Direct answer and scope

A VPN like TunnelBear is designed to route your internet traffic through a tunnel, so websites you visit usually see the IP address of the VPN connection rather than your device’s direct IP address. In that practical sense, it can “hide your IP address” from the websites you access.

That said, no VPN should be treated as making you fully unidentifiable or immune to all forms of tracking. For example, websites may still use other signals (such as account logins, browser fingerprinting, or cookies) that can connect your activity across sessions.

A simple model: what changes for websites

Think of two IP-perspectives:

  • Your device IP: the address your device would normally use to reach the internet.
  • Server-visible IP: the address a remote website can observe during the connection.

With a VPN enabled and working normally, your traffic is sent to the VPN first, and then the VPN forwards it to the destination. As a result, the destination typically receives packets that appear to originate from the VPN’s network rather than directly from your device.

Common exceptions and limits

Even if a VPN is intended to hide your IP address, the outcome depends on connection behavior and protections. Common reasons your real IP might still be observable include:

  • The VPN is not actually connected (or reconnects after a brief drop, during which traffic may go elsewhere).
  • IP or DNS leaks (some configurations or edge cases can expose network details if leak protection is missing or not functioning as expected).
  • Application-level bypass (certain apps or settings may route traffic outside the VPN tunnel).

Also, “hiding your IP” does not automatically prevent tracking that relies on other identifiers. If you log into accounts, allow persistent cookies, or use a highly distinctive browser setup, websites can still associate sessions with you.

How to check for yourself

You can verify the practical effect without relying on marketing language:

  1. Compare IP visibility: visit an IP-lookup page with the VPN off, note the IP shown, then turn the VPN on and reload to see whether the displayed IP changes.
  2. Check for consistency: browse normally while the VPN is on and confirm the visible IP remains the VPN-related one.
  3. Look for leak symptoms: if you notice that the visible IP intermittently returns to your original IP, investigate connection stability and leak protection settings.

These checks won’t prove “complete privacy,” but they can confirm whether your IP is being masked in the way most users mean by the question.