VPN Kill Switch: What It Does and How to Turn It On

Checked 30 October 2026

A kill switch blocks your internet connection when the VPN drops, so apps cannot fall back to your normal connection without you noticing. Proton VPN describes it as a feature that “stops your real IP address from being exposed to the internet”. VPN connections drop more often than people think: when a phone moves from Wi-Fi to mobile data, when a laptop wakes from sleep, or when a server restarts.

Two kinds of kill switch

• Standard (or app) kill switch: works while the app is connected and blocks traffic only if the connection drops unexpectedly. If you disconnect yourself, the internet works normally.
• Strict (permanent, “advanced”) kill switch: allows internet access only through the VPN, even after a restart and even if you disconnect. Proton calls this the advanced kill switch and lists it for Windows, Linux and, in beta, iPhone and iPad.

The strict kind is safer but less convenient: if the VPN app has a problem, you have no internet until you turn the setting off.

Where to find it

Windows and Mac

Open the VPN app’s settings and look for Kill switch; most apps use that name, and ExpressVPN calls its version the Internet Kill Switch. Windscribe instead offers a Firewall that blocks all traffic outside the VPN tunnel, which Windscribe says leaks less than a kill switch that reacts after the drop. Turn it on, then reconnect.

Android

Android has its own system switches: Always-on VPN and, on most phones, Block connections without VPN. Our Android guide shows both. Many apps’ kill-switch toggles simply open that screen.

iPhone and iPad

iOS has no system-wide switch for app VPNs. The VPN app must offer it; look for Kill switch or Include all networks in its settings. Apple’s VPN settings live under Settings › General › VPN & Device Management, but the kill switch itself is in the app.

Test it

1. Turn the kill switch on and connect the VPN.
2. Start a video or a large download.
3. Switch Wi-Fi off and on again, or let the laptop sleep for a minute.
4. The video or download should stop until the VPN reconnects. If it keeps going, check the setting again or ask the provider’s support.

Sources

Checked on 30 October 2026. Providers change their apps, servers and terms, so check the official page before you pay.

1. Proton VPN: How to use kill switch
2. ExpressVPN: Internet Kill Switch
3. Windscribe: Firewall
4. Android Help: Connect to a virtual private network (VPN) on Android
5. Apple Support: Set up a VPN on iPhone and iPad