VPN not connecting: Possible Reasons and How to Fix Them

Purchasing a premium-grade provider often leaves very little space for error. We’re talking about the most reliable providers that will work properly without fail every time. However, some issues might arise from time to time, and the VPN not working problem might arise.

Many complain about their VPN not connecting and properly changing their IP address. Others complain about app-related issues, or perhaps, problems with accessing streaming services. Either way, today’s article will help you with all of these problems and make them easy to fix.

We’ll talk about why the VPN isn’t working, how to test the VPN, list the potential problems, and give you their solutions.

Also, we’ll mention a few VPNs that we have no problems with so that you can get their special discounts and start using them issue-free. Ready? Keep reading until the end!

VPN Not Working: Potential Problems and Fixes

We know it’s quite infuriating when the VPN isn’t connecting and working properly. For that reason, we’ll jump straight to the topic and list the issues you might encounter, with fixes immediately after.

VPN Not Connecting to the Server

Okay, so the most common issue is this scenario. You boot up the VPN, try to connect to the server, and boom – it outright refused to connect! While this common issue is easy to fix – in most cases, at least – it’s pretty hard to find the root of the problem at times.

Let’s go through them all and see how to fix the problem of the VPN not connecting to a server:

Faulty server. If the server you’re connecting to is faulty, it most likely won’t work, as the provider is trying to fix it. You can, in simple terms, try to connect to another server and see if it works.
Firewall block. Firewalls and VPNs don’t mix together well. Firewalls can sometimes block VPN connections, which is why the service isn’t working as it should. If it’s the case, go to your Firewall settings and make an exception for the Virtual Private Network in place. Now go ahead and try connecting again – is it working?
Inadequate security protocol. If the connection fails on the server you want, try changing the protocol. Not all servers support all of the VPN’s protocols, and if you’re forcing a particular one on the server that doesn’t support it, that’s the root of the issue. Instead of choosing NordLynx, for example, select OpenVPN and connect to the server in NordVPN or any other service.
Out-of-date- application. Outdated VPN clients are dangerous to use, as they don’t have all the required security patches. Not to mention that the VPN not connecting issue is also a thing, which is why keeping the client up to date is mandatory. Ensure this is the case by going to Settings and checking for potential updates.
Incorrect login credentials. If you didn’t enter your email and password properly, the provider will refuse to connect. Check your credentials, make sure they’re correct, and try connecting again.
Other VPNs are running in the background. If you have two or more VPNs installed, make sure they’re not conflicting with each other. When one VPN is working, the other most likely won’t. Disable all other VPNs on your device completely and try again – now, you should be good to go.

Very Slow Connection Speeds

Why is my VPN not working correctly despite establishing a seemingly successful connection? Well, if you’re encountering slow speeds and poor connection quality, you’re one of many users. This problem is typical in free services because they’re slow by design.

However, in rare instances, even a premium provider like ExpressVPN can suffer the same fate. Let’s see what causes this problem and how to fix it.

Overcrowded server. The server you’re connected to might be overcrowded. This means that the users are overloading the server with traffic, which directly causes connection instabilities for each user. A problem like this mostly happens in VPNs with smaller server networks. But, the solution is quite simple – simply choose another server and see how it works.
The server is too far from you. Using a distant server is going to reduce your internet speed – period! It’ll also increase your latency due to the distance between you and the server. This isn’t great for gaming or even streaming. Once again, the problem can be remedied by choosing another server, this time, one closer to you.
Encryption. Encryption gives you the benefit of rock-solid security and the ISP’s inability to track you online. At the same time, it slows the connection speed. If the VPN has this option, you can change the type of encryption and see how it works. You can find this in PIA, where you can choose between 128-bit and 256-bit encryption standards.
Background activities. One quite silly problem can be your background activities. For example, you might be downloading torrents in the background or a security update of your computer is downloading without your knowledge. This can inadvertently slow down the VPN and make it sluggish. Check your background downloads and wait for them to finish – it’s quite simple.
Using a slow VPN. Above all, it’s important to use a fast VPN provider. If you’re sticking to free VPNs, don’t expect them to be stable. We recommend ExpressVPN with the fastest speeds even on distant servers. You can get its 49% discount and 3 free months for the annual plan here.

Problems With Unblocking Streaming Services

The VPN not connecting is a typical problem that should be fixed with our solutions above. However, what if you encounter a specific issue where you can’t unblock streaming services? Many people struggle with that, yet, this is, for many, the main reason to use a VPN.

Sadly, this problem will become more prevalent, as streaming platforms update their anti-VPN measures and detect VPN connections more easily. The most common example is Netflix not working with a VPN, making it impossible to unblock shows and movies.

Or perhaps, BBC iPlayer not working properly, and still showing that you’re not in the UK, despite the IP address from this country. As stated, this is both the “fault” of VPNs and streaming platforms. Streaming platforms because they’re capable of detecting VPN connections and VPNs because they can’t bypass their security algorithms.

If you experience this with the provider you’re using, there’s only one solution – getting a better provider for this purpose. In this case, we recommend ExpressVPN again, given its extreme reliability on all platforms. However, we found that CyberGhost and NordVPN work exceptionally well.

The key is to get a better service, connect to a server, and try if the streaming platform in question will work. With these 3 providers, unblocking them should be a breeze. Don’t just expect that even these VPNs will work with ALL Netflix catalogs and streaming services.

VPNs have their limits, plus, with all the complex algorithms and technologies to detect VPNs, you might still encounter some blocks occasionally. If this happens, try connecting to another server, disabling your ad blocker, or using another protocol.

Clearing cookies & cache is also a good option, and sometimes, using a different browser can even help. In CyberGhost, you’ll also find special streaming servers, so it’s smart to try one when you’re trying to use a VPN for streaming.

Frequent (Random) Disconnections

The VPN not working properly feels discouraging when there are frequent disconnects. It prevents you from fully relaxing, as your IP address can leak at any moment. Even if there’s a kill switch, your worries aren’t ending. In this case, you’ll constantly be offline until the provider connects again.

But what could cause these annoying disconnections? Here are some of the potential problems and fixes:

Reaching the traffic limit. Free providers are prone to limiting your bandwidth each month. You’ll get anywhere from 2 to 10 gigabytes, and once you spend it all, the VPN will disconnect. This is very annoying and forces you to wait for an entire month before you can use the provider again. The solution is to get a premium service and forget about bandwidth limits!
The VPN server is under maintenance. VPN providers constantly work on their network, improving and maintaining it. At the moment, the server you’re using might be under maintenance, which is why the VPN isn’t working or disconnecting constantly. Switch to another server and see if the problem persists.
Power-saving options are interfering with the connection. If you’re on a mobile device, chances are that your Power Plan is influencing the connection. To save battery, the device will disconnect you from the VPN server. This happened multiple times on our iOS and Android VPN apps, and the fix is to disable the power-saving setting or at least exclude the VPN app from it.
Going above the device number limit. Each provider offers a number of simultaneous connections, although some offer unlimited connections. If you have 5 connections per account and you’re trying to connect using the 6th device, the VPN will disconnect or won’t connect at all. Remove some of the devices and the problem will go away.
Internet connection problems. For a stable VPN connection, you need a stable internet connection. Poor internet connection leads to frequent disconnects and the VPN not working as it should. Make sure your internet connection is stable, and if needed, contact your ISP to fix it. Then, you should see massive improvements and no disconnects.

Inability to Send or Receive Emails

When talking about the VPN not working, we don’t usually think about not being able to send or receive emails. Well, this is a rare problem but still a real one. If you’re one of the rare people with this issue, let’s see what can cause it and how to fix it.

The email service is blocking the VPN. As a security measure, the email service will block a “foreign” IP from accessing your mail. You can try using a server in your country in this case, or simply use split tunneling to exclude the email service from going through the VPN tunnel.
The VPN is blocking the email service. VPNs aren’t always innocent and some of them can block ports used for sending/receiving emails, such as port 25, for example. This can be remedied by contacting the support team of the provider and mentioning the problem. They can help you switch to secure emailing protocols like 465 or 587 and use the email client normally.

VPN Not Connecting in Censored Countries

Censored countries are known for stubborn VPN bans/blocks that can create tons of issues. By censored countries, we mean China, Iran, Iraq, Belarus, North Korea, Russia, Turkey, the UAE, and many others. If you’re in some of them, chances are that you simply can’t connect.

However, we can point you in a few directions, giving you some solutions that you can always try.

Enable obfuscation. Obfuscation is necessary for getting over DPI (deep packet inspection). NordVPN offers obfuscated servers, so you can use them and try to connect. CyberGhost, on the other hand, lacks this feature, so you can’t do anything besides change the protocol. You can also use ExpressVPN with obfuscation enabled by default, which helps get over censorship.
Turn on IP/DNS leak protection. This feature should always be ON to avoid leaking your original IP and DNS to the ISPs in the country. If this happens, they can detect you’re a VPN user, thus, blocking your connection as a result.
Try Shadowsocks or Stealth VPN. Some providers offer additional measures for bypassing DPI. Shadowsocks proxy is a good thing to try, and so is Stealth VPN which allows you to mask your connection and slide under the radar. Astrill VPN works in China thanks to this feature.
Use OpenVPN TCP instead of WireGuard. OpenVPN TCP is relatively reliable when talking about bypassing deep packet inspection. WireGuard is performance-focused, and OpenVPN UDP is more about stability and speed. If you’re using WireGuard, try OpenVPN TCP or even IKEv2. If the provider has obfuscation, it might fix the VPN not working issue entirely.

Other Common Fixes That You Can Try

Aside from all the solutions for the VPN not connecting, you can try some “basic” fixes that can, very often, eliminate the problem. They include:

Restarting the VPN app. If the Virtual Private Network isn’t working on iOS, Android, Windows, or any other system, you can simply restart the app to its default settings and connect again.
Reinstalling the app. Reinstalling the application often leads to some unexpected results – in a good way. You can fix corrupted files and configurations by installing the app again. It helps in many cases – try it and see how well it works for you.
Contacting support. If everything fails, you can always contact the support team and request immediate help. Support team agents will do their best to fix the problem, and if it’s to no avail, you can always request cancellation or a refund depending on the refund policy.
Using another, more reliable provider. If one isn’t working, chances are that another VPN will. So yeah, if you’re tired of dealing with the aforementioned problems, you might need to look somewhere else. Perhaps below, where we presented the most reliable service with no issues.

Your VPN Is Not Working? Try These Providers!

Having a reliable provider with tried-and-tested applications eliminates 95% of the problems at the very start. We recommend these 3 that worked flawlessly through the years for our entire team.

ExpressVPN. A provider with 3,000 servers, unlimited traffic, and blazing-fast speeds. Its apps are optimized well for each platform with NO connection issues. It also offers a no-logs policy, plus advanced security features and above-average streaming capabilities. There’s a 49% discount and 3 free months for its annual plan, so check it out and enjoy a 30-day refund policy as a bonus.
CyberGhost. This one is pretty affordable at $2 or so a month. It packs 9,500 servers with special streaming/torrenting servers for added convenience. Moreover, the service has an ad blocker plus DNS leak prevention, which helps keep you anonymous online. It lacks obfuscation, so the VPN isn’t working in China. We reviewed Astrill VPN which does in case you’re in this country.
NordVPN. A popular service with 5,500+ blazing-fast servers. Offering Double VPN, Private DNS, AES-256 encryption, and a no-logs policy, it’s very secure. Also, NordVPN’s stable connections are followed by NordLynx, a protocol that guarantees very rare disconnects and instability. By the way, it’s also very wallet-friendly and won’t cost you a fortune.
Surfshark. The provider with unlimited connections and servers in 100 countries. We like it for its cheap 2-year plan, as well as features like split tunneling, P2P servers, and MultiHop. It includes an ad blocker plus antivirus, which you can get for $1 or so a month. Beware that its kill switch isn’t the most reliable but at least, you’ll get solid speeds thanks to WireGuard.
Private Internet Access. A US-based provider with 30,000 servers and advanced security options. It lets you change the level of encryption, use split tunneling, or enable an ad blocker called MACE. It’s a good all-arounder with unlimited connections and Shadowsocks/SOCKS5 proxies. Keep in mind that it’s not the fastest and has no Firestick app unlike other VPNs above.

Summary

When using a quality premium provider, the chances of the VPN not working are slim. However, whether or not the issues will appear depends on many variables, especially since providers offer apps for very different platforms and systems.

In most cases, using ExpressVPN or CyberGhost won’t produce any particular problems. But if some of them appear, you have our guide to help you out. Whether the VPN not connecting is your main issue or you’re having difficulties sending emails or streaming, our solutions above should have the answer.

Try ExpressVPN Risk-Free

Besides, you can always test the 5 providers we mentioned, as each offers a money-back guarantee. If one isn’t working as you’d like, get a refund and try another one. In doing so, you’ll stick to the one that works and enjoy its benefits without interruptions.