So far, we’ve made videos on how to set up a VPN on Windows, Mac, Android, iOS, etc. And not just me, there are a bunch of tutorials online on how to enable a VPN, but no one talks about how to disable a VPN. So let’s do exactly that!

Today, we’ll see how, when, and why you should disable your VPN. Let’s go!

When to turn off VPN?

In most circumstances, you should leave your VPN switched on to remain protected from snoopers and hackers, however, there are times when it makes sense to turn off your VPN.

First up, if I am accessing my financial account transactions on my banking sites. Many financial institutions expect me to log in from a given location and when I log in from an unknown location, they insist on extra login steps to prove I am who I claim to be.

Similarly, you have to turn it off while troubleshooting network issues or setting up an internet connection for the first time or if you trying to access your local new channels or online games that expect you to be connected from your home network like if I'm using Xbox SmartGlass or another app that requires me to be on my home network.

Using Third-Party Software

Most VPNs come with a software program or app from which you can manage the VPN.

If you’re using a Windows, Mac, Android, or iOS VPN, pretty much any OS, simply launch the VPN software and click, tap, or toggle the same button you used to enable it. The button might read Disconnect, Turn Off, or Stop, or it might just be a power icon.

Now, these methods work on most VPNs that have a program or app, but what if yours doesn't? If that's the case, you can disable a VPN manually from your device settings. Let’s see how to do it on Windows, Android, Mac and iOS etc. We’ll also leave a time-stamp to these in the description so you can easily go to the section you want.

Using a manual method

To turn off VPN on Windows 11 and 10 and other versions, go to Settings > Network & Internet.

Select VPN in the left-side menu.

Select the VPN connection you want to disable.

Click Disconnect.

To turn off VPN on Android, you can turn off your VPN either directly in the app or in your smartphone settings.

Go to Settings > Network & internet.

Tap on VPN.

Toggle off VPN

Similarly, to turn off VPN on macOS, you can disable your VPN connection directly in the app or in the macOS network settings.

Go to System Preferences > Network.

Select your VPN connection from the left panel.

Click Disconnect.

Turn off VPN on iOS

Disabling VPN on your iPhone is straightforward and requires only a few taps. You can easily deactivate your VPN and then turn it back on:

Go to Settings > General.

Tap VPN and device management.

Toggle off the VPN status to Not Connected.

How to Permanently Disable a VPN

Okay, this was a temporary way to disable VPN. 

If, for whatever reason, you want to permanently remove a VPN, there are two ways to go about doing it. First, you can uninstall the VPN app or software from your device. Second, you can do the manual process and remove the VPN from your device settings. Let me show you how.

On Windows: once disconnected, click the Remove button that will appear below the VPN name and there you go – it’s done.

On Mac: select the VPN again from the left panel and then click on the minus button at the bottom of the panel.

For Android: select the VPN and then tap on the Delete VPN profile.

On iPhone: tap on the information button next to the VPN name then select Delete VPN.

So, this was a quick how-to kind of tutorial on how to disable and delete VPN on popular operating systems. Let us know if you like this kind of education how-to content.

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See you in the next one!