What Is a VPN Kill Switch?

Here’s exactly how a VPN kill switch works:

1. 🔎 Monitoring: The kill switch constantly surveys your VPN connection, looking for any changes in your network status or IP address.
2. 🚨 Detecting: Any alteration or disruption to your VPN connection is immediately detected by the kill switch.
3. ✂️ Disconnecting: The kill switch responds by cutting your device’s connection to the internet or to a specifically chosen app.
4. 🛜 Reconnecting: Once your VPN connection is restored, the kill switch deactivates and allows your internet connection to reestablish.

Types of VPN Kill Switch

Though all kill switches broadly follow the process outlined above, exactly how they work depends on their implementation.

Most notably, VPN kill switches vary by what causes them to activate and how they are applied.

Standard Kill Switch

The kill switch engages when it detects a disconnection from the VPN, blocking your device’s connection to the internet. Your internet connection resumes once your VPN connection reestablishes or the VPN app is closed. This is the most common type of kill switch and is available from the vast majority of VPN services.

Permanent Kill Switch

Your entire device is blocked from the internet once you lose connection to the VPN server. Your internet connection can’t resume until you reconnect to the VPN, even once the VPN app is closed. This is also referred to as an ‘advanced kill switch’ or ‘network kill switch’ and is only offered by a handful of VPN services, like PIA or Windscribe.

Permanent kill switches offer the greatest level of protection as disconnecting your entire device’s connection makes IP leaks far less likely.

Application Kill Switch

Only pre-selected apps are disconnected from the internet in case of an unexpected VPN disconnection. The rest of your device continues to function as normal. This is the rarest type of kill switch and is only offered by select VPN services, such as NordVPN.

Application-level kill switches can be useful if you have a specific use-case for your VPN. For example, if you’re using a VPN to torrent then you may want to only block your torrenting client.

This offers greater flexibility as you can continue to browse freely while keeping your torrenting traffic safe.

If your kill switch isn’t working then there’s usually an issue with the VPN app, your device, or both.

Faulty or outdated VPN software can prevent your kill switch from triggering during an unexpected VPN disconnection.

Equally, your device’s firewall or system settings may prevent the VPN app itself from functioning properly.

Then there are some top-rated providers, such as CyberGhost and PrivateVPN, that choose to leave your traffic unprotected when changing servers.

Since this isn’t a fault so much as a limitation, the only solution is to switch to a VPN with a kill switch that activates during any type of disconnection — including a server change. In our opinion, NordVPN and PIA are great options.

We’ve outlined some solutions below for fixing your VPN’s kill switch:

1. Change the VPN Protocol

If your kill switch isn’t working, it may be due to the VPN protocol you’re using. Either the current protocol doesn’t support a kill switch or its kill switch doesn’t work properly.

From our testing, we found OpenVPN protocols to be the most compatible with a VPN kill switch, particularly OpenVPN TCP.

Some providers, like Astrill and FastestVPN, only offer a kill switch on OpenVPN protocols.

Try switching your VPN protocol to OpenVPN TCP and then test the kill switch again.

2. Run as Administrator

A VPN kill switch requires access to your device’s internet connection so that it can be disabled in the event of a VPN disconnection.

This is an intrusive action which could be blocked by your PC. If that’s the case, you will need to manually upgrade your VPN’s permissions.

Here’s how to upgrade your VPN’s privileges:

1. Navigate to the VPN’s app on your desktop.
2. Right-click the app and select Run as administrator.
3. A prompt will appear asking if the app can make changes to your device.

   Click Yes.

4. The VPN should now have the necessary permissions to disable your internet connection.

3. Update and Restart the App

You may be using an older version of a VPN app that doesn’t support a VPN kill switch or has a bug in its software preventing the kill switch from working correctly.

To determine whether your app is outdated, go to the VPN’s website and find the VPN apps page. This is normally labeled VPN Apps, Apps, or Download.

From here make a note of the current version of the VPN software and see if it matches the app installed on your device.

By installing the latest version of the app any known technical bugs should now be fixed, including the faulty kill switch.

4. Change Your Firewall Settings

Your computer’s firewall may prevent any VPN connections from being established.

Even if you’re able to initially connect to a VPN server, your firewall may block the kill switch from reestablishing the VPN connection. This would leave your real IP address exposed without you ever realizing.

To fix this go into your device’s settings and add your VPN to the list of apps that are allowed to pass through the firewall.

5. Contact Customer Support

If none of the solutions above work, contact the VPN’s customer support.

The quality of support can vary by provider but most VPNs will have an email or ticket system to answer queries.

At the very least the support agent can eliminate the possibility that your VPN is at fault for any kill switch issues.