The internet service we all use is controlled and provided by the Internet Service Provider (ISP). It is an organization that operates in many forms – commercial, community-owned, non-profit, and privately owned to provide services for accessing and using the World Wide Web. There might be a possibility that you may want to access a site blocked by your ISP. Yes, it is possible to access such websites. And also, unblocking that site will be completely legal and will not violate any cybercrime law. So, without further ado, let us start.
Fix This Site Has Been Blocked By Your ISP
An internet service provider can even block any site(s) it wants because:
- The authority of the country has ordered the ISPs to block some particular sites for their country as they may contain some material that can harm the
- The website contains some material having copyright issues.
- The website is against the country’s culture, tradition, beliefs, and
- The website is selling user information for money.
1. Change the DNS
Here, DNS stands for “domain name server”. When you enter a website’s URL, it goes to the DNS which acts as a computer phone book that gives the corresponding IP address of that website so that the computer understands which website it has to open. So, basically, to open any website, the main thing lies in the DNS settings and the DNS settings by default, are controlled by the ISPs. Hence, an ISP can block or remove the IP address of any website and when a browser will not get the required IP address, it will not open that website.
So, by changing the DNS provided by your ISP to some public domain name server like Google, you can easily open a website that is blocked by your ISP.
To change the DNS provided by your ISP to some public DNS, follow these steps.
1. Type Settings in the Windows search bar and open it.
2. Click on Network & internet.
3. Under Change your Network settings, click on Change adapter options.
4. Right-click on your selected adapter and a menu will appear.
5. Click on the Properties option from the menu.
6. From the dialog box that appears, click on Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4).
7. Then, click on the Properties.
8. Select the option Use the following DNS server addresses.
9. Under the Preferred DNS server, enter 8.8.8.
10. Under the Alternate DNS server, enter 8.4.4.
11. Click on the OK.
After completing the above steps, go to any browser and try to open a previously blocked website. If nothing happens, try the next method.
2. Use an IP address instead of the URL
An internet service provider can only block the URL of a website and not its IP address. So, if a website is blocked by the ISP but you know its IP address, instead of entering its URL in the browser, just enter its IP address and you will be able to access that website.
However, for the above to happen, you should know the IP address of the website you are trying to open. There are many online ways available to obtain the IP address of any website but the best way is to rely on your system resources and use the command prompt to get the exact IP address of any website.
To get the IP address of any URL using the command prompt, follow these steps.
1. Open the Command Prompt from the search bar.
2. Click on the Run as administrator option from the menu that appears.
3. Click on the Yes button and the command prompt as administrator will appear.
4. Type the below command in the command prompt.
tracert + URL whose IP address you want to know (without https://www)
Example: tracert google.com
5. Run the command and the result will be displayed.
5. The IP address will appear which resembles the URL. Copy the IP address, paste it in the browser’s address bar, and press the enter button.
After completing the above steps, you will be able to fix this site has been blocked by your ISP error.
3. Try free and anonymous proxy search engines
An anonymous proxy search engine is a third-party site that is used to hide your IP address. This method seems unsafe and slows down the connection substantially. Basically, it hides the IP address and provides a solution to access the website blocked by your internet service provider. You can use some popular proxy sites to access the sites blocked by your ISP such as Hidester, hide.me, etc.
Once you get any proxy site, you need to add it to the browser in order to access the blocked sites.
To add a proxy site to the Chrome browser, follow these steps.
1. Open Google Chrome.
2. Click on the three vertical dots at the top-right corner.
3. Click on the Settings option from the menu that appears.
4. Scroll down and click on the Advanced option.
5. Under the System section, click on Open proxy settings.
6. A dialog box will appear. Click on the LAN settings option.
7. A popup window will appear. Check the checkbox next to Use a proxy server for your LAN.
8. Check the checkbox next to Bypass proxy server for local addresses.
9. Click on the OK button.
After completing the above steps, the proxy site will be added to your Chrome browser and now, you can unblock or access any blocked site.
Also Read: Unblock YouTube When Blocked In Offices, Schools or Colleges?
4. Use specific browsers and extensions
The Opera browser is a specific browser that offers its built-in VPN feature to access the blocked websites with ease. It is not that fast and sometimes not even secure but it lets you through the ISP firewall.
However, if you want to use a trusted and secure browser like Chrome and you have access to the Chrome web store, you can download an awesome extension app ZenMate for Chrome. This helps in opening the websites blocked by your internet service provider. What you need to do is install the ZenMate extension, create a free account, and start browsing using the ZenMate proxy server. It is very easy to complete the above tasks. ZenMate is available for free.
Note: ZenMate also supports other browsers like Opera, Firefox, etc.
5. Use Google’s translate
Google’s translate is an awesome trick to avoid the restrictions that are imposed by your internet service provider.
To use Google’s translate to access any blocked site, follow these steps.
1. Open Google Chrome.
2. In the address bar, search for Google Translate and the below page will appear.
3. Enter the URL of the website you want to unblock in the text field available.
4. In the output field, select the language in which you want to see the result of the blocked website.
5. Once the language is selected, the link in the output field will become clickable.
6. Click on that link and your blocked website will open.
7. Similarly, using Google’s translate, you will be able to fix this site has been blocked by your ISP error.
6. Use HTTPs
This method does not work for all the blocked websites but still is worth giving a try. To use HTTPs, what you need to do is open a browser, in the place of http://, use https://. Now, try to run the website. You may now be able to access the blocked website and avoid the restrictions imposed by the ISP.
7. Convert websites to PDFs
Another way to access a blocked site is by converting the website into a PDF using any of the online services available. By doing so, the whole content of the website will be available in the form of a PDF that you can directly read in the form of nice printable sheets.
8. Use VPN
If you are looking for the best method, then try using a virtual private network (VPN). Its benefits include:
- Access to all the websites that are blocked in your country.
- Enhanced privacy and security by providing encrypted connections.
- High bandwidth speed without any restrictions.
- Keeps the viruses and malware away.
- The only con is its cost. You have to pay a decent amount of money in order to use a VPN.
- There are lots of VPN services available in the market. Based on your requirements and budget, you can use any of the VPN services.
Below are some of the best VPNs which you can use to access the websites which are blocked by your internet service provider.
- CyberGhost VPN (It is considered to be the best VPN service of 2018)
- Nord VPN
- Express VPN
- Private VPN
9. Use short URLs
Yes, by using a short URL, you can access any blocked website easily. To shorten an URL, just copy the URL of the website you are trying to access and paste it into any URL shortener. Then, use that URL instead of the original one.
Recommended: Blocked or Restricted Websites? Here is How to Access them for free
So, by using the above methods, hopefully, you will be able to access or unblock the websites blocked by your internet service provider.
10. Change to a less intrusive ISP
I did… 😉