What a VPN Kill Switch Is and How to Set One Up

If there’s an issue with your VPN server or device, even if it’s just a temporary issue, that extra layer of privacy and security is instantly gone. Your browsing and app usage are then exposed – which is probably not what you want if you bothered to install a VPN in the first place.

Kill switch – indeed mechanically– Close everything. When your VPN connection is lost, your network access is automatically cut off: so while you experience the inconvenience of being suddenly offline, you won’t be able to send and receive data that others can access.

For example, without a kill switch, the website or app you connect to suddenly has access to your IP address and potentially your location and more information about you. The more serious the reason for using a VPN (perhaps to avoid censorship restrictions or to protect sensitive information), the more important it becomes to set a kill switch.

How to enable VPN Kill Switch

How you use a kill switch depends on the VPN provider you choose and the features available in the software you get. Some VPNs don’t offer a kill switch, and those that do vary depending on whether it’s enabled by default. If you really want to use this feature, look for a VPN service that offers it.

The feature should be somewhere in the settings of the VPN app you use on your computer, tablet, or phone, although you may need to dig into the advanced sections of settings to find it. in this case ProtonVPN Desktop applications, for example, the kill switch button can be nation tab on the main dashboard.

If you use Northern VPN On your computer, click the gear icon on the top toolbar and select kill switch from the list of options on the left. for ExpressVPN Users with the desktop client installed can find the kill switch by clicking the menu button (upper left corner) and then Options and General:You can then select the marked square If the VPN unexpectedly disconnects, stop all network traffic.

It’s in different locations and sometimes has different names for different VPN apps on different platforms, but the basic idea is the same. Additionally, some VPNs offer a kill switch that is only activated when you use certain programs and apps, so this is not a blanket rule that applies to all network access.