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VPN Stopped Working: Here are 4 Quick Tips To Get It Back

Change is good, and a more compatible VPN might resolve the issue.

6 min. read

Updated onOctober 4, 2023

updated onOctober 4, 2023

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When your VPN stops working, it could be due to several reasons, including internet connectivity, incorrect login details, unpaid subscriptions, or technical reasons such as server issues, among others.

A VPN restores privacy to your internet experience, so if it stops working, this privacy is no longer assured. However, you’ll have to check on things like the ports being used, your network, and much more before you pinpoint the main problem causing it not to work.

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Why did my VPN stop working?

Virtual private networks (VPNs) have many benefits, but they can also have some very unpleasant downsides. A non-functional VPN is annoying, and a partially functional one isn’t much better.

One explanation might be compatibility concerns with your PC, or it could be network congestion somewhere in the connection that may be fixed with DNS flush. If your VPN is slow, won’t connect, constantly disconnects, or crashes, we have several options to fix it.

Before contacting your VPN provider, check out some of the common issues and their potential fixes listed below.

What can I do if my VPN stopped working?

1. Change your VPN Provider

If your VPN keeps cutting off or stops working altogether, then it might be because of system incompatibility. One surefire way to fix this issue is to switch to a tested VPN provider that has a long-standing record of creating stable software. We recommendPrivate Internet Access.

PIAcaters to everyone’s needs, having covered all the major platforms: iOS, Android, Windows, Linux, and macOS, as well as browser extensions for Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox.

Additionally, you benefit from a 30-day money-back guarantee as well as excellent customer support to help you diagnose and fix any issues you might encounter. PIA has servers all over the world, which allows you to bypass geo-restrictions and keep your data safe at the same time.

If your current VPN solution has stopped working, then we recommend you check out Private Internet Access as a robust replacement.

Private Internet Access

2. Preliminary fixes

If your VPN stops working, try the following general troubleshooting fixes before trying the next solutions:

3. Flush the DNS

Doing this lets your computer access your VPN’s DNS automatically for the proper/correct entries. To do this:

4. Reinstall your VPN

Depending on which particular issue you have with your VPN stopping, the solutions above should allow you to fix it. Keep in mind that some services like Netflix have been known to stop working when a VPN was activated. If this is the case for you, then try connecting to a different server.

Do some routers block VPN?

Services like Netflix block thousands of IP addresses constantly, and VPN providers are always countering this by opening new servers and changing the IP addresses of their customers.

A VPN blocked by the router may potentially be the cause of your VPN service not responding as expected.

Isn’t it ironic that VPN connections are being restricted? After all, a VPN is the tool that allows you to unblock numerous online restrictions, and the fact that your ISP, government, or even a website can ban it may leave you with a bad experience.

If the problem began after you purchased a new router or received one from your ISP, the router may be incompatible with the VPN and its protocols.

VPN passthrough is a function available in routers. It permits your traffic to reach the internet without being censored using a VPN. Regrettably, some routers do not enable this capability, while others do not support the protocols used by some VPNs.

One possible workaround for this is to purchase a dedicated IP address from your VPN provider which only you will use.

One other thing you might want to do is to turn off temporarily the ad-block feature that is included in the VPN client.

Let us know in the comments section if any of these solutions helped.

VPN Stopped Working: Here are 4 Quick Tips To Get It Back#

Why did my VPN stop working?#

What can I do if my VPN stopped working?#

1. Change your VPN Provider#

Private Internet Access#

2. Preliminary fixes#

3. Flush the DNS#

4. Reinstall your VPN#

Do some routers block VPN?#