How to Whitelist Your IP Address on Cloudflare Free Plan Using Security Rules

Introduction

Cloudflare’s dashboard has changed over time, and many users on the Free Plan no longer see a separate “WAF” section. Instead, Cloudflare now manages most firewall and allowlist settings under Security Rules.

The good news is that you can still whitelist your own IP address completely free.

This guide explains the updated method.

Can You Whitelist an IP on Cloudflare Free Plan?

Yes.

Even on the free plan, Cloudflare allows you to create:

  • Security Rules
  • IP-based Allow Rules
  • Basic Firewall protections

You do not need a paid WAF subscription for simple IP allowlisting.

Why Whitelist Your Own IP?

Whitelisting your IP can help:

  • Prevent CAPTCHA challenges
  • Avoid accidental blocks
  • Access WordPress admin safely
  • Manage VPS dashboards easier
  • Reduce interruptions from Cloudflare security checks

Step 1 — Find Your Public IP Address

You can check your IP here:

https://www.cloudflare.com/what-is-my-ip

Example:

85.xxx.xxx.xxx

Step 2 — Open Security Rules

  1. Login to Cloudflare
  2. Select your domain
  3. Open:
Security → Security Rules

Step 3 — Create a New Rule

Click:

Create Rule

Then choose:

  • Custom Rule

Step 4 — Configure the Rule

Create a condition like this:

ip.src eq 85.xxx.xxx.xxx

Action:

Skip

or

Allow

Recommended Action

For most users:

Skip

is safer because it skips selected security checks while keeping Cloudflare protection active.

Example Configuration

Field:
IP Source Address
Operator:
equals
Value:
85.xxx.xxx.xxx
Action:
Skip

What Does Skip Do?

The Skip action tells Cloudflare to bypass:

  • Managed rules
  • Bot checks
  • Security challenges
  • Some firewall protections

for your IP only.

Important Notes

Dynamic IP Addresses

If your internet provider changes your IP address:

  • The rule may stop working
  • You will need to update it

Do Not Whitelist Unknown IPs

Only allow:

  • Your own IP
  • Trusted office IPs
  • Secure VPN IPs

Avoid allowing large IP ranges.

Alternative Protection Methods

Cloudflare Free Plan also includes:

  • Bot Fight Mode
  • Under Attack Mode
  • DNS Protection
  • SSL/TLS encryption
  • Basic rate limiting

These features are useful even without paid WAF access.

Conclusion

Even though Cloudflare Free Plan no longer shows a dedicated WAF section for some users, IP allowlisting is still possible using Security Rules.

By creating a simple custom rule, you can safely whitelist your own IP address and improve your workflow while keeping Cloudflare protection enabled.

For personal websites, WordPress dashboards, VPS servers, and self-hosted applications, this method is usually more than enough.

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