How to Make a Phone Call Without Showing Your Phone Number

i Ryan McVay/Photodisc/Getty Images

You can block your number when making outbound calls with most phone service providers, and it works on almost any call unless you’re dialing a toll-free number, emergency services number or a number the owner has set up to reject anonymous calls.

In most cases, keeping your number concealed is as easy as dialing a short code to block your number on individual calls or enabling a feature in your phone’s settings to prevent your number from showing on all outgoing calls.

Block Your Number on Individual Calls

Dial 67 before dialing the phone number to keep your number from showing on individual outgoing calls. If you’re using a landline, wait until you hear another dial tone after dialing 67 before you continue dialing the phone number. Depending on what phone provider the person you’re calling uses, “Private,” “Anonymous,” “No Caller ID” or “Unknown” shows up on the caller ID instead of your number.

If you’re using a cellphone, make sure to manually input the number you’re calling after dialing *67. If you tap on a saved number in your phone’s contact list, the call goes through with your number shown on caller ID as usual.

If you know you want to block your number every time you call a certain person or business, you can save the phone number in your contact list with a *67 followed by a space and the normal phone number with the area code so you can dial directly from your list while still masking your phone number.

Block Your Number on All Outgoing Calls

If you’re using a smartphone, most service providers allow you to block your number on all outgoing calls through your phone’s settings.

On an iPhone, tap on the Settings app icon and choose “Phone” from the list. Next, tap on “Show My Caller ID” and turn the switch off.

If you’re using an Android phone, open the Phone app and tap on “More” at the top right. From there, choose Settings > More Settings (or Additional settings) > Show my caller ID > Hide number. If you don’t see “More” at the top in your Phone app, you may be running an older version of Android. In that case, tap on the three dots in the search bar at the top of your Phone app, then tap Settings > Call settings > Additional settings > Caller ID > Hide number.

Your carrier sets the features and options that appear in the phone settings on your smart phone, so you might see slightly different wording. If you don’t see an option to disable your outgoing caller ID in your phone’s settings or if you’re not using a smartphone, you may still be able to prevent your number from showing on all calls by enabling the feature online or by contacting your provider.

Some companies allow you to set this up by logging into your account online or by choosing an option in the company's official app. For example, Verizon Wireless customers can go into the My Verizon app and tap on Devices > Manage > Controls > Adjust Service Blocks to opt in to caller ID blocking. If you don’t see an option to suppress your caller ID in your online account, contact your provider’s customer service department to ask to have it enabled.

Unblock Your Number on Individual Calls

If you’re having trouble reaching someone with your number blocked, you may be trying to call someone who has a phone number that automatically prevents unidentified callers from getting through. When this happens, you’ll usually hear an automated message stating that the party you’re trying to reach doesn’t accept anonymous calls. Some cell providers, such as Verizon Wireless and AT&T Wireless, offer this type of anonymous call restriction as an optional feature customers can enable through their online account settings or by calling customer service. Many landline companies allow customers to block all incoming restricted calls by simply dialing *77 on their home phones.

If you have your account set up to block your number on all outgoing calls, you can unblock it for individual calls so you can reach people whose numbers typically stop blocked numbers from getting through. Dial 82 before the phone number to manually show your number for one call only. Landline customers need to wait for a second dial tone after pressing 82 before dialing the number they want to call.

Just like blocking your number on individual calls, you need to manually type in the phone number after 82 or save a contact in your cellphone with a 80 and a space preceding the phone number with the area code if you know you always want your number to show when you call a certain person or company.