Frequently asked questions

A web proxy sits between your browser and the website you're visiting. Instead of your device connecting directly, unblock-web.com sends the request on your behalf — so the site sees our IP, not yours. No installs, no setup. Just paste a URL and go.

For general browsing — yes, it's safe. Just don't enter passwords or banking details through any free proxy, ours included. We don't log your traffic, but as a rule, keep sensitive stuff off free proxies entirely. Stick to regular browsing and you're fine.

In most countries, yes — using a web proxy is completely legal. What matters is what you do with it. Accessing blocked content at school or work? Generally fine. Using it to break laws or bypass paid services? That's on you, not the tool.

A proxy works only inside your browser window for that one session. A VPN covers your entire device — every app, every connection — and encrypts everything. For quick, casual unblocking, unblock-web.com is faster and easier. For serious privacy, a VPN goes deeper.

Yes. When you browse through unblock-web.com, websites see our server's IP address instead of yours. It's not bulletproof anonymity, but it does mask your real location from the sites you visit — which is exactly what most people need it for.

Usually yes. Most geo-blocked or school/office-restricted sites — YouTube, Instagram, Twitter — work through our proxy. Streaming platforms like Netflix are trickier since they actively block proxy IPs. For basic social media and video sites though, it handles most of them without issues.

Nope, nothing at all. unblock-web.com is fully browser-based. No extension, no app, no account. Just open the site, type in the URL you want to visit, and you're browsing anonymously in seconds. Works on phones and laptops equally well.

Free proxy servers handle a lot of traffic, so speed can vary depending on the time of day and how far you are from the server. If things feel sluggish, try again at a less busy time. For consistently fast speeds, a paid proxy or VPN will always outperform free options.

Each mode changes how much of a page gets loaded. Full website is the default — loads scripts, images, and most interactive elements for the closest experience to the real site. Safe preview strips things down to a sanitized version, good if you just want to read content without extra scripts running. Reader goes further, showing mostly text — fast, minimal, great for articles. Media prioritizes images and video. Mobile is a lightweight version built for slower connections or smaller screens. Privacy+ applies the strictest filtering, blocking as much tracking and extra content as possible. Advanced full website is for more complex sites that need extra processing to display properly. Pick based on what you're actually trying to do — reading an article needs less than browsing a media-heavy page.

A few common reasons: the site may use anti-bot protection that blocks proxy traffic specifically, it might require a login (which we intentionally don't support, for your safety), or it could rely on DRM or heavy app-like functionality that doesn't work well through a proxy. Some sites are also just built in ways that are genuinely hard for any proxy to render properly — that's not unique to us. If a page won't load, try a different browsing mode first (Full website tends to handle more than Safe preview or Reader), and if it still won't work, that site likely isn't a good fit for proxy browsing at all.

Unblock-Web only opens domains that have been reviewed and approved in advance, rather than acting as an open gateway to anywhere on the internet. This keeps the service focused on legitimate public content and helps prevent misuse. You can see what's currently supported on our Approved Domains page, and if there's a public site you'd like added, you can submit it through Request a Domain.