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Applicable for: Android,Mac,Windows,iOS

Fix problem accessing a specific website when connected to Norton VPN

When you search for a website on a search engine, do not click on the link that shows Ad or Sponsored in the beginning. These websites may host advertisements that are blocked by Ad tracker.

Some websites provide content that is restricted to specific geographic regions. These services may implement measures to prevent access if they detect the use of VPNs, proxies, or other methods intended to navigate around these regional restrictions.

If you encounter this issue, try the suggested steps below in the following order.

Connect to a different VPN protocol.

 

VPN protocol settings are applicable only for Norton VPN. You can ignore this step if you are using Norton 360 except for Android.

Change VPN protocol settings

To connect to a different VPN protocol, depending on the operating system, choose one of the following:

Windows

Norton VPN

  1. Open Norton VPN app on your desktop.

  2. On the Norton dashboard, do one of the following, depending on your VPN plan:

    • Norton VPN Standard: Click the VPN Preferences tab and choose one of the following protocols: 

      • Automatic (recommended)

      • WireGuard

      • Mimic

      • OpenVPN (UDP)

      • OpenVPN (TCP)

    • Norton VPN Plus/Ultimate: Click Settings. In the Settings window,  choose one of the following protocols:

      • Automatic (recommended)

      • WireGuard

      • Mimic

      • OpenVPN (UDP)

      • OpenVPN (TCP)

Mac

Norton VPN

  1. Open Norton VPN app on your desktop.

  2. On the Norton dashboard, do one of the following, depending on your VPN plan:

    • Norton VPN Standard: Click the VPN Preferences tab and choose one of the following protocols: 

      • Automatic (recommended)

      • IPSec

      • WireGuard

      • Mimic

    • Norton VPN Plus/Ultimate: Click Settings. In the Settings window, choose one of the following protocols:

      • Automatic (recommended)

      • IPSec

      • WireGuard

      • Mimic

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 the Settings icon on the top-right corner of the screen.

  3. In the VPN Preferences screen, tap VPN Protocol Settings.

  4. In the VPN Protocol screen, you can choose one of the following protocols:

    • Automatic (recommended)

    • WireGuard

    • Mimic

    • OpenVPN (UDP)

    • OpenVPN (TCP)

Norton 360

  1. Launch Norton 360.

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

  3. Tap the Settings icon on the top-right corner of the screen.

  4. In the VPN Preferences screen, tap VPN Protocol Settings.

  5. In the VPN Protocol screen, you can choose one of the following protocols:

    • Automatic (recommended)

    • WireGuard

    • Mimic

    • OpenVPN

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 the Settings icon on the top-right corner of the screen.

  3. In the VPN Preferences screen, tap VPN Protocol Settings.

  4. In the VPN Protocol screen, you can choose one of the following protocols:

    • IPSec

    • WireGuard

    • Mimic

If the issue persists, Refresh the IP manually.

The "Manual IP Refresh" feature is applicable only for Norton VPN on Windows and macOS. You can ignore this step if you are using Norton VPN on other Operating Systems or Norton 360.

Manual IP Refresh

The Manual IP refresh feature in Norton VPN allows you to refresh your IP address while maintaining your chosen virtual location. This can be helpful if you are experiencing issues with streaming, website loading, or frequent CAPTCHAs.

To manually refresh the IP, depending on the operating system, choose one of the following:

Windows and macOS

Depending on your product, choose one of the following:

Norton VPN

  1. Open and connect to the VPN.

    1. Open Norton VPN
    2. Choose your preferred VPN location.
    3. Click Connect and wait until the status shows Connected.

  2. Find the Manual IP Refresh button.

    1. While connected, look next to the Disconnect button.
    2. Click the refresh icon (circular arrow).

  3. Confirm Kill Switch (if prompted).

    1. If you see a prompt to turn on Kill Switch, click "Go To Settings" to enable it, then go back to main screen and click the "Manual IP refresh" icon again.
    2. If you do not want to try the Manual IP Refresh, click “Go Back”.
    3. If you wish to refresh the IP without enabling the Kill Switch, click “Continue to refresh IP”.

  4. Get your new IP and retry the site.

    1. Wait for the short “Obtaining new IP…” message to finish.
    2. Once connected again, your IP address is refreshed (same location, new IP).
    3. Go back to your website/app and refresh or retry.

Note:

  • The refresh icon only appears when the VPN is connected and not paused.
  • This feature is ideal when streaming fails, sites don’t load, or CAPTCHAs keep appearing.

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:

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 region/country 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/regions will appear. From this list, select a different region/country to connect.

You may also use the search box to find a specific 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 region/country 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 region/country to connect.

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

  3. On the Change VPN Location screen, select a different country 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 and 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 - 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, disable Ad Tracker Blocking from your device.

Disable Ad Tracker Blocking

To disable the Tracker blocker settings, depending on the operating system, choose one of the following:

Windows

Depending on your product, choose one of the following:

Norton VPN

  1. Open Norton VPN on your desktop.

  2. On the Norton dashboard, do one of the following, depending on your VPN plan:

    • Norton VPN Standard: Click Ad Tracker Blocking. In the screen that appears, move the slider to disable Tracker Blocker

    • Norton VPN Plus/Ultimate: Click Settings. In the Settings window, move the slider to disable Tracker Blocker.

Norton 360

  1. Open Norton 360.

  2. Click Privacy at the left pane.

  3. Click Open under the Secure VPN

  4. Click Ad Tracker Blocking tab at the top. In the screen that appears, move the slider to disable Tracker Blocker

Mac

Depending on your product, choose one of the following:

Norton VPN

  1. Open Norton VPN on your Mac.

  2. On the Norton dashboard, do one of the following, depending on your VPN plan:

    • Norton VPN Standard: Click Ad Tracker Blocking. In the screen that appears, move the slider to disable Tracker Blocker

    • Norton VPN Plus/Ultimate: Click Settings. In the Settings window, move the slider to disable Tracker Blocker.

Norton 360

  1. Open Norton 360.

  2. Click Privacy at the left pane.

  3. Click Open under the Secure VPN

  4. Click Ad Tracker Blocking tab at the top. In the screen that appears, move the slider to disable Tracker Blocker

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. On the Norton VPN screen, tap the Settings (a gear) icon at the top right.

  3. On the VPN Preferences screen, tap Ad Tracker Blocking. In the screen that appears, move the slider to disable Block ad Trackers.

Norton 360

  1. Launch Norton 360.

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

  3. On the Norton VPN screen, tap the Settings (a gear) icon at the top right.

  4. On the VPN Preferences screen, tap Ad Tracker Blocking. In the screen that appears, move the slider to disable Block ad Trackers.

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. On the Norton VPN screen, tap the Settings (a gear) icon at the top right.

  3. On the VPN Preferences screen, tap Ad Tracking Blocker. In the screen that appears, move the slider to disable Block Ad Tackers.

Norton 360

  1. Launch Norton 360.

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

  3. On the Norton VPN screen, tap the Settings (a gear) icon at the top right.

  4. On the VPN Preferences screen, tap Ad Tracking Blocker. In the screen that appears, move the slider to disable Block Ad Trackers.

Some websites may have issues loading with VPN enabled. If this occurs, reload or refresh the page a few times. 

You may occasionally encounter issues logging in to other websites with VPN enabled. If you face this issue, log in to your website and turn on the VPN from your desktop or mobile device.

Log in to the website and turn on VPN

  1. Open Norton VPN on your desktop or mobile device.

  2. Depending on your operating system, choose one of the following:

    • On Windows and Mac: On the Norton dashboard, Click Disconnect to disable VPN.

    • On Android and iOS: Tap VPN(first tile) at the bottom and Tap Disconnect to disable VPN.

  3. Launch the website and sign in.

  4. Open your VPN product on your desktop or mobile device.

  5. Connect to your desired country and access the content you wish to watch.

If the issue persists, try to use a different browser to access the website or use your browser in incognito mode and check if you are able to use the website.

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

Disclaimer: We do not condone or endorse any unlawful, illicit, criminal or fraudulent activities perpetrated by using the VPN services. For more information, refer to our License Service Agreement.

DocID: v132053419
Last modified: 05/08/2026

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