If your VPN isn’t showing up in your network connections, don’t despair. It’s time to get to the bottom of the issue. Here are five possible reasons for the problem and what to do to correct them.

1. The VPN isn’t configured properly

When you install a VPN app, the app automatically adjusts your network settings allowing you to connect with one simple click. But if the VPN isn’t appearing in your network connections, it may be that the VPN didn’t configure properly.

To check if that’s the case, you need to manually go through the setup process again. As you do, ensure that the server address, account name, password, VPN type, and other details are correct. If there’s been a problem with the configuration, manually reconfiguring the VPN should correct it.

2. There are problems with your VPN provider

If your VPN isn’t showing up in your network connections it may be there is a problem with your VPN provider. Your VPN provider may be experiencing downtime due to technical errors or maintenance, so you best check this. You can check your provider’s status page or support channels for updates.

One way to check this is to visit your provider’s official forum to see if other users are experiencing the same issues. If it is the provider, there’s not much you can do except wait for the provider to resolve the issues. If there’s no mention of any issues, the problem is likely at your end, so you should consider more of the troubleshooting points below.

3. VPN / internet is using an uncommon protocol

VPNs use protocols to encrypt and transmit data. If your VPN uses an uncommon protocol not supported by your network or device this could cause issues. As a rule, WireGuard, Open VPN, and IKEv2/IPsec are secure protocols, while L2TP/IPsec, PPTP, and SSTP are less secure and so you should give them a miss.

To check if it’s an uncommon protocol causing the problem, choose one of the secure protocols in your VPN app by making the change in the manual VPN configuration. Alternatively, it could be outdated internet protocols causing the problem. In that case, make sure you update your router settings to WPA2 or WPA3 to secure your connection.

Pexels: Stefan Coders

4. The firewall has blocked the VPN

Firewalls control incoming and outgoing network traffic and can sometimes block a VPN, preventing it from functioning properly. To make sure that’s not the case, you should whitelist the VPN in your firewall settings in Windows to make sure it won’t be blocked or restricted.

Make sure both public and private connections are allowed. If the problem still persists after doing this, then you have confirmation that it’s not the firewall.

5. There are conflicts with other VPN connections or clients

If you have more than one VPN app installed, your primary VPN might not appear in the network settings. Your other VPN clients might conflict with your primary VPN when trying to control network settings, routing, or DNS management. Or it could be drivers from one of the alternative VPNs causing the trouble.

To rule out the possibility, uninstall unused VPN apps or manually remove their configurations from your network settings. If you don’t want to remove them, turn off the app’s auto-connect settings, only allowing your primary VPN to connect at startup. If you’re not sure if you have alternative apps running, check Task Manager and switch off any others that might be running.

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