VPN Not Working | How To Fix Common VPN Issues 2024?

VPN is a Virtual Private Network that protects you while browsing the internet. Is Your VPN Not Working? We will explain to you how to fix common VPN issues if your VPN is not working.

Virtual private networks have emerged from anonymity and become a popular choice for tying together private networks.

Though VPN use increased because the technology proved to be comparatively easy, dependable, and safe, VPNs gained popularity because they made it possible to use the Internet to protect network connections, obviating the requirement of costly specialized circuits.

VPN issues not only cause trouble while doing online activities but also puts your online privacy as well as security at risk in case your VPN has connection issues, crashes, or displays a different location.

When VPNs malfunction, you need to fix the issue as soon as possible or you risk opening yourself up to cyber criminals and hackers seeking easy targets which might lead to some really bad consequences.

Your virtual private network (VPN) may not be functioning properly for a number of reasons, but the majority of them revolve around a few universal problems.

Using a VPN service can prevent you from connecting to the internet, usually not for very long before the connection fails. 

While streaming Netflix, you might encounter a proxy error warning, or you might not be able to send any emails.

No matter what the problem is, using a VPN might present a number of technical issues, however, there is no need to worry because there are a lot of solutions to all the possible problems that might arise because of using a VPN. 

In order to reduce the chances of facing these kinds of troubles, you must use premium VPNs such as ExpressVPN because they work harder to ensure issues like these don’t occur.

They are designed in a way that they are strong enough to deal with all such problems and are thus reliable to ensure your online safety and privacy.

We will discuss ExpressVPNs later, let’s first talk about the solutions to all the possible issues that might occur while using any VPN.

VPN Not Working | How To Fix Common VPN Issues

In this article, we will cover the four most common issues with using a VPN, what are its causes, and their different solutions.

1. Difficulty in connecting to the internet

As soon as you start using your VPN, streaming becomes difficult, emails stop sending, and websites start returning error messages. You can’t access the internet with your VPN for whatever reason.

Below are a few general recommendations for troubleshooting:

• Make sure your internet connection is active
• In case you’re connected to your home Wi-Fi, disconnect and reconnect to the Wi-Fi and then open the page without the VPN being active.
• Reset both your device as well as your router if the above-mentioned does not help. If your internet connection is malfunctioning and nothing seems to solve it, you might need to call your internet service provider.

VPN interference with internet connection. How to resolve the issue?

If you are not able to use the internet with a VPN even when you have a connection, the following might be the reason.

• The VPN may be blocked by your firewall. Firewalls can contribute to connection issues. In order to fix this, go to your firewall’s settings and add the VPN software to the permitted apps list. 
• Perhaps the VPN program is outdated. Make sure you have the most latest VPN software installed by checking your updates, as older versions might be the reason for security holes and other bugs.
• It’s possible that your VPN settings were set incorrectly. Check to see if the issue is resolved by keeping the default settings for the VPN. 
• It’s possible that the ports required to operate your VPN are banned. Information is transmitted to ports, which are virtual locations. Emails travel via one port while web pages travel through another because each port is designated for a specific sort of traffic. Though several different protocols and service providers use a variety of ports, VPNs typically employ ports 1194 TCP/UDP and 443 TCP. While it is possible to manually switch your system to one of these ports, doing so is highly complex and can lead to a variety of issues. So it is suggested to get in touch with customer support for your VPN or your internet service provider to assist with the problem.

2. Bad Connection/ Slow Speed

Some obstacles when using a VPN have more to do with speed instead of connectivity. It serves little purpose to subscribe to a VPN service if it renders your connection extremely slow to carry out basic functions like online browsing. 

Due to the encryption used throughout, VPNs will often cause a little slowdown in your connection.

Selecting VPNs that are not of high quality could intensify any speed issues you experience, particularly if you’re using a free VPN with modest data caps or a small number of servers.

Nevertheless, even if you have a subscription to the greatest VPN available, your connection may still be slower than you’d want. This could be explained by the following scenarios:

Busy server 

There is a high chance that the slow VPN server to which you’re connected is congested due to an excessive number of concurrent users. You may estimate the amount of traffic on each server just by connecting to them.

You have a better chance of discovering a better VPN server with high speed because of fewer users if your VPN offers a lot of servers to select from.

With free VPNs, server congestion is a very typical issue. Users are sometimes forced to share a single busy server at once because many creators of these VPN services typically lack the ability to run more than a few VPN servers at once.

Remember that even the greatest VPN services may have server congestion, especially during periods of high usage.

Distance

Speed is also significantly influenced by the distance between you and the server. A nearby server sends information faster than one that is on the opposite side of the globe.

While employing a VPN for accessing any geo-restricted content, for instance, it may be required to select a remote server.  Finding a server that is comparatively vacant is crucial in these situations.

Network Protocol

Make sure you’re using the appropriate network protocol for your activity as your network protocol affects the speed of your VPN connection.

TCP (Transmission Control Protocol) or UDP (User Datagram Protocol) are the two data transfer protocols that enable all internet communications.

Both protocols compress your information into smaller pieces known as data packets and use the internet to send it, but their approaches are different.

Use a protocol that supports UDP when the VPN you are using is too slow to fulfill your needs.

The settings of your VPN allow you to modify your VPN protocols. You may not always have a large selection of alternatives and not all VPNs provide the same protocols. Among the most well-liked protocols are; OpenVPN (TCP or UDP), Wireguard (UDP), IKEv2 (UDP), and Provider-specific protocols.

Slow Internet Connection

There’s a reasonable probability that the speed of your internet connection was slow even before you connected to a VPN if the rate does not get better even after adjusting the VPN software.   Thankfully, there are a number of solutions to a slow internet connection.

• Stop the access of other devices from using the internet. 
• Shut off any extra windows, tabs, and processes.
• Restart your router and modem.
• Change your DNS server.
• Upgrade the internet service plan you use. 
• Communicate with your Internet Service Provider.

3. Netflix/ Other Streaming Services Blocks VPN

Like all streaming services, Netflix only allows users in the places where it is legally permitted to broadcast content.

In addition, Netflix uses proxy detection technologies to block the usage of VPNs and proxies in order to prevent users from locations without a valid license from accessing infringing content.

This implies that if you attempt to stream Netflix with a VPN, you can encounter the m7111-5059 error notice.

Netflix has the most difficult proxy detection techniques out of all the streaming services, despite the fact that other services also employ these VPN bans. 

Even the best VPN services often struggle to get over Netflix’s geographical restrictions, but a reliable Netflix VPN provider has proved to be equally relentless in finding solutions. Here are some tips and tactics for the same.

• Employ a VPN that supports Netflix
• Delete your cookies and cache, or switch to incognito mode
• Change your VPN server
• Use a server that is specialized for the same
• Get in touch with the customer support of the VPN service

4. VPN connections cause trouble in sending emails

When a VPN is turned on, users face difficulty in sending as well as receiving emails. This is either because your email provider is blocking your VPN’s IP or the VPN you are using blocks the port that your email service uses to communicate.

Email service blocks VPN

The IP address of a VPN could be blocked by email providers. This is typically done as a security precaution because it is likely a hacker or other cybercriminal trying to access your mailbox from an IP that is absolutely unknown to you.

Because of this, depending on the nation or ISP associated with certain IPs, email providers sometimes only permit specific IPs to access your email. 

Changing to a new VPN server is the answer in this situation. If you’re using a VPN service with a large variety, you can easily find a working server because VPN providers frequently look for ways to get around VPN bans. Obtaining a special IP address from your VPN service is another guaranteed solution to this issue.

VPN blocks email service’s port

Quite often the VPN itself is the issue. Some service providers block unsafe ports to safeguard you against junk mail and misuse.

You must switch to more secure email port numbers like port 587 or 465 if you wish to access your email through these services. For assistance, get in touch with the customer care of your VPN or email provider.

Conclusion

It is very common to face the above-mentioned issues while using a VPN to do certain activities on the internet. This article covers all the tips and tactics you need to know in order to easily deal with any possible trouble you face.

In case you are not able to resolve any issue even after trying all the different solutions to any problem you must get in touch with the customer support of the VPN you are using. 

You must easily get assistance if you seek out because the majority of VPNs have email or live chat customer service that is available 24/7.

You should upgrade to a reliable VPN like ExpressVPN that has excellent customer care in case yours doesn’t and you’re experiencing problems you can’t resolve on your own.

ExpressVPN offers consistent fast connections, strong security features, and the capacity to access geo-restricted websites, making it the best trustworthy VPN for remaining secure and anonymous online.

ExpressVPN maintained its speed throughout testing, even while streaming, thanks to its Lightway Protocol. This implies that there are less likely to be connection or speed problems.

Frequently Asked Questions