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FIX: NordVPN Obfuscated Servers Not Working [4 Easy Methods]

Make sure you use the latest version of the app check your settings

5 min. read

Updated onOctober 4, 2023

updated onOctober 4, 2023

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Key notes

If you notice NordVPN’s obfuscated servers stopped working, don’t fret. It’s quite a common issue, especially among novices, that can be fixed easily.

NordVPN’s obfuscated servers are an important component since they enable you to further decrease your chance of being detected.

Obfuscated servers, also called stealth servers, cloak VPN traffic and make it appear as regular traffic.

Therefore, any online service that might apply restrictions to VPN users won’t be able to detect that you’re using a VPN.

They are crucial for users who try toaccess geo-restricted contentin certain countries that ban VPN usage (such as China).

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What does obfuscated mean on NordVPN?

The obfuscated servers have an extra layer of protection, making it appear as if you are on regular traffic and not on a VPN.

Web monitoring has advanced over time and services that forbid or restrict VPNs are able to detect and block you, even when you use a fully encrypted VPN.

Obfuscated servers hide data packets with additional SSL/SSh encryption so the information that links you to a VPN is hidden.

This means that with NordVPN’s obfuscated servers you’ll be able to bypass even the strictest web blocks.

NordVPN obfuscated servers are greyed out

If you are unable to use the obfuscated servers, make sure to check your protocol.

OpenVPN is the recommended protocol for obfuscation, and it’s possible you can’t turn on obfuscated servers on NordVPN because you use a different protocol.

NordVPN users also report getting rid of this issue by simply updating the NordVPN app, so make sure you try that as well.

How can I fix NordVPN’s obfuscated servers not working?

1. Switch to the OpenVPN protocol

That’s it, you just restored NordVPN’s Obfuscated servers functionality.

NordVPN makes you use its proprietaryNordLynxprotocol by default, and switching it is not exactly a piece of cake, especially for beginners.

Although NordLynx looks promising in terms of both speed and security, it’s not compatible with NordVPN’s obfuscated servers.

If you want to be more specific about which server should NordVPN connect you to, here’s what you need to do after enabling the feature:

2. Update NordVPN

NordVPN usually performs version checks and applies updates automatically.

However, if you didn’t launch the app in a long time, you may be running an outdated version.

There’s a good reason why developers can’t stress enough that we keep programs and drivers up-to-date.

3. Restart the NordVPN service

Services can sometimes affect the functionality of certain apps on your PC.

Although NordVPN’s service is there to make sure that the app runs as intended, it doesn’t hurt to give it the old restart treatment.

It might kickstart the Obfuscated server’s functionality back to life.

4. Use another VPN

If nothing seems to do the trick, you may want to try another VPN.

However, it’s of utmost importance that this other VPN you may try also has obfuscated servers.

One such VPN that we wholeheartedly recommend is Private Internet Access.

Not only can it mask VPN traffic with its Multi-Hop (which is essentially the same thing as obfuscated servers), but it also hasGPS spoofing.

Check out PIA’s main features:

Private Internet Access

All in all, if your NordVPN obfuscated servers don’t seem to work, it’s usually caused by the NordLynx protocol.

Simply switching to OpenVPN should let you enable obfuscated servers once more and use them without significant effort.

Ultimately, if nothing works, you can try switching to another VPN service that has obfuscation support, such as Private Internet Access.

FIX: NordVPN Obfuscated Servers Not Working [4 Easy Methods]#

What does obfuscated mean on NordVPN?#

How can I fix NordVPN’s obfuscated servers not working?#

1. Switch to the OpenVPN protocol#

2. Update NordVPN#

3. Restart the NordVPN service#

4. Use another VPN#

Private Internet Access#