How to Check if VPN is Working

If you’re using a VPN it’s important to be sure that it’s actually working and protecting your privacy and security. There are a couple of simple ways to do this. This guide will show you the best way to check if your VPN is enabled and working.

The easiest way, is to check your IP address. Your IP address should change when you’re on a VPN compared to before you connected. To compare, search “what’s my IP” in Google, both before and after you connect to your VPN. The IP address should change from your home address, when not connected. To your VPN IP address when connected to the VPN. If the IP address is the same, your requests are not going through your VPN and your real IP address is exposed.

Another check you can perform to ensure your VPN is working correctly is a DNS leak test. Your VPN provider may provide a tool to test this directly, alternatively, you can use this website to run a “standard test” when connected to your VPN. If the result comes back and reveals the name of your ISP then your DNS requests are being leaked, and your VPN isn’t working as it should be.

If you experience either of these issues when testing your VPN is working, you should double-check that your VPN is correctly enabled, and then contact your VPN customer services if the problem persists.