Have you ever wondered if your VPN is actually working?
You turn it on, and it shows you’re ‘connected’, but you still don’t know if the VPN is really working. If that’s the case, don’t worry because you’re not alone.
One of the most common questions VPN users have is how to tell if a VPN is functioning correctly. Unfortunately, issues like IP, DNS, or WebRTC leaks can give the false impression that it’s working correctly when it’s not.
In this guide, we explain how to check if your VPN is working with beginner-friendly step-by-step instructions.
Before conducting more thorough testing, you should ensure the VPN is connected to a server.
All VPNs work and look different, but most offer some visual or text hints about their connection status, including:
On Windows and macOS, you can also look at the VPNs icon on the menu bar or system tray. If it’s greyed out, it means it’s not connected.
On iOS and Android, connected VPNs display a ‘VPN’ symbol beside the Wi-Fi or mobile data icons.
However, this only confirms the VPN is connected. Checking if the VPN is successfully hiding your identity requires other tests.
Below, we guide you through the quickest and easiest method to test if your VPN service is working correctly, ensuring it’s connected and without data leaks.
It takes less than five minutes to perform all these tests.
First and foremost, it’s essential to know what to look for. All IP addresses follow the same format and look something like this: 192.168.1.1.
If you can’t find anything mentioning ‘IP’, look for ‘IPv4’ instead.
There are various websites where you can check for your IP address, as well as other information about you ISP:
After finding what your IP is, write it down or save it in a text document.
Open your VPN, select a location, and connect to it.
Go back to the website (or refresh the page) where you checked your ‘native’ IP address.
The IP address should now be different and match the location to which you connected on your VPN.
Desirable result: Your IP changed – successful connection.
Undesirable result: Your IP remains the same – unsuccessful connection.
This test only verifies that the VPN is connected. To confirm that your data is protected and not leaking, you need to conduct additional testing.
There are many websites to test DNS leaks. Some of the ones we use when reviewing VPN services include:
DNS stands for Domain Name System and is essentially your device’s ‘phonebook’ of websites.
To achieve an anonymous VPN connection, DNS requests must be masked. Otherwise, your internet provider may still have visibility into what you’re doing online.
So, checking for DNS leaks is a common test to ensure the VPN is working properly.
In essence, when conducting a DNS leak test while connected to a VPN, you should only see the DNS servers associated with your VPN connection. If it shows your ISP’s servers, then the DNS is leaking.
Keep in mind that the test takes a few seconds to go through the full connection,
Example
Desirable result: DNS servers belong to Madrid.
Undesirable result: DNS servers belong to your ISP.
Configure your DNS manually and use a reliable one, such as Google DNS (8.8.8.8).
Use a VPN with built-in DNS leak protection.
In addition to a DNS leak test, you need to test for WebRTC leaks.
WebRTC (Web Real-Time Communication) is a set of communication protocols that enable real-time peer-to-peer (P2P) audio, video, and data sharing between browsers and applications.
This communication can also expose your IP address, and that’s why it’s essential to ensure there are no WebRTC leaks.
The websites we usually use to look for WebRTC leaks include:
Go over the results and find your public IP address, which is usually below ‘Your WebRTC IP’. You can click on the IP address to find more information about it.
Desirable result: Your public IP address belongs to the VPN’s location.
Undesirable result: Your public IP belongs to your ISP.
Disable WebRTC in the browser.
Use a VPN with built-in WebRTC leak protection.
Even though testing for leaks doesn’t take long, all the manual testing can feel overwhelming, especially if you are new to VPNs.
Fortunately, there are plenty of VPNs that take that stress away.
One good example is TunnelBear, which includes:
If you’re interested, there’s a free plan to test TunnelBear's performance and privacy for yourself without having to commit to a paid plan.
TunnelBear is a well-known VPN service mostly praised for its simplicity. It’s available for the most popular platforms and offers a kill switch, split tunneling, unlimited simultaneous connections, and high-standard encryption protocols.
With one of the easiest to navigate VPN interfaces, a server network that covers over 45 countries, and a free version, TunnelBear might be the right app for you – especially if you’re not familiar with this type of software.
So, let’s imagine you do all these tests and find out that your VPN isn’t working properly.
In that case, you should follow a simple troubleshooting checklist:
✅ Confirm your subscription is already active.
✅ Restart your device.
✅ Disconnect and reconnect.
✅ Update the VPN software to the latest version.
✅ Try a different server location.
✅ Try a different encryption protocol.
✅ Try a different Wi-Fi connection (if connected to one).
✅ Check network restrictions (public buildings like schools block VPN traffic).
✅ Turn off your antivirus or firewall temporarily. Don’t use any website you don’t fully trust until you turn the internet security software back on.
✅ Contact your VPN provider’s customer support (If you’re stuck, VPNs like TunnelBear offer fast and friendly support).
Ensuring that your VPN is working correctly and without any leaks isn’t a complex task. In fact, all the tests you need to run can be done in under five minutes.
If that’s too long for you, consider opting for a reliable VPN service that streamlines the process even further.
We recommend TunnelBear, which offers built-in protection and an interface that makes the verification process obvious. Plus, it comes at a reasonable price and provides plenty of ways for you to test it out.
It depends on what VPN you’re using.
For VPNs without a kill switch or leak protection, double-check that the VPN is working whenever you select a server or protocol. If you always use the same server/protocol, you should still check it weekly.
For VPNs with a killswitch and leak protection, occasionally is enough.
Yes, sometimes a VPN may be connected, but it exposes your IP due to dropped tunnels, software glitches, or antivirus and firewall conflicts. Many free VPN services have this issue.
That’s why testing for IP, DNS, and WebRTC leaks is so important.
Yes, usually VPN services slow down your internet when they’re working correctly.
Reliable VPNs only reduce speeds by a slight amount, between 10% and 30%.
However, in some instances, server performance may be affected if you’re connecting to an overloaded server, a distant location, or using slower encryption protocols.
An IP address is your device’s identification number when connected to the internet. When connected to a VPN, it should be replaced with one from the VPN’s server.
A DNS leak occurs when your DNS queries (requests to translate website names into IP addresses) bypass your VPN tunnel and go directly through your ISP’s servers instead, exposing which websites you’re visiting even though your IP address is hidden by the VPN
Even if your IP address is hidden by the VPN, a DNS leak can still reveal your browsing activity to your ISP.
No. Most modern VPNs offer stable and encrypted connections. We recommend testing it if you notice slower speeds and frequent connection drops.
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