTC can sometimes reveal your real IP address even when using a VPN. Use a WebRTC leak test tool and disable WebRTC in your browser settings if necessary.
• Consider using a Smart DNS: Some VPN providers offer Smart DNS services, which can be more effective for streaming services.

See also: IP address blockers – the best free and paid services

Using a free VPN to spoof your location

While there are plenty of free VPNs on the market, we recommend you stay away from them. If you want to fake your location, free VPNs can prove limiting due to the lack of servers and server locations. Furthermore, the average free VPN service is very slow. This is often due to heavy server load and bandwidth throttling by VPN providers.

The poor performance of free VPNs makes for slow browsing but is particularly frustrating when streaming and torrenting. Even if you find a free VPN that offers reasonable speed, it’s possible you’ll encounter poor unblocking abilities. For example, most free VPNs won’t work with popular streaming services such as Netflix.

Despite all this, we still haven’t mentioned the biggest flaw of free VPNs—security. When you use a free VPN service, your data may not be encrypted, and the service may also lack basic privacy features, such as a kill switch that protects your data from leaks. While some free VPNs make money through advertising, some log your browsing data and sell it to third parties.

Changing your location FAQs