Is my VPN working?
This page shows which address sites see, whether it belongs to a VPN, and whether DNS lookups and WebRTC go around it. We do not sell VPNs and do not tell you which one to pick.
Checking your browser…
What this page checks
A VPN has two jobs: show sites its own address instead of yours, and carry all of the traffic of the browser. This page checks both. For the address the page was loaded from, we look at who owns its network (a data center, or a home or mobile provider) and compare it with the list of Tor exit nodes and with the list of iCloud Private Relay addresses that Apple publishes.
Then the browser makes two requests that leave the usual way of the page. It looks up a unique test name that only our DNS server answers, so we see which DNS server asked for it. And it opens a WebRTC connection to our server, so we see which address the UDP traffic comes from. When the DNS server belongs to a provider in another country than your address, or WebRTC shows another public address, part of the traffic goes around the VPN.
The page also shows what can give a VPN away even without a leak: a browser time zone that does not match the country of the address, and proxy headers. HTTP/3 and the connection delay are shown for information: we are still checking these rules on real devices, so they do not change the result.
How to read the result
- The VPN works: the address belongs to a data center or VPN, and neither DNS nor WebRTC gives away another one. Sites can still tell it is a VPN, because the address comes from a data center.
- Something goes around the VPN: a DNS server of a provider in another country, or another public address in WebRTC. The findings have "How to close it" tips.
- No VPN in sight: sites see an address of an ordinary provider. Either the VPN is not connected, or it goes out to the internet through home addresses.
- Time zone: when it does not match the country of the address, a site may guess that you use a VPN, although nothing leaked.
- What we do not check: an IPv6 leak (our check server has no IPv6 yet) and the kill switch, because that would mean breaking the VPN connection.
Further reading
- DNS leak test
- WebRTC leak test
- Why websites notice your VPN by time zone
- My IP and anonymity check
- Full browser check
Frequently asked questions
- Why is the VPN seen when nothing leaks?
- Most VPNs go out to the internet from data center addresses, and network data shows who owns those addresses. So a site sees that it is a VPN even while your real address stays hidden. A VPN hides your address, not the fact that you use a VPN.
- What do I do if something goes around the VPN?
- Turn on the DNS and WebRTC leak protection in your VPN app, or switch WebRTC off in the browser if you do not need it, then run the check again. The "How to close it" tips under the findings have the details.
- Do you recommend a VPN?
- No. We do not sell VPNs, take no money from their sellers and show no VPN ads on this page.
- Is anything stored?
- No. The test name lives for a few minutes on our DNS server to match the answer, then it is dropped; only daily sums are counted, without the checks themselves.