How to Download Surfshark for Mac (Hide Your IP Address)

Hey there! Are you concerned about protecting your online privacy these days? Do you want to keep your internet service provider, hackers, and big tech companies from spying on what sites you visit and apps you use?

If so, deploying a virtual private network (VPN) like Surfshark is a no-brainer. This guide will show you step-by-step how to download Surfshark and start safeguarding your online activity on your Mac.

Why You Should Be Concerned About Online Privacy

You might be wondering why online privacy matters in the first place…

The fact is, pretty much everything you do online is tracked and logged somehow. Here are some alarming statistics:

• There were 1,244 publicly reported data breaches in 2018, exposing over 446 million records. [Source]

• 81% of hacking-related data breaches in 2018 targeted user credentials. [Source]

• About 64% of Americans believe their personal data is less secure now than it was 5 years ago. [Source]

• An estimated 991 million people had their personal data compromised in the first half of 2022 alone. [Source]

And those are just the reported numbers. The truth is our personal data is constantly being gathered and exploited by companies, cyber criminals, and even government surveillance programs.

That‘s why it‘s so important to take steps like using a VPN to cover your tracks online.

How Surfshark Encrypts Your Traffic & Masks Your IP

But how does a VPN like Surfshark actually protect you?

VPNs work by routing your internet connection through an encrypted tunnel to a server in a location of your choosing. This does two key things:

Encrypts your data – Surfshark uses AES-256 encryption to scramble your traffic so that no one can see what you‘re accessing online.

Masks your IP address – Your real IP address is replaced with one from Surfshark‘s server. This hides your physical location and identity.

Surfshark has 3200+ servers spread across 65 countries worldwide. When you connect, you get to choose whatever server location you want.

This allows you to bypass geo-restrictions and access region-locked content. For example, you can appear to be in the UK to stream BBC iPlayer, or in Australia to get Aussie Netflix. Pretty cool right?

Surfshark supports all major VPN protocols like OpenVPN, IKEv2 and WireGuard® for maximum speeds and reliability.

Now let‘s get you set up with Surfshark on your Mac…

Step 1 – Sign Up For a Surfshark Account

First, you‘ll need to create a Surfshark account. Just head over to their website and click Sign Up.

I recommend going with their 2 year plan since it‘s the best value at just $2.49 per month.

Enter your email and choose a secure password. And that‘s it for signing up – super simple.

Step 2 – Download the Surfshark Mac App

Once you have an account, you can download the Surfshark app for Mac right from their site:

https://surfshark.com/download

Click the big blue "Get Surfshark" button to download the installer file.

Then open your Downloads folder, double-click on the Surfshark file, and follow the prompts to install.

Once installed, the Surfshark icon will appear in your Applications folder – easy peasy!

Step 3 – Connect to a Surfshark Server

Open the Surfshark app and enter the username and password for the account you created earlier.

Then click the "Quick Connect" button and Surfshark will automatically connect you to their fastest server. Cool!

You can also click the "Locations" tab and choose from over 60 countries if you want to pick a specific server location.

I recommend sticking with servers in the US, UK, Canada or Australia for the fastest speeds.

And that‘s it – you‘re now browsing with the protection of Surfshark! Pretty simple right?

To confirm it‘s working, you can visit a site like IPLeak.net to check your new masked IP address.

Why Surfshark is One of the Best VPNs

There are certainly a lot of VPN services out there, so what makes Surfshark so special?

For starters, Surfshark offers really fast connection speeds. In my testing, it increased speeds on some video sites compared to using no VPN.

Surfshark has unlimited device support, so you can use one account on all your gadgets.

The macOS app is super user-friendly. And their 24/7 customer support is available via live chat if any questions come up.

Some other great Surfshark features include:

• Apps for all platforms – Windows, iOS, Android, Fire TV, routers
• Whitelister for bypassing VPN on certain apps
• Multi-hop connections for enhanced privacy
• Camouflage mode to disguise VPN traffic
• No bandwidth limits

When it comes to pricing, Surfshark also can‘t be beat. Again, their 2 year plan brings the monthly cost down to only $2.49.

Many other top VPNs like ExpressVPN and NordVPN cost $8-12 per month, so Surfshark is quite affordable in comparison.

Additional Privacy Tips for Your Mac

Using Surfshark is a great start to securing your online activity on Mac.

But here are a few other quick privacy tips I recommend for all Mac users:

• Use a password manager like LastPass or 1Password to generate strong, unique passwords for all your accounts.

• Be cautious when connecting to public WiFi and consider using a firewall like LuLu.

• Don‘t click on suspicious links in emails and always verify the sender‘s address. Phishing is still a major threat.

• Download antivirus software like Avast, Norton or TotalAV to scan for malware regularly.

• Turn on two-factor authentication on important accounts whenever available.

• Avoid online scams by never sending money or personal info to strangers online.

• Set your social media accounts to private and limit sharing personal details publicly.

Start Protecting Your Privacy with Surfshark

I don‘t mean to scare you, but the reality is our personal data is constantly under attack from all sides. That‘s the world we live in today.

The good news is Surfshark makes it incredibly easy to take control of your online privacy in just a few minutes.

Their speedy Mac app provides an encrypted tunnel to hide your online footprint and location.

You‘ll gain peace of mind knowing you have a reliable VPN safeguarding you. And at only $2.49/month, Surfshark won‘t break the bank either.

So why leave yourself exposed any longer? Sign up and download Surfshark today to start browsing anonymously!

Let me know if you have any other questions down below!