We all crave different levels of anonymity while browsing the internet for reasons best known to us. But while most browsers offer privacy features, they're still not close to expectations. Overwhelmingly, social media and other apps that use network access also seem untenable when it comes to tracking and sharing your data.

Want to browse the web unseen and go completely invisible while transacting, surfing social media, sending emails, and more? We've got some tips and tricks for you to use the internet anonymously.

1. Stop Browsers From Tracking Location Data

Compass on a map

Allowing browsers and apps to track your location is toxic to your anonymity. It not only exposes your online activities but makes it easy for apps to share places you visit.

Conventional browsers like Chrome, Firefox, and Microsoft Edge, when permitted, also use your IP address and geolocation information to send your location data to visited websites. Location data on these websites are used to tailor ads and suggest locations around you, though. But people and agencies you don't want can still use such information to surveil you.

Even if you use VPNs, you might want to turn off location tracking in your browsers to beef up your anonymity. For instance, you can do this in Chrome by going into Settings > Privacy and security. From there, open Site settings, scroll down and select Location. Then choose Don't allow sites to see your location.

2. Use Private Browsers

World map on a palm

While browsing incognito on mainstream browsers clears your browsing history and cleans your cookies clutter, it doesn't mean you're browsing the web anonymously, after all.

Websites can still track your network traffic for tailored ads. And worse, your IP address is blatantly visible, even to third-party apps. So anyone can still pin you this way.

You can avoid all of these when you use dedicated private browsers. These browsers need no extra settings to take you on your anonymous tour, as this is their default purpose.

Some of them not only prevent data sharing but mask your location as well. Thankfully, private browsers like Thor even come at no cost.

3. Use Premium Proxies

PC on a desk with proxy server network on it

Proxy servers are popular internet personality concealers. Instead of routing via your client directly, a proxy network fetches the response from a source through several channels and feeds it back to you.

Essentially, they mask your internet presence by requesting on your behalf without exposing your IP. Thus, a client's IP address becomes redundant in such a connection, as it's not actively involved in the exchange.

In cases where you don't intend to request via HTTP only, you can leverage SOCKS proxies, a more versatile option. Unlike HTTP proxies, they offer a milage for connecting over any protocol. Plus, they don't log your browsing information. And they're faster and sometimes more secure than HTTP proxies.

Nonetheless, while there are free and paid proxy options for masking your presence online, there are many reasons you might want to avoid free proxies.

4. Use VPNs

Computer on a table with VPN design on screen

Using Virtual private networks (VPNs) is one of the best ways to browse the web anonymously. They encrypt your connection over a public network and make it look private.

In addition to hiding your IP address, VPNs switch it dynamically to another web address. Consequently, they let you access region-bound content.

VPNs also offer generic IP masking and tweaking for third-party apps. And many of the VPNs out there let you customize your IP to any region you like.

That way, third-party apps and websites can't monitor your traffic as they can't figure your surfing preferences or location. While there are many out there, you need to avoid using bad VPNs.

5. Stop Browser Cookies

Chrome privacy and security settings menu

Websites use cookies to improve your browsing experience. However, these cookies can become your worst privacy nightmare if not curbed. They store your browsing activities, including your unique ID and IP, over an HTTPS network.

When cookies are active, browsers exchange cookie data over the web for traffic monitoring and tailored ads. And considering the information they keep, they might become a haven for sniffer malware and spoofing hackers.

To turn off cookies on Chrome, open Settings > Privacy and security, go to Cookies and other site data, and select Block all cookies.

You might also want to toggle on Clear cookies and site data when you close all windows to automatically clear cookies when you close your browser. Then switch on Send a "Do not track" request with your browsing traffic to limit tracking.

6. Stop Tailored Ads on Social Media

Social media apps on a screen

Tailored ads can be a monitoring route if not checked. Social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, among others, if allowed, capture your traffic across your networks to personalize ads that you see.

Additionally, they collect data about posts that you like, people you follow, and content that you post to personalize your experience.

In worse scenarios, some social media apps may monitor the links you click, the sites you go to, and places you visit. However, many of these social media platforms have the option that let you turn off tailored ads. So you might want to start from there.

7. Use Private Search Engines

It's no news that search engines like Google and Bing store your search history. That's not bad. Besides, they do this for indexing, which helps them recommend the best search results during queries.

But to veil yourself completely, avoiding such search engines is your best bet—even if you're on a VPN or using a proxy server. Thankfully, there are many private search engines out there. And they don't store a bit of your data in their database.

Some examples of efficient private browsers include DuckDuckGo, Startpage, Qwant, MetaGer, and many more.

8. Use Anonymous Email Clients

You often share your email address whenever you use third-party options to sign in to apps and websites that require authentication. Some anonymous email clients may generate a random string while signing in using third-party options.

Additionally, they may encrypt your email address whenever you send an email to another person. Apple's iCloud, for instance, even offers this feature out of the box. Although they mask your email address, emails sent back to the encrypted address still land in your original email inbox.

ProtonMail and Cyber Atlantis are examples of anonymous email account providers that can efficiently hide your IP address.

Related: How to Send Anonymous Emails

Combine These Anonymous Browsing Options

There are many intruding factors on the internet, and it's often hard to tell when they're prying on you. Thus, it's sometimes necessary to set blinders on your tracks on the internet. While these are all proven ways to mask yourself on the internet, no cap fits all. So you might want to consider combining a couple of them to patch more loopholes. For instance, you can use proxy servers with VPNs for better results.