This article was co-authored by Yaffet Meshesha and by wikiHow staff writer, Jack Lloyd. Yaffet Meshesha is a Computer Specialist and the Founder of Techy, a full-service computer pickup, repair, and delivery service. With over eight years of experience, Yaffet specializes in computer repairs and technical support. Techy has been featured on TechCrunch and Time.
The wikiHow Tech Team also followed the article's instructions and verified that they work.
This article has been viewed 1,233,560 times.
When you're in school, you should be paying attention to your teacher and not browsing social media. However, if you really can't wait to check Facebook while at school, there are a few methods you can try to get around some types of school network restrictions. If your school's security is good enough, these methods won't work.
Steps
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Open a browser. You may need to sign into the browser with your student credentials before you can proceed.
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Type m.facebook.com into your browser's address bar. This is the address for the Facebook mobile site.Advertisement
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Press ↵ Enter. If your school's network only has "facebook.com" blocked, this takes you to the Facebook mobile site.
- The Facebook mobile site looks different than the regular desktop Facebook site, but it functions the same.
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Open a browser. This will likely be your computer's default browser. If Facebook is blocked specifically in your current browser, using a different browser may solve the problem.
- If you can't download a browser on your current computer, you can download it at home and put it on a flash drive.
-
Go to your preferred browser's download page. Some popular browsers include the following:
- Google Chrome - https://www.google.com/chrome/browser/desktop/index.html
- Firefox - https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/new/?f=118
- Opera - http://www.opera.com/
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Click the "Download" button. This is usually a button near the top or middle of the browser's web page. Doing so will cause the browser's setup file to begin downloading to your computer.
- Depending on your current browser, you may first have to click Save or confirm your choice, or select a download location (e.g., Desktop).
-
Double-click the setup file. It will be in your computer's default download location (or your specified download location if you selected one).
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Install the browser. To do so:
- Windows - Follow the on-screen prompts. Make sure you opt out of any free programs included in the install (e.g., antivirus or search programs).
- Mac - Drag the browser's icon into the "Applications" folder shortcut.
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Open your new browser. Double-click the browser's icon to do so.
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Go to Facebook's website. Go to https://www.facebook.com/ in your new browser. If your computer's restrictions were only set up in the default browser, you should be able to access Facebook.
Windows
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Type command prompt into Start. This will search your computer for Command Prompt.
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Type ping facebook.com into Command Prompt and press ↵ Enter. You'll see a series of numbers and periods to the right of the "Pinging facebook.com" heading; this is Facebook's IP address.
-
Open a browser.
-
Type the IP address into the browser's address bar and press ↵ Enter. If the Facebook URL is blocked but the IP address isn't, this will take you to Facebook's page.
Mac
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Type terminal into Spotlight. This searches your computer for the Terminal app.
-
Type
ping facebook.com
into Terminal and press ↵ Enter. -
Look at the number to the right of "[Number] bytes from". This is Facebook's IP address.
-
Open a browser.
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Type the IP address into the browser's address bar and press ⏎ Return. If the Facebook URL is blocked but the IP address isn't, this will take you to Facebook's page.
iPhone
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Connect your iPhone to your computer. Use the USB charger cable that came with your iPhone.
- If using your phone's charger isn't an option, you can try using your iPhone's Wi-Fi hotspot instead.
-
Tap Personal Hotspot. This option is near the top of the Settings page.
- Not all service providers include a Personal Hotspot. If you don't see this option, your phone doesn't have a hotspot available.
-
Open a web browser. Do this on your computer.
-
Type
facebook.com
into your browser's address bar, then press ↵ Enter. This should take you to Facebook's home page.- If Facebook is blocked on your computer specifically, even this method won't work for connecting to Facebook.
Android
-
Connect your Android to your computer. You'll use your Android's charger cable to do so.
- If using your phone's charger isn't an option, you can try using your Android's Wi-Fi hotspot instead.
-
Tap More. This option is beneath the "Wireless & networks" heading.
- On a Samsung device, tap Connections.
-
Tap Tethering & portable hotspot. It's near the top of the page.
- On a Samsung, tap Tethering and Mobile HotSpot.
-
Open a web browser. Do this on your computer.
-
Type
facebook.com
into your browser's address bar, then press ↵ Enter. This should take you to Facebook's home page.- If Facebook is blocked on your computer specifically, even this method won't work for connecting to Facebook.
-
Open a browser. You may have to enter your student credentials before continuing.
-
Search for online proxies. Type free online proxies 2017 into your browser's search bar and press ↵ Enter. Some reputable proxy services include the following:[1]
- Anonymouse
- VPNBook
- FilterBypass
-
Type
facebook.com
into the proxy site's search bar. There will usually be a search bar in the middle of the proxy site's page. -
Click the "Search" button. This button will usually be below the search field. Doing so will run the Facebook search through the proxy, which will cause it to avoid your school's network.
Windows
-
Make sure you're subscribed to a VPN service. Unlike using a proxy site, virtual private networks (VPNs) require you to set up an account in order to access a server's name and address. You will need the VPN's name and address, as well as login credentials, to connect to a VPN.
- If you want to use your VPN service for longer than a week or so, you'll usually have to pay for it.[2]
-
Click VPN. It's a tab on the left side of the window.
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Click Add a VPN connection. This option is at the top of the VPN page.
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Select a VPN provider. Click the box below the "VPN provider" heading at the top of the page, then click Windows (built-in).
-
Enter your VPN's information. This includes the following:
- Connection name - Type a name for your VPN connection into the Connection name field.
- Server name or address - This is where you'll enter your VPN's address.
- VPN type - Click the box below this heading to select your VPN's connection type. You should receive this information along with the VPN's address when signing up for the VPN.
- Sign-in info - Depending on your VPN, this section will vary. You'll usually enter your username and password here.
-
Click Save. Doing so saves your VPN connection as a network on your PC.
-
Click your VPN's name. It should now be on the VPN page of the Settings window.
-
Click Connect. This option is at the bottom of the VPN's name card.
-
Enter your username and password if prompted. If you didn't select the option to have your VPN save your login credentials while creating it, you'll need to log into your VPN service and click OK to finish connecting to the VPN.
-
Go to Facebook's website in your preferred web browser. Go to https://www.facebook.com and log in. As long as you're connected to a VPN, you should be able to use Facebook.
Mac
-
Make sure you're subscribed to a VPN service. Unlike using a proxy site, virtual private networks (VPNs) require you to set up an account in order to access a server's name and address. You will need the VPN's name and address, as well as login credentials, to connect to a VPN.
- If you want to use your VPN service for longer than a week or so, you'll usually have to pay for it.
-
Click System Preferences. This option is near the top of the Apple drop-down menu.
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Click Network. It's a purple globe-shaped icon.
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Click +. This option is in the bottom-left corner of the Network page, just below the list of network names.
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Select the VPN option. Click the box to the right of "Interface:", then click VPN in the drop-down menu.
-
Select a VPN connection type. Click the box to the right of "VPN Type", then select your VPN's connection type (e.g., L2TP over IPSec).
- The VPN's site should provide this information.
- MacOS Sierra does not support PPTP connections.
-
Enter a name for your VPN. This can be whatever you want to name the network.
-
Click Create. It's the blue button in the bottom-right corner of the window.
-
Configure your VPN. Enter the following information:
- Configuration - Make sure this box says "Default".
- Server Address - Type in your VPN's address here.
- Account Name - Type in your subscription's account name here.
-
Click Authentication Settings. It's below the Account Name text field.
-
Type in your User Authentication information. Check the box to the left of your VPN's User Authentication option (e.g., Password) and then type the answer in.
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Type in your Machine Authentication information. This section is near the bottom of the window. Most VPNs use the "Shared Secret" option; check this box, then enter your VPN's shared secret phrase.
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Click OK. It's near the bottom of the Authentication Settings window.
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Click Advanced. It's near the bottom of the window.
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Check the "Send all traffic over VPN connection" box, then click OK. This ensures that all sites you visit will use the VPN connection.
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Click Apply. This saves your VPN settings and creates your network.
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Click Connect. It's below the Authentication Settings option. Doing so will prompt your Mac to connect to the VPN.
-
Go to Facebook's website in your preferred web browser. Go to https://www.facebook.com and log in. As long as you're connected to a VPN, you should be able to use Facebook.
Community Q&A
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QuestionWhat if my school uses the secURLy web blocker to block Facebook?Community AnswerYou can try an online web proxy, such as go2walk.com.
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QuestionHow do I convince my school to allow Facebook?Community AnswerThey don’t want you to be distracted, so it will likely be close to impossible to do so.
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QuestionI have tried everything on Google to unblock Facebook from the school laptops but can't figure it out. Any ideas?Community AnswerThey may have it locked up so tight that you need to be an administrator to unblock it. Maybe use the time you've spent trying to unblock Facebook and devote it to your school work instead.
Tips
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Browsing in Incognito mode won't hide your activity from the school, but it will clear your history when you exit your web browser.Thanks
Warnings
- Using your phone's data as a hotspot will result in additional fees on your bill if you exceed your monthly data limit.Thanks
- Your network may block any links that are related to proxy servers, regardless of the web address.Thanks
- Your network may be visually monitored by teachers, technicians, and/or administrators.Thanks
Expert Interview
Thanks for reading our article! If you’d like to learn more about computer functions, check out our in-depth interview with Yaffet Meshesha.
References
About This Article
Reader Success Stories
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"What helped me most was when it said that the word "proxy" may be blocked (it was), so I misspelled it and got what I needed!"..." more