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Norton VPN stays at "Connecting" and returned to disconnected state

This problem occurs if Norton VPN fails to connect to the VPN server. This can be caused by temporary problems with your network connection. Ensure that your device is connected to a stable Internet connection.

Check for network problems

If you were able to connect to Norton VPN on the same network before, wait a while and try connecting to Norton VPN again.

Some networks do not allow VPN connections and restrict VPN access using network or firewall settings. If this error occurs when you connect to Norton VPN for the first time, it may be due to network or firewall settings.

If you keep seeing this error message, try connecting to a different network or using your device's mobile data connection.

To fix this issue, please follow the instructions below.

Change the VPN protocol

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, 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, 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: v124879257
Last modified: 06/26/2026

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