How do you access blocked websites at school or work?

The short answer is: a VPN is your best bet. When you connect to a VPN, your internet traffic gets routed through a server somewhere else, which means your school or employer's network filters can't see what you're actually visiting. To them, it just looks like encrypted traffic going to a VPN server — not YouTube, Reddit, or whatever site they've decided to block.

It's a frustrating situation, honestly. You're sitting at your desk during lunch, just trying to check something quickly, and boom — blocked. Or you're a student trying to do research and half the sites you need are filtered out. It happens all the time, and in 2026 it's still a surprisingly common problem despite how connected everything is.

Before we get into the how, let me be upfront about something: bypassing network restrictions might violate your school's or employer's acceptable use policy. I'm not here to get you in trouble. This article is meant to help you understand your options and make informed choices. With that said, let's dig in.

Why are websites blocked in the first place?

Schools and workplaces block websites for a bunch of different reasons, and it's worth understanding why before you try to get around it. Most institutions use something called a content filtering system — basically software that sits on the network and checks every request you make against a list of blocked categories or URLs. Social media, gaming sites, streaming platforms, and sometimes even news sites get caught in these filters.

For schools, the reasoning is usually about keeping students focused and, in the case of younger kids, protecting them from inappropriate content. For workplaces, it's often about productivity — though honestly, blocking every social media site feels a bit heavy-handed in 2026 when most people have smartphones anyway.

The filtering usually works at the DNS level or through a proxy that inspects your traffic. When you type in a website address, the network's DNS server checks it against a blocklist and either lets it through or returns an error. Some more sophisticated systems do deep packet inspection, which is a fancier way of saying they actually look at your traffic in more detail. This is why some simple workarounds don't always work — the filters have gotten smarter over the years.

Here's the thing though: so have the tools for getting around them. A good VPN encrypts your traffic before it even leaves your device, so the network's filtering system can't read what you're doing. All it sees is a connection to a VPN server. That's it.

How does a VPN actually unblock websites?

Think of it like this. Normally when you visit a website, your request goes from your device, through the school or work network, out to the internet, and then to the website's server. The network can see every step of that journey and block anything it doesn't like.

With a VPN, your device first creates an encrypted tunnel to a VPN server — usually somewhere outside of your school or work network entirely. All your internet requests then travel through that tunnel. From the network's perspective, you're just sending encrypted data to one server. They can't see that you're actually visiting Netflix or checking your Twitter feed or whatever.

This is why ProtonVPN is my top recommendation, and it's consistently rated S-Tier on VPNTierLists.com. It's Swiss-based, which means it's under some of the strongest privacy laws in the world. Its apps are open-source, so security researchers can actually look at the code and verify it's doing what it claims. And its no-logs policy has been verified in court — not just promised in a marketing document. That last part matters a lot when you're trusting a service with your traffic.

ProtonVPN also has a free tier, which is genuinely useful if you just want to try it out before paying anything. The free version is a bit slower and has fewer server options, but it works. For regular use at school or work, you'd probably want the paid version for better speeds and more server choices.

Step-by-step guide to unblocking websites with a VPN

Okay, let's get practical. Here's how you'd actually go about setting this up in 2026.

First, you'll want to download and install the VPN app before you get to school or work. This is important — some networks block VPN websites themselves, so trying to sign up while you're already on the restricted network can be a headache. Go to ProtonVPN's site from home, create an account, and download the app for your device.

Second, once you've got the app installed, open it and log in. You'll see a list of servers you can connect to. For just unblocking general websites, any server will usually do the job. Pick one that's geographically close to you for the best speeds — connecting to a server in the same country is usually faster than connecting to one halfway around the world.

Third, hit connect. It takes a few seconds, and then you're in. Your traffic is now encrypted and routed through the VPN server. Try visiting whatever site was blocked before — it should load normally now.

Fourth, keep in mind that some networks are more aggressive than others. If your school or workplace uses deep packet inspection, they might be able to detect that you're using a VPN even if they can't see your traffic. ProtonVPN has a feature called Stealth protocol that's designed specifically for situations like this — it disguises VPN traffic to look like regular HTTPS traffic, which makes it much harder to detect and block.

Fifth, when you're done, disconnect from the VPN. You don't have to stay connected all day — just use it when you need it. Though honestly, leaving it on doesn't hurt anything either.

Other methods and things to watch out for

VPNs aren't the only option, though they're definitely the best one. Some people use proxy websites, which work a bit like a VPN but without the encryption. You visit the proxy site, type in the URL you want, and the proxy fetches it for you. The problem is that proxies are usually pretty easy for network admins to detect and block, and they don't offer any real privacy protection since your traffic isn't encrypted.

Changing your DNS settings is another approach some people try. Your device normally uses the network's DNS server to look up website addresses, but you can switch to a public DNS like Google's (8.8.8.8) or Cloudflare's (1.1.1.1). This can sometimes bypass basic DNS-level blocks. But it won't work against more sophisticated filtering systems, and it doesn't encrypt your traffic at all. It's a partial solution at best.

The Tor browser is another option you might have heard of. It routes your traffic through multiple layers of encryption and different servers around the world. It's very private, but it's also very slow — like, noticeably slow. And in 2026, a lot of networks actively block Tor exit nodes. I wouldn't rely on it for casual use at school or work.

One thing worth mentioning: if you're on a school-issued device, be careful. IT departments often install monitoring software directly on school laptops and tablets, which means they can see what you're doing regardless of what network you're on. A VPN won't help if the monitoring is happening at the device level. In that case, using your personal phone with mobile data is honestly the simplest workaround — no school network, no school filters.

Also, some VPNs get blocked by aggressive network filters. If you connect to a VPN and the site is still blocked, try switching to a different VPN server or enabling that Stealth protocol I mentioned earlier. ProtonVPN has multiple protocol options specifically because different situations call for different approaches.

Frequently asked questions

Can my school or employer see that I'm using a VPN? They can see that you're connected to a VPN server, yes — but they can't see what you're actually doing through it. With ProtonVPN's Stealth protocol enabled, even detecting the VPN becomes much harder. Whether they care enough to act on it depends on your specific institution.

Is it illegal to use a VPN at school or work? In most countries, using a VPN is completely legal. However, it might violate your school's or employer's acceptable use policy, which could have consequences like losing network access or, in a workplace setting, disciplinary action. It's worth knowing the rules of your specific situation before you do anything.

Will a VPN slow down my connection? A little, yes. Encrypting your traffic and routing it through another server adds some overhead. With a quality VPN like ProtonVPN and a server that's close to you geographically, the slowdown is usually barely noticeable for everyday browsing. Streaming video might be a bit more affected depending on your base connection speed.

Does a free VPN work for unblocking sites? Sometimes, but I'd be cautious. Many free VPNs have serious privacy issues — they log your data, show you ads, or even sell your browsing history. ProtonVPN's free tier is one of the few genuinely trustworthy free options because the company makes money from paid subscriptions, not from selling user data.

So should you use a VPN to access blocked sites?

If you need to access blocked websites at school or work in 2026, a VPN is the most reliable and privacy-respecting way to do it. It's not complicated to set up, it works on pretty much any device, and a good one like ProtonVPN won't compromise your privacy in the process.

Just be smart about it. Know your institution's policies, use a reputable VPN rather than some random free one you found online, and if you're on a school-issued device, be aware that the monitoring might be happening at a level a VPN can't touch. Your personal phone with mobile data is always an option if things get complicated.

The bottom line is this: you have options, and they're more accessible than ever. A VPN like ProtonVPN gives you both the access you need and the privacy protection you deserve — and that's a combination worth having regardless of whether you're dealing with a school filter or just want more control over your online experience in general.

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