How to Unblock Websites and Access Restricted Content
In the age of freedom of expression, the mere fact that you might need to google the phrase “how to unblock websites” seems like a cruel joke.
Fortunately, you can unblock websites quite easily – just use a Virtual Private Network (VPN)!
But that’s not the only way to get through to the website blocked by your school, workplace, or the government itself (I’m looking at you, China). Occasionally, open proxies or simply tinkering with your DNS settings can do the trick, too.
So, with that out of the way, let’s look at 8 methods to let you browse the web freely, bypassing censorship and geo-restrictions.
Unblocking websites: the easy way
Pick a reputable VPN service provider. We recommend NordVPN, now 72% OFF!
Register to get your account
Install their software, and log in using your credentials.
When you connect to their servers, your traffic will appear as if it were coming from another country, unblocking the website.
1. Use a VPN to unblock any site you wantA Virtual Private Network (VPN) is possibly the best method to unblock websites, especially if you need to access restricted content on a regular basis.
In short, a VPN is a tool that encrypts your internet traffic and lets you fake your IP address so that nobody can see your real location, allowing you to access geo-blocked websites, e. g. US Netflix. At the moment, it is also the most popular tool to combat online censorship – instead of accessing a website directly, you are doing so through a VPN server, which means your ISP doesn’t know what you’re doing and can’t block you.
The best thing about VPNs is the fact that they make your online activity completely anonymous. In this way, even your Internet Service Provider won’t be able to track you when you unblock websites that are restricted in your country (or office).
In addition, most top VPN providers offer apps for different platforms. For example, NordVPN has native apps for Windows, Linux, Android, Mac, iOS, and more. This opens a lot of possibilities to unblock sites whenever you want, no matter what kind of device you’re using.
Download NordVPN
Security level: High
Pros
Completely anonymous
High chance of unblocking any site
Allows you to watch geo-restricted content
Offers customer support
Cons
Needs installation
Usually not free
2. Unblock sites with an open proxyIf you’re in a hurry or need to unblock a page on a public computer, using a proxy website is the best way to go.
Just like VPNs, proxies hide your real IP address from the website, as well as the website’s IP address from your government, workplace, or university. Using a proxy is free and requires no installation, making it a perfect tool to get around restrictions at work, school, or a public library. Proxies are also able to unlock some geo-restricted pages, but you won’t have any luck with big streaming services like Netflix.
Proxies have their own drawbacks. Some proxy providers might monitor your online activity or even leak your IP, failing to let you unblock sites at all.
Also, your school or workplace might block proxy websites themselves. Luckily, as the number of proxy sites on the web is huge, you are likely to find one that isn’t blacklisted.
Security level: Medium
No installation required
Usually free
Unblocks some geo-restricted content
Might collect your data
Can be blacklisted by an admin
Might fail to unblock sites
Limited servers
Usually quite slow
3. Install a VPN or proxy browser extensionIf you need to unblock a dynamic site like Youtube, Twitter, or Amazon, a website-based proxy might not be enough. Instead, you can try installing a proxy in the form of a browser extension for your Chrome, Edge, or Firefox. This kind of website unblocker tool will help you browse with ease, letting you choose different servers depending on your needs.
You might also want to try a VPN browser extension as an alternative to installing the program onto your computer. Most big-brand VPNs offer add-ons that you can use with your preferred browser.
Encrypts your connection
High chance of unblocking websites
Lets you access geo-restricted streaming sites
Requires installation on the browser
4. Use an IP address instead of a URLThere’s always a chance that your institution blocks specific URLs instead of IPs. If that’s the case, you can unblock a site with the help of its IP address.
In case you’re not familiar with the terms, an URL is the website address string you see in your address bar (like or), while an IP address is a specific sequence of numbers that is unique to the server hosting the website. You can paste it into the address bar and access the site you need.
However, how do you find the IP address of a website?
Well, there are a few methods. For example, this is what you can do if you’re using Windows:
Type in “cmd” into your start menu
Open a program called Command Prompt
Write the word “ping” and the name of the website you want to unblock (for example, )
Then, all you have to do is press Enter and you’ll have the IP address of the site you want to unblock. Paste it into your search bar and enjoy your restricted content!
Keep in mind that other operating systems have different tools for locating IP addresses. Linux users can find theirs by typing dig into the command line while Mac users can use the Traceroute option.
Security level: Low
Completely free
No installation needed
Doesn’t always work
Complicated for people with no IT knowledge
No encryption
5. Use the Tor Browser to unblock banned sitesThe Tor Browser is a free open-source internet anonymity tool created as a response to online censorship.
By sending your data through a network of volunteer servers, it hides your IP from the destination server and hides the destination server IP from your ISP. As a result, the Tor browser is a great tool to unblock sites.
If you want to give it a shot, download Tor and use it as your regular browser. Keep in mind that your connection speed might plummet while Tor is in use, and that some websites might still be blocked.
100% anonymity
Traffic encryption
Access to the deep web
No access to Netflix
Slower speed
Some sites block Tor nodes
Requires installation
6. View blocked content with Google TranslateEven though this might sound like a joke, you can actually unblock (or rather “access content on”) sites by using good old Google Translate.
Simply paste the website you want to unblock into the field where you would type the text that needs to be translated. Then, click on the link that comes in the translation section and you’ll access the page!
However, be aware that the quality of the content displayed can be disappointing. You might even see only text instead of the usual layout. In addition, you might not be able to click the links presented on the website.
As a result, Google Translate is useful only when you need to unblock a site for its information, e. an article or a forum thread.
Easy to use
Absolutely free
No data encryption
Might not preserve the original layout
Works only on PCs
7. Take advantage of a dynamic IPThis method will help you access sites that specifically block your IP address. However, it will work only if your ISP has given you a dynamic IP address, which changes occasionally.
It’s not rocket science: if you can’t access a particular website, simply restart your router and see whether the page you want to visit is able to load.
Unfortunately, if you have a static IP address, restarting your router won’t work for you. To determine the kind of IP you have (dynamic or static), write it down and compare it with the one you get after the router restart.
Tip: To see your current IP address, type in “what is my IP address” into your browser’s search bar.
Works only with dynamic IP addresses
Useful only in cases when a particular website blocks your IP
8. Use HTML to PDF converter to download restricted contentIf you don’t really need to access a restricted website, i. e. you only need to read its contents, then this HTML to PDF converter may do the trick.
This free tool will take any URL and convert it to a PDF document, displaying the text and pictures as they appear on the site. You can then download the file or simply preview it online.
No way of interacting with the content
Doesn’t allow you to actually visit the site
Best VPNs to access blocked sitesIf you’ve hit a brick wall when trying to access some web page, a VPN is a superb solution to overcome these restrictions. The problem is, it can sometimes be a bit hard to choose the right VPN for you. If you want to unblock particular streaming services, you should instead go directly to pages like best VPN for streaming or best VPN for torrenting. These will guide you in the right direction.
For everyone else, I’ve gathered a couple of VPNs that should be good in most scenarios when unblocking websites.
NordVPN
Based in:PanamaServers/countries:5, 500+ servers in 59 countriesUnblocks Netflix:YesCurrent deal:Get NordVPN, now 72% OFF + 3 Months FREE!
Visit NordVPN
NordVPN is a widely known VPN for unblocking websites. If a page is online with NordVPN, you will be able to access it, even if your government blocks it. This also applies to streaming services that are not yet officially available in your region. Ever wanted to watch that blocked YouTube video or subscribe to Hulu or HBO Max? You will be able to pull this off with NordVPN.
In addition to this, NordVPN has a SmartDNS feature. You can set it up even on devices that don’t even support VPN apps. For more NordVPN features, see our NordVPN review.
Choose NordVPN for:
large server fleet
strong security features
fast connection speeds
independently audited no-logs policy
30-day money-back guarantee
Surfhark
Based in:British Virgin IslandsServers/countries:3, 200+ servers in 65 countriesUnblocks Netflix:YesCurrent deal:Get Surfshark, now 81% OFF!
Visit Surfshark
Surfshark is another great pick if you want to browse the web freely. Although it’s one of the newest VPN providers on the list, it can prove to be an invaluable tool that increases the scope of what content is available to you.
With plenty of servers (including obfuscated ones), it won’t be hard to find one that works for you. Even if you want to access traditionally hard-to-unblock websites like Netflix or DAZN, Surfshark manages to deal with both.
The app constraints don’t restrict it – you can set up their SmartDNS to use it with any device. For more information, read our Surfshark VPN review.
Choose Surfshark for:
Windows and Android OS
AES-256-GCM encryption
Chrome and Firefox browser extensions
NoBorders feature to use in heavily restricted countries
7-day free trial
VyprVPN
Based in:SwitzerlandServers/countries:700 servers in 70 countriesUnblocks Netflix:YesCurrent deal:Get up to 12 months FREE!
Visit VyprVPN
While Vypr most time flies under the radar, it’s one of the best VPNs for unblocking all kinds of websites. All of their servers are owned by them, and they’re using their proprietary DNS servers. They also have a DNS relay system in place, which helps disguise the fact that you’re coming from a VPN.
This approach seems to be working, as we could unblock most of the inaccessible servers with VyprVPN. It wasn’t isolated to geographically restricted store pages. You can also watch foreign Netflix or HBO Max libraries. For more information, read our VyprVPN review.
Choose VyprVPN for:
great security features
good connection speeds
zero-log policy
inexpensive option for long-term users
How to unblock websites at school or work? It’s no secret that institutions like schools, universities, or offices can restrict access to certain websites that are deemed inappropriate or might put a strain on productivity.
However, these restrictions sometimes go overboard. Whether you want to check your emails or take a scroll or two through your social media platform, you may need to have a way to unblock the sites that let you communicate with the outside world.
So, here’s what might work best for you. If it’s your personal work computer, you might be able to install a VPN and use it as much as you please. However, you won’t have such luxury if you’re using a public computer at school or if you don’t have an assigned workstation at your job.
In this case, a proxy website might become your best friend, as it requires no installation. Other good methods to unblock sites at school or work are using IP instead of URL or simply converting the page’s contents into a PDF file.
You may also like to read:
Why are websites getting banned? If you find yourself unable to access a web page, there can be multiple reasons behind it. Luckily, whether you’ve accidentally left the Parental Control filter on or the site got banned by the government, there’s usually a way to fix this problem by yourself.
Censorship. Believe it or not, online censorship is still a huge problem in 2021 – and China is not the only culprit. There are many governments that limit the access to content that might clash with their political or religious views, and a good VPN is one of the few ways to bypass this.
Geo-blocking. The majority of streaming sites offer a different content selection for people in different countries because of copyright agreements. Luckily, you can watch movies unavailable in your own country thanks to proxies and VPNs.
Work policy. Some schools, universities, or offices block access to certain websites that contain unethical, illegal, or inappropriate content. However, even completely safe sites often get blocked in an attempt to increase productivity or to preserve bandwidth.
Is it legal to unblock websites? In Western countries, the usage of tools like VPNs or proxies is completely legal as long as you don’t involve yourself in illegal activities like torrenting copyrighted content.
So, if you simply want to unblock Facebook at work, you won’t break any laws. Sure, you go against your work policy and might still get into trouble, but that’s about it. The same goes for unblocking geo-restricted content on streaming sites like Netflix or Youtube. It is not illegal – it simply goes against the site’s terms of use.
However, keep in mind that every country is different. Countries like China, Saudi Arabia, or North Korea (which are listed as “Enemies of the Internet” by Reporters Without Borders) have much stricter laws in terms of VPN usage. It is smart to research the regulations of your particular country before trying to access restricted websites.
Bottom lineWhether you live in a country where the majority of international websites are blocked or you simply want to watch a Netflix movie unavailable in your region, having lots of options to unblock sites feels liberating. Plus, software tools like NordVPN make the process really simple even for novice users.
It’s good to know that no matter how hard someone might try to enforce online censorship, there will always be people who develop new ways to defend your right to information.
FAQ
How to unblock websites at school?
The fastest and easiest way to unblock websites at school is using a proxy website. It will not only unblock the site you need, but will also make it hard to track your online activity.
Which browser is best for blocked sites?
The Tor browser. Even though other browsers like Chrome allow you to add extensions that unblock sites, Tor does this on its own without the need for add-ons.
Can VPN unblock sites?
Yes. A VPN can bypass most internet restrictions, allowing you to access geo-restricted content or websites banned by your institution.
More VPN guides from CyberNews:How to Bypass VPN Blocks & Stay Undetectable: become a ghost with these proven methods
How to Get a US (American) IP Address: become a citizen without the need to apply for citizenship
How to Bypass Circle with Disney: accept no censorship in your household with these solutions
9 (More) Ways To Access Blocked Websites – Hongkiat
There are many reasons authorities block access to certain websites. Some workplaces may block social media sites or access to your personal email. You might also experience blocks at your university, college or school.
If you find yourself in this situation, and are looking at a workaround you can apply to overcome this block, don’t worry, we have 9 ways you can try.
We have listed 9 methods here you can try, because different types of blocks require different types of techniques to bypass. Do try each of them to you find one that works for your situation. And if you have any other methods you would like to share with fellow readers, do use the comment section.
1. Accessing Via IP Instead of URL
Some software block website pages by its name or URL only. For example: a block may be applied on but not on the IP of the website.
You can get the IP from Terminal on OS X or Command Prompt if you using Windows. Insert this and press Enter.
ping
Copy the IP that is shown in the results onto your browser’s address bar and open the site as usual.
2. Use A Proxy Site
There are many free web proxies that provide servicse to browse the web anonymously. You can use them to access any blocked site easily. Just go the website and enter the URL you wnat to browse.
How does this work? When you browse a website using a proxy site, you are not actually connected to that website. You are connected to the proxy server, while the proxy server is the one that is connected to the true website destination. What you see is cached version of the site that the proxy server gives to you.
You can try Proxysite.
3. Use a VPN Service
A Virtual Private Network or VPN is a remote server that gives you private access through a public network. VPN makes it looks as though you are browsing from the country where the server is located, thereby hiding your real identity.
There are many VPN service providers you can use, some offer services for free, others require a subscription. Hola is my favorite free VPN service. It allows you to browse privately and without censorship, and it has a browser extension for Chrome and Firefox users.
There are also plenty of great paid VPN services that you can use. Find the best of them in this list.
4. Use TOR Browser
Tor is a browser that allows you to browse anonymously, prevent your browsing habits or your location from being tracked, ensuring privacy. Thanks to volunteers from around the world that create this distributed network of relays, you can browse under the protection of Tor.
To use, first you need to download the Tor Browser; install it like a usual application. Open the application, then click Connect to start your connection with the Tor network.
5. Using Public DNS of ISPs
Some Internet Service Providers (ISP) use their own DNS to block access to some websites. To open the block you can bypass the restriction from ISP using Google Public DNS.
Under the DNS configuration of yoru network, change your DNS to the following Google Public DNS IP addresses as your primary or secondary DNS server.
IPv4
8. 8. 8
8. 4. 4
IPv6
2001:4860:4860::8888
2001:4860:4860::8844
6. Using Google Translate
Google Translate allows you to translate website content from one language to another. But you might not know is that if you enter the URL of a blocked site into Google Translate, then click ont he URL link on the right side, the blocked site will be accessible in the translated language you chose.
Click View: Original to go back to the version with the original pre-translated language.
Here you can do the trick by entering URL of blocked site on the Google Translate, then click the URL link on right side and let it show the magic. The blocked site will opened with translation language. Then you can click view: Original to retain the original language.
7. Setting Your Browser’s Proxy Manually
To manually set your browser’s proxy, you need to first get working public proxies. Find one in Hidemyass. There are many listed there, from countries around the world, along with the speed, type and anonymity level. Grab one IP address and the port, then:
For Firefox:
Go to Preference > Advanced and choose tab Network. Under Connection click Settings, then choose Manual Proxy Configurations.
Here, you enter the HTTP Proxy obtained from Hidemyass, followed by the port number, and click OK.
For Chrome:
If you want to set the proxy for Chrome only, you can use Proxy Helper.
8. Edit Hosts Files to Bypass Website’s IP Address
You can use this service from Pentest Tools to get the IP address for a blocked website’s domain and subdomain. Just insert the domain name and check ‘Include subdomain details’ and click START, then wait while the tool does the job for you.
When it is done, copy the IP address and domain/subdomain.
If you are using Mac, on Terminal, type
sudo nano /private/etc/hosts
Scroll down to the opened hosts file and paste the IP address right there. Press Control + X then Y to save the file.
9. Use SSH Tunnels
Firstly, you must have an SSH account. Open Terminal (if you are using Windows you can use Putty instead) and run following command to login:
ssh -D 12345
The command will run the SOCKS server on port 12345. You will be asked for a username and password. After a successful login, just minimize the terminal, don’t close it.
Next, open your Firefox browser and go to Preferences > Advanced > Network > Settings. Check on Manual Proxy Configurations, enter 127. 0. 1 on SOCKS Hosts and insert the Port number you picked when you created the SSH tunnel. Click OK to save your new settings.
Afterwards, open a blank tab and type ‘about:config’, then set true for the following statement:
Now you can browse with Firefox using your tunnel. For a more detailed tutorial, check out the complete tutorial here.
How to unblock and access Blocked or Restricted Websites
Websites can be blocked at three levels: Computer level, Network level or the ISP/Governmental level. Some DNS services, such as Open DNS, too provide options to block certain types of websites for different users sharing the computer. Then, there are some software other than the built-in “Restricted Websites” in Internet Options that help in blocking a website. We’ll not be talking about how to block a website. Rather, we’ll focus on how to access a website that is restricted on your workstation by network admins and ISPs (Internet Service Provider) Restricted WebsitesThe article is an expansion of our other article on what to do when a website does not open. Some of the tips may be repeated in this article. So if you find that you are unable to open or access some websites, here are a few things you may want to try The Website Down? You may not be able to access a particular website due to some outages. Check with these website monitors. The check – Is a website up or down. It will tell you if a blog or website is working, online, up, down right now, or not to anyone or How to blacklist or block websites in Chrome, Edge, Firefox on Windows Blocked Websites Blocked on a ComputerThere are different options to access a website, and they depend on the mode used to block the site. For example, Open DNS employs a category system, and if you wish to go to a category that your parents have chosen to block it for you, it will provide a and HTTPSThe first thing to try is to add or remove an “s” to the “HTTP” preceding the website URL. For example, typing in may open it for you because only “ was blocked. Likewise, if it was “” blocked, you can try “HTTP” only to see if you can access the website. The term “HTTPS” represents a secure connection while the “HTTP” is the unencrypted version of the website ternet Options – Restricted Websites & Content AdvisorIf toggling between HTTP and does not help, check the error message you are getting when trying to access. If it says “Due to Restrictions On This Account”, it could be a Family Safety Software. Not much can be done in this case except to try portable browsers that do not need to be installed and offer proxy as well. We’ll get to that in a there is no account-related message, probably the site has been blocked using Internet Options. Go to Internet Options in Control Panel and on the Security tab, click on Restricted Websites in the Internet Security Zone, and then on the button labeled “Sites” (See image below). Check if the URL of the website you wish to access is listed there. If yes, select the URL and click Remove. You’ll be prompted for confirmation. That done, the website should open without any problems on any of your is yet another method to block certain types of websites from opening – using the same Internet Options dialog box. Click on the Content tab. Based on your version of Windows, you might see “Content Advisor” or “Family Safety” button. This option is used to restrict certain types of websites from opening for different users. That means you can use the option to block websites at the user level. If you know the password, you can click the button and change the settings. If not, you will have to ask permission from your parents or network admin. Here too, you can use a portable browser to bypass A Portable Proxy Browser To Access Restricted WebsitesYou can download a portable browser that doubles up as a proxy such as KProxy. This product has both portable and installation type versions. The best thing about the website browser is that it offers online browsing without actually typing the website address in the main URL bar. Instead, you type the URL in the text box given in the middle of the KProxy lated: How to block a website in Microsoft A Different DNSWhen some website is banned in an area, it is the ISP blocking traffic to and from that website. Changing DNS settings from your ISP to something different might help you access the site. For example, you can change your DNS to Google Public DNS. To change DNS, right-click the network icon in the taskbar and select Open Network and Sharing. In the Window that appears, double-click on your network. It will bring up a dialog box and there you can change the DNS under How to unblock YouTube a Proxy To Access Restricted WebsitesProxy websites are accessed only after entering the URL in your browser, and they will allow you to browse other websites by using the internet connection on that website. A Proxy server is like a proxy site – the difference being – you will be given an IP address that will get set up in your browser using which you will be able to surf the may use proxy websites or programs to access websites blocked in your area. One such proxy is UltraSurf. This was specifically designed to allow the population of a certain country to access social networking sites. There are some websites that let you easily access and open blocked websites. and are two such websites you may want to check out. They act as free web anonymizers that aim to unblock blocked websites and offer free anonymous web surfing. Also, check out Hola are some methods that will help you access websites restricted on your home network, corporate LANs, or the ones banned in your this post if you cannot open a particular website in Internet you have any ideas or tips to share, please use the comments box below.
Frequently Asked Questions about open blocked link online
How can I access blocked sites online?
9 (More) Ways To Access Blocked WebsitesAccessing Via IP Instead of URL. Some software block website pages by its name or URL only. … Use A Proxy Site. … Use a VPN Service. … Use TOR Browser. … Using Public DNS of ISPs. … Using Google Translate. … Setting Your Browser’s Proxy Manually. … Edit Hosts Files to Bypass Website’s IP Address.More items…•Sep 30, 2021
How do I unblock a link?
Go to Internet Options in Control Panel and on the Security tab, click on Restricted Websites in the Internet Security Zone, and then on the button labeled “Sites” (See image below). Check if the URL of the website you wish to access is listed there. If yes, select the URL and click Remove.Apr 15, 2020
How do you unblock websites at school?
Another way to unblock websites is to use a public web proxy. It may not be as fast or secure as a VPN, but a public web proxy is a good option when you use public PCs that don’t allow you to install a VPN. Proxies hide your IP address and route your internet traffic through different public servers and addresses.Feb 6, 2020