Whole device · System setting
Mac
Point your whole Mac at your private address with the proxy setting built into macOS. About 4 minutes.
- About 4 minutes
- Built into macOS
- HTTP + HTTPS
Before you start: grab your details
Log in to your IDNI account, open My Services, and click your Private Address. You'll see your address (IP), port numbers, username and password. Keep that page open.
Want this guide to show your own details instead of the yellow boxes? Type them here. We never ask for your password here.
What this does
This uses the proxy setting built into macOS, so the whole Mac uses your private address: Safari, Chrome, and most apps, including Microsoft 365 apps like Outlook and Teams in most setups. These are the same settings Apple describes in Change proxy settings on Mac.
Set it up (macOS Ventura and newer)
Open Network settings
Click the Apple menu (top-left corner) → System Settings, then click Network in the sidebar.
Open your connection's Proxies
Click the connection you're using (usually Wi-Fi), click Details, then click Proxies. You may need to scroll down in the list on the left.
Turn on Web proxy (HTTP)
Switch on Web proxy (HTTP) and fill in:
Server YOUR-IP Port YOUR-PORT Proxy server requires password Turn on, then enter YOUR-USERNAME and YOUR-PASSWORD Turn on Secure web proxy (HTTPS) too
Switch on Secure web proxy (HTTPS) and enter the same details: YOUR-IP, port YOUR-PORT, and the same username and password. (Most websites are HTTPS, so this one matters most.)
Click OK
Click OK. Leave SOCKS proxy off; you only need one kind. Then do the 30-second check in Safari.
Notes about Mac
- It's per connection. The setting belongs to Wi-Fi (or Ethernet). If you switch from Wi-Fi to a cable or iPhone hotspot, check that connection too.
- Password prompts. Your Mac may ask for the proxy password once in a while, or an app may ask the first time. Enter the same details and tick "Remember" if offered.
- Some apps ignore it. Most apps follow the Mac's setting. A few don't. For those, use Proxifier or a free alternative.
- Microsoft 365. Outlook, Teams and OneDrive generally follow the Mac's proxy setting. Teams calls may send audio and video directly for quality; that's normal and doesn't change where you sign in from.
- Older Macs (macOS Monterey and earlier): go to System Preferences → Network → Advanced → Proxies.
To turn it off: go back to the same Proxies screen and switch both proxies off.
Use the same address every day. That steadiness is the whole point. Banks and online accounts are calmer when they see the same private address day after day. Switching it on and off a lot, or mixing it with a VPN, looks less like the usual you.
Good to know: IDNI changes where you appear to be. It isn't encryption like a VPN. Websites with the padlock (HTTPS) still protect what you send, which is almost all of them.