How to Hide My IP Address When Sending Emails

By Maya Austen

Use a proxy to conceal the original source IP address in an email.
i checking email image by Jake Hellbach from Fotolia.com

The simplest way to hide your IP address when sending an email is to configure your browser’s connection settings to connect to an anonymous proxy server. There are plenty of free anonymous proxy services available on the web to which you can temporarily configure your browser. After altering your connection settings, simply log into your webmail account and compose and send your email as you normally would. The Internet header in the recipient’s email will list the originating IP address as the proxy server’s IP address instead of your IP address.

Step 1

Launch the computer’s web browser application--for example, Internet Explorer, Firefox or Safari.

Step 2

Type “free proxy servers” in the browser’s search bar (the smaller bar in the upper right corner of the browser window) and press “Enter” to conduct a search for sites offering free proxy services.

Step 3

Browse to find the proxy service’s “Proxy List” webpage which contains a list of the service’s current proxy IP addresses and port numbers. Select the proxy IP address, along with its corresponding port number, you would like to use from the proxy list. Write it down.

Step 4

Open the browser’s connection settings options:

Internet Explorer: Go to the “Tools” menu and select “Internet Options.” Click the “Connections” tab. Click the “LAN settings” button.

Firefox: Go to the “Tools” menu and select “Options.” Select “Advanced” in the menu options. Go to the “Network” tab. In the “Network” section, click “Settings.” Click the “Manual proxy configuration” radio button.

Safari: Go to the “Safari” menu and select “Preferences.” Select “Advanced” in the menu options. Click the “Change Settings” button next to “Proxies.” Check the “Web Proxy (HTTP)” box.

Step 5

Enter the proxy settings:

Internet Explorer: Type the proxy IP address you wrote down (in step 3) in the “Address” box. Type the corresponding port number in the “Port” box.

Firefox: Type the proxy IP address you wrote down (in step 3) in the “HTTP Proxy” box. Type the corresponding port number in the “Port” box.

Safari: Type the proxy IP address you wrote down (in step 3) in the “Web Proxy (HTTP)” box. Type the corresponding port number in the “Port” box.

Step 6

Save the new settings by clicking “OK” or “Apply Now.”

Step 7

Go to your email services provider’s Web page and log into your webmail account.

Step 8

Compose a new message. Address it to a recipient(s) and click “Send.”

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