How to access a blocked site without a VPN?

Last updated: November 24, 2023

To unblock a blocked site, we can rely on a service providing a virtual private network (VPN) or an proxy list. However, some countries are implementing technical measures to block access to certain content even for Internet users who use a VPN or Proxy.

VPN traffic can be spotted, identified as suspicious and therefore blocked. In many countries where censorship is strict, Internet users cannot surf the Web freely with a VPN.

The same is true in certain companies where users only benefit from restricted access to the internet.

And it is precisely on these grounds that we have created this guide. Here are 5 methods you can try to unblock a blocked site in your country – no proxy or VPN is needed.

Unblock a blocked site using a URL shortener

Un URL shortener is a tool that allows you to shorten a link. They became important thanks to Twitter: back when addresses counted toward the character limit, using short links was a way to condense a tweet.

Usually, IT administrators simply block the main URL of websites, for example – Facebook.com, wikipedia.org, etc. So, if you shorten the URL, it is possible that you can access it without any interruption.

To use a link shortener, all you need to do is copy a URL into a service like Bitly ou TinyURL and it will give you something like: https://tinyurl.com/2wcdr4kw.

Then, insert it into the address bar and you should be redirected to the website you want to go to, bypassing any blocks that might be in place.

Access a blocked website by changing the DNS setting

If you want to access a blocked website, you can do so by changing the Chrome DNS settings.

By changing Chrome DNS settings, you can access blocked websites without using a VPN. Cloudflare DNS (1.1.1.1) is a good option to use because it is fast and secure. However, you can also use any other DNS.

To do so, follow these steps:

  • Launch the Chrome browser and click on the three-dot icon and select Settings.

    chrome settings
    Chrome Settings
  • In the left pane, select Confidentialité et sécurité.
  • Under Privacy & Security, click the option Safety.
  • Scroll down and under advanced settings, enable Use secure DNS.
  • Expand the drop-down menu and select Cloudflare (1.1.1.1) or any other DNS from the list.
  • Quit Chrome, then reopen it.

Congratulations, you can now access any website without worries.

Access a blocked site with the Psiphon tool

Psiphon is a bypass tool developed by Canadian academics at the University of Toronto.

Psiphon attempts to route its users' traffic to its servers by exploiting several communication protocols and by camouflaging the transmitted data as best as possible to make it appear as ordinary traffic.

This tool is currently available for Windows , Linux, macOS, Android and iOS.

To use it, simply download Psiphon on your PC and start the installation. No registration is necessary to use the program.

Once opened, Psiphon connects to the nearest server so you can access blocked websites without congestion.

Use an RSS reader to access blocked sites

Another way to bypass website blocking is to use an RSS reader.

An RSS reader is a tool that allows you to subscribe to various websites and receive updates from them in the form of an RSS feed.

To use this method, you can grab the RSS feed from the blocked website and add it to an RSS reader like inoreader ou Feedly.

Access a Blocked Site with Wayback Machine

Wayback Machine is an interesting service that stores a copy of almost every website on the Internet. It allows access to previous versions of web pages. And yes, you can also use it to browse blocked content online.

To do this, just follow these simple steps:

  • First, go to https://archive.org/web/
  • Enter a website address in the text field at the top of the page.
  • Click BROWSE HISTORY and select a calendar day.

You can now see the entire content of the website.