In the modern age of browsing the internet, a VPN is essential for staying safe online. While VPNs can be a perfect technique to access a work network or browse the web privately, they can cause your internet to slow down slightly. Also, if you have to move to a new job, you may not have to access the work network anymore.
If you are experiencing a dawdling network and want to learn how to turn off your VPN or even delete a VPN profile from your system, TechNinjaPro comes up with this simple guide. This blog will provide a brief guide on turning off your VPN under iOS, Windows, and Android.
So what time should you turn off a VPN? There is only one circumstance: If you troubleshoot a network problem and want to ensure your VPN does not cause the problem. In that condition, temporarily turning off your VPN is fine.
When we talk about turning off a VPN, it could mean either permanently or temporarily disabling it. Let’s start with temporarily turning off, but before that, the first covers what a VPN is and how turning off a VPN affects our privacy.
- What is VPN?
- Turning off a VPN Using Third-Party App
- Turn Off a VPN in Windows
- Turn off a VPN in Android
- Turn off a VPN in iOS
- When Is It Safe to Turn Off A VPN?
- Why Should You Keep The VPN On?
What is VPN?
A VPN is an online security service that offers security, privacy, and anonymity. When you allow a VPN, it routes your system’s internet traffic through an encrypted VPN tunnel. Basically, it conceals your internet activity from the prying eyes of your ISP, hackers, and the government. When you disable your virtual private network, your internet traffic goes through public networks unencrypted and thus insecure. Turning off your VPN for just a few seconds could expose your online activity, so consider yourself forewarned.
Note: When you disable your VPN, all your online activity becomes visible to your internet service provider. The websites you visit also see your actual IP address, which is tied to your physical location. Cyber-terrorists connected to the same network can see and steal your online information if you are on a public network.
Turning off a VPN Using Third-Party App
Most VPNs come with software or app from which you can manage the virtual private network. Launch the VPN software and click, tap, pin the same button you used to enable it if you are using an iOS, Android, or Windows VPN. The switch might read Turn Off, Stop, Disconnect, or it might be a power icon. Regardless, the purpose is the same.
As for Linux VPNs, those that have a GUI follow the same practice. However, those with a CLI are a bit different. To turn off a Linux using CLI, you should defer to the software’s documents and look for the command line code that turns off the VPN. Simply enter the code into the terminal, and you are good to go.
Every trustworthy VPN available in the market comes with unlimited bandwidth. This means that you are open to leave it active at all times. However, they come with their pros and cons and can slow your internet connection at times. So, let’s have a look at how to turn off a virtual private network.
Turn Off a VPN in Windows
Depending on how you set up your virtual private network on windows, there are two ways to turn it off. You can achieve that from the VPN app or Windows setting app. here is what you have to do.
- If you have configured VPN manually: Navigate to setting and select Network & Internet option. Then, select VPN and select the VPN connection you need to turn off. Lastly, click ‘Disconnect.’
- If you have a VPN app: Launch your VPN app and wait for the home screen. Then click on an OFF/ON switch to turn off the currently active VPN connection.
Turn off a VPN in Android
Android devices do not natively support VPN, so users will typically use a vendor app provided by their virtual private network provider.
- Select the software from your Android home screen.
- Select the disconnect option from the menu.
This should be a simple practice. Choosing the app should immediately present you with the choice to turn off the VPN.
Otherwise:
- Pick the settings from the home screen.
- Pick more under wireless and networks.
- Pick VPN and toggle off the active connection
Turn off a VPN in iOS
The fastest process to get online using a VPN on an iPhone is to use a VPN app. You can configure iOS to run it, but the app is faster. The VPN app will configure your device to use the VPN.
To turn your VPN off:
- Choose settings from the home screen.
- Choose VPN. If you are experimenting with various customers, you will have to select the active one.
- Click it off.
This technique is generally the same whether you are using a VPN app or have manually configured it yourself.
When Is It Safe to Turn Off A VPN?
If you are connected to the public network, the answer is that it is never secure to turn off a VPN because you do not have much control over information security on such connections. The Federal Communications Commission warns about transmitting vital information to secure sites over public networks.
At home, we recommend keeping your VPN connected. Internet service providers can see and record your online activities and your browsing information.
With thousands of data breaches occurring each year in the United States, it is entirely safe to let internet service providers log anything about your internet activity.
Sadly, there are different times that we need to turn off our VPNs temporarily. For example, some businesses prohibit using VPNs at work, as some employees use VPNs to bypass site restrictions set by network administrators. In the same situation, you could be in a country where virtual private network services are illegal, like China. It is also sometimes required to turn off a VPN when troubleshooting your web connection. In such cases, the perfect you can do is to keep in mind to connect to the VPN as soon as possible.
Why Should You Keep The VPN On?
It is recommended to maintain the VPN connection in most cases since it provides an extra sheet of security and privacy for your online browsing. Most importantly, it protects your information from being leaked or becoming prone to cyber-attacks. You should keep your VPN on if you are using a public network, as these connections are completely susceptible to hacking and cyber-attacks.
Since the VPN encrypts the information, it is practically impossible for anyone to hack into it. Plus, it is a process to keep your data safe and secure from the internet service providers and the government.
Frequently Asked Questions
It is not safe to turn off a virtual private network, even when connected to your home network. Without a virtual private network, internet service providers can see what you are doing online. However, if you want to turn off your VPN, do not forget to turn it back on.
You can use your virtual private network app to turn off your VPN connection temporarily. You can also turn off a VPN from your system’s network settings.
Yes, you can leave your virtual private network on all the time to keep yourself protected from leaks, data breaches, and hackers.
When you turn off your VPN, all of your online traffic becomes visible to your internet service provider. The sites you visit also see your actual IP address, which is tied to your physical location. If you are on public wifi, hackers connected to the same internet network can see and steal your online information.
Yes, using a VPN on your devices can consume anywhere between 5% and 20% more battery than without. Remember that any application running your device will impact battery consumption, especially applications that constantly run in the background.
Yes, a virtual private network will have an impact on your phone battery life and data speeds.
Conclusion
To keep your important information and transactions safe on the internet, you must choose the VPN that guarantees quicker speeds and ultimate security. However, irrespective of how outstanding the virtual private network is, you will have to turn it off at times.
That is why this blog covers how to turn off VPN. Hopefully, you found it supportive.