How to Turn Off a VPN on Your Phone, Computer and Browser

Turning off a VPN makes your device go online directly over your own connection instead of through the VPN server. You may want to turn it off when some sites won’t open with the VPN, when your internet slows down, when a banking app shows a warning or when you no longer need the VPN. The method depends on how you set the VPN up: an app, a system setting, a browser extension or a profile.

In this article we explain how to turn off a VPN on Android, iPhone, Windows, macOS and in browsers, and what to do if the VPN won’t turn off.

How Do I Know If a VPN Is On?

• A VPN icon or key symbol appears in your phone’s status bar.
• On a computer, a connected VPN is listed in the network settings.
• The location you see on an IP lookup site differs from your real location.

How to Turn Off a VPN on Android

1. Swipe down the notification panel, tap the VPN notification and choose Disconnect.
2. Or go to Settings → Network & internet (or Connections) → VPN and disconnect the connected VPN.
3. If Always-on VPN is enabled, turn it off in the VPN’s settings on the same screen; otherwise the VPN will reconnect by itself.
4. If an app manages the VPN, open the app and disconnect, or uninstall the app.

Menu names may differ slightly by phone brand.

How to Turn Off a VPN on iPhone

1. Turn off the VPN switch near the top of the Settings app.
2. If it isn’t there, set the connection status to Not Connected under Settings → General → VPN & Device Management → VPN.
3. If Connect On Demand is on, the VPN connects automatically; turn it off.
4. To remove the VPN completely, select the profile on the same screen and tap Delete VPN.

How to Turn Off a VPN on Windows

1. Click the network icon on the taskbar and press Disconnect on the VPN connection.
2. Or select the connection under Settings → Network & Internet → VPN and disconnect.
3. On the same screen you can turn off options such as Allow VPN over metered networks and Allow VPN while roaming as needed.
4. If you use a third-party VPN app, disconnect from its icon in the system tray; if you don’t want it to start with Windows, turn off auto-start in the app’s settings.

How to Turn Off a VPN on macOS

1. Turn off the connection’s switch under System Settings → VPN.
2. If there’s a VPN icon in the menu bar, you can disconnect from there too.

How to Turn Off a VPN in Your Browser

• Chrome / Edge / Firefox extensions: click the extension icon in the toolbar and turn off the connection. To remove it completely, delete the extension from the browser’s extensions page.
• Opera’s built-in VPN: click the VPN badge in the address bar to turn it off, or disable it in the privacy section of the browser settings.

A browser extension only affects traffic in that browser; other apps use the normal connection.

What If the VPN Won’t Turn Off?

• Check the Always-on / Connect on demand settings.
• Turn off the VPN app’s kill switch (which blocks the internet when the connection drops); otherwise your internet may cut out when the VPN turns off.
• On devices managed by your work or school, the VPN may be enforced by a management profile. In that case, contact the IT department.
• As a last resort, uninstall the VPN app and restart the device.

No Internet After Turning Off the VPN

1. Restart the device.
2. Check whether the VPN changed your DNS settings; switch back to automatic (DHCP) DNS.
3. On Windows, make sure proxy settings are off.
4. Reset the network settings if needed.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it safe to turn off the VPN?

On your trusted home network, yes for most tasks. On public Wi-Fi networks, using a VPN for sensitive tasks gives extra protection.

Does my IP address change when I turn off the VPN?

Yes. Websites now see the IP address assigned by your internet provider instead of the VPN server’s.

Can I exclude some apps without turning off the VPN?

Many VPN apps let selected apps connect outside the VPN with a split tunnelling feature.

If you’d like to set up your own VPN server, see our WireGuard setup guide.