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Fix problem accessing the Internet when connected to Norton VPN

If you can access the internet normally when Norton VPN is off, but cannot browse or use online apps when it is ON, the most common reason is that the current network is blocking or interfering with VPN traffic. This can happen on public Wi‑Fi, captive portal networks, or networks with strict firewall or security settings.

Use the steps below in order.

Before you begin

  • Make sure your device can access the internet with Norton VPN turned off.
  • If you are using a hotel, airport, café, or other public Wi‑Fi, open a browser and complete any sign-in page required by the network first. Some captive networks do not allow VPN connections until sign-in is complete.
  • If possible, try a different network, such as mobile data or another Wi‑Fi network.

Change VPN protocol settings

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

  • Open Norton 360 on your desktop.

  • Click Privacy in the left pane.

  • Click Open under the Secure VPN.

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

    • Automatic (recommended)

    • WireGuard

    • Mimic

    • OpenVPN (UDP)

    • OpenVPN (TCP)

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 (UDP)

    • OpenVPN (TCP)

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

  • Open Norton Norton 360.

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

  • Tap VPN under the Privacy section.

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

  • On the VPN Preferences screen, tap Advanced Settings, and choose one of the following.

    • IPSec

    • WireGuard

    • Mimic

If the issue persists, Refresh the IP manually.

Please ignore this step if you are using Norton 360 or Norton VPN on iOS devices since this feature is currently unavailable.

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.

Norton 360

  1. Open and connect to the VPN.

    1. Open Norton 360
    2. Click Privacy at the left pane.
    3. Click Open on the Secure VPN tile.
    4. Choose your preferred VPN location.
    5. Click Connect and wait until the status shows Connected.

  2. Find the Manual IP Refresh button.

    1. While connected, look below to the connected region.
    2. Click the button Refresh IP.

  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 IP 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.

Android

Norton VPN

  • Open and connect to the VPN.

    • Open the Norton VPN app.
    • Choose your preferred VPN location.
    • Tap Connect and wait until the status shows Connected.

  • Find the Manual IP Refresh icon.

    • While connected, look next to the Disconnect button.
    • Tap the refresh icon (circular arrow).

  • Confirm Data leak warning (if prompted).

    • If the Kill Switch is off, you will be prompted to turn it ON to prevent the data leak during the IP refresh period.
    • Tap cancel and tap Settings (a Gear icon) at the top-right, slide the toggle switch next to Kill Switch to turn it on.
    • Go back and tap the Refresh IP icon (circular arrow) again..
    • If you wish to refresh the IP without enabling the Kill Switch, tap Continue anyway.

  • 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.

Norton 360

  • Open and connect to the VPN.

    • Open the Norton 360 app.
    • Choose your preferred VPN location.
    • Tap Connect and wait until the status shows Connected.

  • Find the Manual IP Refresh icon.

    • While connected, look next to the Disconnect button.
    • Tap the refresh icon (circular arrow).

  • Confirm Data leak warning(if prompted).

    • If the Kill Switch is off, you will be prompted to turn it ON to prevent the data leak during the IP refresh period.
    • Tap cancel and tap Settings (a Gear icon) at the top-right, slide the toggle switch next to Kill Switch to turn it on.
    • Go back and tap the Refresh IP icon (circular arrow) again..
    • If you wish to refresh the IP without enabling the Kill Switch, tap Continue anyway.

  • 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

If your VPN is set to Fastest Location, manually choose a region and try again. If you are already connected to a specific region, choose a nearby different region.

Examples:

  • If you are in the United States and your VPN is set to Fastest Location, manually select the United States.
  • If you are in the United States and the VPN is already set to the United States, try Canada or Mexico.
  • If you are in Germany and the VPN is already set to Germany, try Switzerland or France.

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 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. Click Open under Secure VPN.

  4. In the Secure VPN window, under the Connection tab, click the down arrow next to Fastest Location or current location.

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

Secure VPN feature in Norton 360 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 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. Click Open under Secure VPN.

  4. In the Secure VPN window, under the Connection tab, click the down arrow next to Fastest Location or current location.

  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.

Secure VPN feature in 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 (second tile), 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.

Secure VPN feature in Norton 360 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.

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 Fastest location or 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. At the bottom of the main screen, tap Menu (second tile), then tap VPN.

  3. On the Norton VPN screen, tap the drop-down list next to Fastest location or current region (below the Connect button).

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

Secure VPN feature in Norton 360 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.

If the issue persists, disable Ad Tracker Blocking on your device.

Disable Ad Tracker Blocking

To turn off 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 in the left pane.

  3. Click Open under the Secure VPN

  4. Click the 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 in the left pane.

  3. Click Open under the Secure VPN

  4. Click the 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, 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, 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.

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 having issues, please share your feedback via our Feedback option in the Norton product. You may also contact us by visiting Member Services and Support.

DocID: v131881876
Last modified: 06/26/2026

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