How to Disable WebRTC and Stop the IP Leak Behind a Proxy

A WebRTC leak is when a website learns your real IP address even though the browser works through a proxy. WebRTC is the technology behind video calls and voice chats in the browser. To connect two participants directly, it collects the addresses of the device, and a page can read them with a few lines of script — bypassing the proxy settings.

For those who work through mobile proxies, this undoes the whole point: the site sees a mobile IP in one country through the proxy and your home address through WebRTC at the same time. For anti-fraud systems such a mismatch is a strong signal.

Who should care about the leak

• anyone who works with accounts through proxies;
• those who check search results and ads from another country;
• teams running several profiles with different GEOs;
• anyone for whom the real address should stay private.

If the browser is used without a proxy, WebRTC shows the same address as everything else, and there is nothing to leak.

How to test for the leak

Connect the proxy and open any WebRTC leak test page. Compare what it shows:

• the public IP should be the proxy address, the mobile carrier and the chosen country;
• the WebRTC section should show either nothing, the same proxy address, or only a local address hidden behind a random name;
• your home IP must not appear anywhere on the page.

If the home IP appears in the WebRTC section, the leak is real and needs closing.

Firefox

Firefox lets you switch WebRTC off completely:

• type about:config in the address bar and accept the warning;
• search for media.peerconnection.enabled;
• double-click it so the value becomes false.

Video and voice calls in the browser will stop working. For daily use keep a separate Firefox profile with WebRTC on, and use the profile with WebRTC off for proxy work.

Chrome and Edge

Chrome and Edge have no built-in switch for WebRTC. The leak is closed with an extension that limits WebRTC to the proxied connection — for example, WebRTC Leak Prevent or the matching setting in uBlock Origin, which prevents WebRTC from leaking local IP addresses. After installing, run the leak test again.

Opera

Opera has the setting built in: open Settings, go to Privacy & security, find WebRTC and choose the option that disables non-proxied UDP. WebRTC traffic then goes only through the proxy. Keep in mind that Opera’s built-in VPN must be off while you use your own proxy — see how to set up mobile proxies in Opera.

Safari

• open Safari settings and in the Advanced tab turn on the option that shows features for web developers;
• a Develop menu appears in the menu bar;
• open it, go to WebRTC and turn off the option that removes ICE candidate restrictions, if it is on.

By default Safari already hides local addresses, so the main job is to make sure this restriction has not been disabled.

Antidetect browsers

Antidetect browsers manage WebRTC at the profile level: they can replace the address WebRTC reports with the proxy address or turn WebRTC off. When profiles are run through an antidetect browser, set WebRTC to follow the proxy in the profile settings — see Dolphin Anty with mobile proxies.

What closing WebRTC does and does not do

Closing WebRTC removes one channel through which the real address leaks. It does not replace the proxy: the address sites see is still set by the proxy, and its reputation depends on the proxy type. A mobile IP from a carrier looks like an ordinary subscriber, which is why it passes checks better than a data centre address — more in mobile proxies and antifraud.

Also keep the time zone and language of the browser in line with the country of the proxy. A clean IP with a mismatched environment still looks odd.

Summary

WebRTC can reveal the real IP behind any proxy. Test for the leak after connecting, then close it: media.peerconnection.enabled in Firefox, an extension in Chrome and Edge, the non-proxied UDP option in Opera, the default restriction in Safari and the profile settings in antidetect browsers. The address itself comes from the proxy — pick a mobile one in the LTESpace plans.