Public Wi-Fi and privacy

Limit IP address tracking on a Mac

Limit IP address tracking is a setting for each network. It hides your IP address from known trackers in Mail and Safari. It also controls iCloud Private Relay on that network.

Applies to: macOS 13 Ventura and later. In macOS 12 Monterey, the setting is in the network settings with a checkmark.Checked: 29 October 2026

Symptoms

  • A school or company network asks you to turn the setting off.
  • A site works with the setting off and fails with it on.
  • You are not sure if the setting is on for a network.

Likely causes

  • Private Relay on the network. Apple says that turning the setting off turns off Private Relay for that network.
  • Networks that filter traffic. Some networks block or do not support Private Relay. Apple says that you can then turn it off for that network.

How to check

  1. Choose Apple menu > System Settings > Wi-Fi.

  2. Click Details next to the network name.

  3. Read the state of Limit IP address tracking.

  4. For Ethernet, choose System Settings > Network. Click the Ethernet service, then Details.

How to fix it

  1. To turn the setting off for one network, turn off Limit IP address tracking in the network details.

  2. Do this for each network separately. The setting is for each network.

  3. To turn it on again, turn on the same setting.

  4. If a network says that it does not support Private Relay, turn the setting off for that network only.

Questions

Does this setting hide my IP address from all apps?

No. Apple says that it hides your IP address from known trackers in Mail and Safari.

Does the setting apply to all my devices?

Apple says that the setting for a network applies to all your devices that have Private Relay on.

Sources

Sources checked on 29 October 2026. Man pages are the ones installed with macOS; open one with man <name> in Terminal.