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Troubleshooting slow Internet connectivity issues with Norton VPN

When you connect to a VPN, your internet traffic takes an extra step before it reaches the website or service you are using. Instead of going straight from your device to the internet, the traffic first goes through a secure VPN server. This helps protect your connection, but it can also make things feel slower.

  • There are a few simple reasons for this:
  • Your data has to travel farther than usual.
  • The VPN encrypts your traffic to keep it secure, and that extra protection can add a small delay.
  • The VPN server may be busy if many people are connected at the same time.
  • Some websites, apps, or streaming services may work more slowly through a VPN than on a normal connection.
  • Your internet speed is still limited by your home, office, or mobile network, and the VPN cannot make that connection faster.

In short, a VPN improves privacy and security, but that added protection can sometimes reduce speed a little. A small drop in speed is normal, especially when loading websites, streaming, downloading files, or using online meetings.

Please follow the steps below to overcome this situation.

Change the VPN protocol.

Change VPN protocol settings

The Norton VPN Protocol setting is available in Norton VPN on Windows, macOS, Android, and iOS, and in Norton 360 for Android and macOS. If you are using Norton 360 for Windows or iOS, skip this step, as this setting is not currently available in those apps.

To change the VPN protocol, depending on the operating system, choose one of the following:

Windows

Depending on your product, choose one of the following:

Norton VPN

  • Open Norton VPN on your desktop.

  • Click Settings in the left pane.

  • On the right side, under the VPN Preferences tab, scroll down to the VPN Protocol Settings section, and choose one of the following.

    • Automatic (recommended)

    • WireGuard

    • Mimic

    • OpenVPN (UDP)

    • OpenVPN (TCP)

Norton 360

The VPN Protocol Setting is currently unavailable in Norton 360 for Windows.

Mac

Depending on your product, choose one of the following:

Norton VPN

  • Open Norton VPN on your Mac.

  • Click Settings in the left pane.

  • On the right side, under the VPN Preferences tab, scroll down to the VPN Protocol Settings section, and choose one of the following.

    • Automatic (recommended)

    • IPSec

    • WireGuard

    • Mimic

Norton 360

  • Open Norton VPN on your Mac.

  • Click Privacy in the left pane.

  • Click Open under the Secure VPN.

  • Click the Settings tab, scroll down to the VPN Protocol Settings section, and choose one of the following.

    • Automatic (recommended)

    • IPSec

    • WireGuard

    • Mimic

Android

Depending on your product, choose one of the following:

Norton VPN

  • Open Norton VPN.

  • Tap the VPN (first tile) at the bottom.

  • Tap the Settings (Gear icon) at the top-right side.

  • On the VPN Preferences screen, scroll down and tap the VPN Protocol Settings section, and choose one of the following.

    • Automatic (recommended)

    • WireGuard

    • Mimic

    • OpenVPN (UDP)

    • OpenVPN (TCP)

Norton 360

  • Open Norton 360.

  • Tap the Menu (second tile) at the bottom.

  • From the Menu screen, under the Privacy section, tap VPN.

  • Tap the Settings (Gear icon) at the top-right side.

  • On this screen, scroll down and tap the VPN Protocol Settings section, and choose one of the following.

    • Automatic (recommended)

    • WireGuard

    • Mimic

    • OpenVPN

iOS

Depending on your product, choose one of the following:

Norton VPN

  • Open Norton VPN.

  • Tap the VPN (first tile) at the bottom.

  • Tap the Settings (Gear icon) at the top-right side.

  • On the VPN Preferences screen, scroll down and tap the VPN Protocol Settings section, and choose one of the following.

    • IPSec

    • WireGuard

    • Mimic

Norton 360

The VPN Protocol Setting is currently unavailable in Norton 360 for iOS.

If the issue persists, connect to a different VPN region.

Connect to a different VPN region

To manually change the geographic region, depending on the operating system, choose one of the following:

Some Advanced VPN features, including additional regions, city-level region selection, Double VPN, and IP Rotation, are currently available on Norton VPN for Windows, macOS, Android, and iOS, and Norton 360 on macOS only. Support for Norton 360 on Windows and mobile platforms will be included in a later rollout.

Windows

Depending on your product, choose one of the following:

Norton VPN

  1. Open Norton VPN on your desktop.

  2. On the Norton dashboard,

    • Click the down arrow next to the current region (above the Connect button).

    • A list of available countries/regions will appear. From this list, select a different Country or City to connect.

Norton VPN also allows you to choose specific cities within a country to connect to. To choose a specific city, in the Change VPN location screen, click the drop-down list present next to the country.
You may also use the search box to search and find a country or city to connect.

Norton 360

  1. Open Norton 360.

  2. On the Norton dashboard, click Privacy on the left side of the window.

  3. In the Privacy window, under Secure VPN, click Open.

  4. In the Secure VPN window, under the Connection tab, click Change Location.

  5. In the Change VPN location window, a list of available countries will appear. From this list, select a different country to connect.

You may also use the search box to search and find a country to connect.

Mac

Depending on your product, choose one of the following:

Norton VPN

  1. Open Norton VPN on your Mac.

  2. On the Norton dashboard,

    • Click the down arrow next to the current region (above the Connect button).

    • A list of available countries/regions will appear. From this list, select a different country or city to connect.

Norton VPN also allows you to choose specific cities within a country to connect to. To choose a specific city, in the Change VPN location screen, click the drop-down list present next to the country.
You may also use the search box to find a country or city to connect.

Norton 360

  1. Open Norton 360.

  2. On the Norton dashboard, click Privacy on the left side of the window.

  3. In the Privacy window, under Secure VPN, click Open.

  4. In the Secure VPN window, under the Connection tab, click Change.

  5. In the Change VPN location window, a list of available countries/regions will appear. From this list, select a different country or city to connect.

Norton 360 on Mac also allows you to choose specific cities within a country to connect to. To choose a specific city, in the Change VPN location screen, click the drop-down list present next to the country.
You may also use the search box to find a country or city to connect.

Android

Depending on your product, choose one of the following:

Norton VPN

This applies to Norton VPN Standard, Norton VPN Plus, and Norton VPN Ultimate users.

  1. Launch Norton VPN.

  2. Tap VPN (first tile) at the bottom, then tap the down arrow next to the current region (below the Connect button).

  3. On the Change VPN Location screen, select a different country or city from the list.

Norton VPN also allows you to choose specific cities within a country to connect to. To choose a specific city, in the Change VPN Location screen, tap the three-dots located next to the country.
You may also use the search box at the top to search and find a country or city to connect.

Norton 360

  1. Launch Norton 360.

  2. At the bottom of the main screen, tap Menu, then tap VPN.

  3. Tap the down arrow next to the current region (below the Connect button).

  4. On the Change VPN Location screen, select a different country from the list.

iOS

Depending on your product, choose one of the following:

Norton VPN

This applies to Norton VPN Standard, Norton VPN Plus, and Norton VPN Ultimate users.

  1. Launch Norton VPN.

  2. Tap VPN (first tile) at the bottom, then tap the down arrow next to the current region (below the Connect button).

  3. On the Change VPN Location screen, select a different region from the list.

Norton VPN also allows you to choose specific cities within a country to connect to. To choose a specific city, in the Change VPN Location screen, tap the three-dots located next to the country.
You may also use the search box to find a country or city to connect.

Norton 360

  1. Launch Norton 360.

  2. On the Norton VPN screen, tap the drop-down list next to Fastest location.

  3. Tap the down arrow next to the current region (below the Connect button).

  4. On the Change VPN Location screen, select a different country from the list.

If the issue persists, Uninstall and Reinstall Norton VPN or Norton 360.

Uninstall and Reinstall Norton VPN or Norton 360

  1. To Uninstall Norton 360 on a Windows device, please visit this article: Uninstall your Norton device security product on Windows.
  2. To Uninstall Norton 360 on a Mac device, please visit this article: Uninstall your Norton device security product on Mac.
  3. To Uninstall Norton 360 on a Mobile device, please visit this article: Uninstall Norton 360 app on your mobile device.
  4. To Reinstall Norton 360 on Windows, macOS, Android, or iOS, please visit this article: Download and install your Norton device security
  5. To Uninstall Norton VPN on Windows, macOS, Android, or iOS, please visit this article: Learn how to uninstall Norton VPN.
  6. To Reinstall Norton VPN on Windows, macOS, Android, or iOS, please visit this article: Download and install Norton VPN.

If you are still experiencing the issues, you can share your feedback via our Feedback option in the VPN product. You can also contact us by visiting Member Services and Support.

DocID: v20231215135350947
Last modified: 06/04/2026

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