NordVPN’s automatic Kill Switch

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What is a VPN kill switch?

A VPN kill switch is an advanced security feature designed to protect your digital data from accidental exposure. If your VPN connection drops, the VPN kill switch will block your internet access until the connection to the VPN server is restored.

Why you need a VPN kill switch

Dropping your VPN connection for even a millisecond can lead to data being lost and your IP being exposed. Here’s why you should keep the Kill Switch on at all times.

A political activist, a journalist, and a blogger, happy that they are protected by Kill Switch.

A man standing next to a sensitive file that is protected and not visible to third parties.

A woman holding a key, happy that her data is protected by Kill Switch if her connection drops.

For additional security
If you’re a political activist, journalist, or blogger, who lives and works in a country ruled by an authoritarian government, a VPN kill switch will serve as a second line of defense. Check out NordVPN’s other features that might help in a situation like this.
For data privacy
If you have to handle sensitive or classified information for work, make sure it’s always encrypted. NordVPN with the internet Kill Switch on is the best way to protect yourself against data leaks and unexpected connection interruptions.
For personal secrets
Getting locked out of your social media is not the end of the world, but it’s still a nightmare. Turn on the Kill Switch before typing in your passwords or other data that, if intercepted, could compromise your privacy.

Types of VPN kill switches

There are two types of VPN kill switches watching over VPN connections today — those that protect only certain apps and those that guard your whole system.

A laptop screen showing a secure connection to a VPN server in the US protected by Kill Switch.

A smartphone protected by the Kill Switch feature in case its Wi-Fi connection is disrupted.

Application level
Application-level VPN kill switches don’t shut down your internet connection — they only terminate specific apps to prevent them from sending data. This type of kill switch will stop you from unintentionally leaking activities related to those apps without interrupting your browsing experience every time there’s a hiccup with your VPN connection.
System level
System-level VPN kill switches take no chances — if your VPN connection drops, the VPN client will instantly shut off all internet traffic to protect your data. A system-level VPN kill switch is more secure than an application-level kill switch, but it can lead to frequent hang ups while browsing if you’ve got a spotty internet connection.

The Kill Switch offered by NordVPN software

NordVPN’s Kill Switch is not activated by default — you need to first turn it on in the app settings. To find out more about NordVPN’s Kill Switch, visit our Help Center.

Windows

The NordVPN Windows app lets you choose between an app-level and a system-level kill switch.

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macOS

The newest version of NordVPN for macOS lets you specify which apps you want the Kill Switch to shut down.

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Android

On Android 7 (or later) devices, VPN connections have native kill switches thanks to Android’s “Always on VPN” feature.

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Blue Linux and iOS logos representing Kill Switch compatibility.

iOS and Linux

The Kill Switch is integrated into NordVPN Linux and iOS apps and will block your internet connection if your VPN connection drops.

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VPN Kill Switch technology: How it actually works

The internet Kill Switch feature monitors your VPN connection and shuts down internet access if irregularities occur. Let’s have a deeper look.

Observe

The Kill Switch continuously observes your connection to a VPN server, looking for changes in the status or IP address.

Detect

If the connection between the server and the VPN client drops, the Kill Switch instantly detects this change.

Block

Depending on the type of kill switch you’ve set for your VPN connections, Kill Switch blocks some or all of the apps from accessing the internet.

Restore

When the tunnel to the VPN server is reestablished, the Kill Switch restores your internet connection.

When does a VPN kill switch get activated?

VPN connections may be terminated for a number of reasons. It’s not always the fault of your VPN provider — in many cases, your VPN connection drops because of software interference or an unstable internet connection.

A man in distress working on a laptop with an unstable internet connection.

A frustrated man on his phone without VPN protection because the VPN connection was blocked.

An unhappy woman that was disconnected from a VPN server while working on her laptop.

Unstable internet connection
Interruptions in your internet connection, weak Wi-Fi, timeouts, and continually switching between mobile internet and Wi-Fi hotspots can disrupt your connection to the NordVPN server.
Software and devices
Your firewall or antivirus might block the NordVPN app from establishing a VPN tunnel. This can be fixed by adding NordVPN to the firewall’s list of exceptions. If you don’t have auto-connect on, NordVPN might not connect after a reboot, so make sure it’s also activated.
Server and networking failure
Our server timeouts and failures are very uncommon – but they are possible. NordVPN has over 6800 servers. They are kept in secure locations with constant supervision. And yet, they are physical boxes, vulnerable to damage like any other physical object.

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Frequently asked questions

How do I enable a VPN kill switch?

You can enable VPN kill switches in the settings of your VPN app. For NordVPN, simply follow the instructions for your operating system in our Kill Switch guide.

How do I disable a VPN kill switch?

You can disable VPN kill switches in the settings of your VPN app. Please keep in mind that for Windows, Android, macOS, and Linux versions of the NordVPN app, the Kill Switch is disabled by default.

What do I do if the VPN kill switch feature is not working?

If your VPN kill switch is not working, try disabling and re-enabling the feature. If that doesn’t fix the issue, try restarting your VPN client. For further help and advice, don’t hesitate to contact the NordVPN customer service team by email.

Is the VPN kill switch effective and safe?

Yes, kill switches are effective and safe to use. While the chance that you’ll suffer a connection failure with NordVPN is fairly low, your VPN connection may drop for any number of other reasons, leaving your data exposed. The NordVPN Kill Switch will prevent your data from leaving the secure encrypted tunnel at all times.