How to Check If VPN Is Working

If you want to know how to check if vpn is working, record your public IP with Loqmi while disconnected, connect the VPN, and reload the page. A changed IP, ISP, and approximate location show that this browser is reaching the internet through a different exit; then check DNS, IPv6, WebRTC, and the kill switch because a “Connected” label alone does not prove every route or app is protected.

How to check if VPN is working

A personal privacy VPN should normally change the public address websites see. A company VPN may be deliberately split-tunnel: work systems use the tunnel while ordinary web traffic still uses your ISP. Define the expected result before treating an unchanged IP as a failure.

Record a baseline, then recheck

1. Disconnect the VPN completely. If another VPN, proxy, or privacy relay is active, turn it off for this comparison.
2. Open Loqmi's IP checker and record the public IP, ISP, and approximate location. The city is only a database estimate.
3. Connect to the VPN, wait for the app to report a stable connection, and reload the same Loqmi page in the same browser.
4. Compare the full address, not just the country. A new IP and different network operator are strong evidence that this browser is using the VPN exit.

If the old IP remains, check split-tunnel exclusions and confirm that the intended profile is connected; saving a profile does not start its tunnel. A changed IP still proves only what this browser can reach, not what every app is doing.

Check DNS, IPv6, and WebRTC leaks

Loqmi verifies the public address seen by a web page, not every DNS query, IPv6 route, or browser peer-connection path. Use separate checks for those layers. Proton VPN's DNS leak guidance explains why a resolver can reveal the network handling lookups even when the visible IP changed.

• DNS: Run a reputable DNS leak test with the VPN on and compare it with the disconnected baseline. The result should not identify your home ISP's resolvers. A VPN provider's resolver or an explicitly documented third-party resolver can be normal; do not assume that every non-ISP resolver is a leak.
• IPv6: Use an IPv6-aware leak test. Your native ISP IPv6 address should be carried inside the VPN or blocked according to the provider's documented design. Do not copy an IPv6-disable command from a random guide; disabling IPv6 is not the same as tunneling it. See how IPv6 works on a router if the distinction is new.
• WebRTC: Run a WebRTC test in each browser you actually use. A private local-network address is not automatically a public IP leak, but your old ISP-facing public IP appearing while the VPN is on deserves investigation. ExpressVPN's leak-testing documentation describes IP, DNS, WebRTC, and network-transition testing.

Test the kill switch and split tunneling

A kill switch is a failure rule, not a connection badge. Enable it, save any work, and use a harmless page. With the VPN connected, briefly interrupt the underlying network or follow the provider's reconnect test. A strict kill switch should block new traffic until the tunnel returns. If browsing continues and Loqmi shows your old IP, review the setting.

Clicking Disconnect is not always a valid kill-switch test: some clients allow traffic after a user-initiated disconnect. Also inspect split tunneling. An excluded browser, app, or DNS service may bypass the VPN by design, so test the traffic you want covered. AMTSO's VPN testing guidance includes network changes, DNS, WebRTC, and IPv6 leak cases.

Check the VPN on Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, and iOS

Use the VPN app's controls when it installed the tunnel. Built-in profiles use the operating-system paths below; manufacturers and managed devices can vary.

Windows 11

Open Start > Settings > Network & internet > VPN, select the profile, and choose Connect or Disconnect. Microsoft also documents a VPN shield on the taskbar for a recognized connection. A provider app may show different controls, so use that app when it owns the profile. See Microsoft's current Windows instructions.

macOS

For a manual profile, use Apple menu > System Settings > Network > Action menu > Add VPN Configuration, then connect from the VPN status menu in the menu bar. If a provider app created the connection, connect there instead. Apple documents this path in its Mac VPN guide.

Linux and Ubuntu

In Ubuntu GNOME, open Activities > Network, select the + beside VPN, choose the connection type, and press Add. Connect from the top-bar system menu; Ubuntu shows a lock icon when connected. Other distributions, desktop environments, and vendor clients use different paths. See Ubuntu's VPN help.

Android

Open Settings > Network & internet > VPN, choose the profile, and connect. Android shows a VPN indicator when connected; if the menu is missing, search Settings for “VPN.” With an app-based VPN, the system page opens the app. Google notes that device makers can provide different menus in Android Help.

iOS

Connect and disconnect in the VPN provider's iPhone app. To inspect a managed or installed profile, open Settings > General > VPN & Device Management; do not remove a work or school profile just to test. iOS layouts and provider apps differ, so search Settings for “VPN” if needed. Apple's profile guidance explains the system path.

Use speed as a supporting check

A VPN can add route distance, encryption work, or congestion, increasing latency or reducing throughput without being broken. Run Loqmi's speed test with the VPN off and on, using the same device, browser, and network. Compare download, upload, and latency; see this VPN speed guide when speed is the symptom.

Troubleshoot by symptom

Know what the check proves

A good result shows that one request used the VPN exit and the tested leak paths did not expose your baseline. It does not make you anonymous, erase cookies, change GPS or permissions, or prove every app uses the tunnel. Read how IP hiding works and what it cannot hide for the wider privacy picture.