{"id":254444,"date":"2021-05-20T13:40:00","date_gmt":"2021-05-20T10:40:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/how-to-test-whether-your-vpn-is-working-and-spot-vpn-leaks\/"},"modified":"2021-05-20T13:40:00","modified_gmt":"2021-05-20T10:40:00","slug":"how-to-test-whether-your-vpn-is-working-and-spot-vpn-leaks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/how-to-test-whether-your-vpn-is-working-and-spot-vpn-leaks\/","title":{"rendered":"#How to Test Whether Your VPN Is Working (and Spot VPN Leaks)"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_85 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a37104b13884\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a37104b13884\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/how-to-test-whether-your-vpn-is-working-and-spot-vpn-leaks\/#What_Are_VPNs\" >What Are VPNs?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/how-to-test-whether-your-vpn-is-working-and-spot-vpn-leaks\/#Types_of_VPN_Leaks\" >Types of VPN Leaks<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/how-to-test-whether-your-vpn-is-working-and-spot-vpn-leaks\/#VPN_Testing_Tools\" >VPN Testing Tools<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/how-to-test-whether-your-vpn-is-working-and-spot-vpn-leaks\/#Testing_Your_Connection\" >Testing Your Connection<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/how-to-test-whether-your-vpn-is-working-and-spot-vpn-leaks\/#What_Do_Bad_Results_Look_Like\" >What Do Bad Results Look Like?<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<p><strong>&#8220;#How to Test Whether Your VPN Is Working (and Spot VPN Leaks)&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n<div>\n<figure style=\"width: 1200px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"type:primaryImage wp-image-726208 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/vpn.jpg?width=1200&amp;trim=1,1&amp;bg-color=000&amp;pad=1,1\" alt=\"A hand about to press a big VPN button.\" width=\"1200\" height=\"555\" data-crediturl=\"https:\/\/www.shutterstock.com\/image-photo\/vpn-network-security-internet-privacy-encryption-1460726621\" data-credittext=\"Alexander Supertramp\/Shutterstock.com\" onload=\"pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\" onerror=\"this.onerror=null;pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><span class=\"type:primaryImage imagecredit\"><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.shutterstock.com\/image-photo\/vpn-network-security-internet-privacy-encryption-1460726621\">Alexander Supertramp\/Shutterstock.com<\/a><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>If you signed up to a VPN and want to make sure it\u2019s safe to use before browsing the web, then the best way to do so is to test it yourself. There are several free tools that allow you to test your connection\u2019s security and determine whether or not your VPN is doing its job. You need no special knowledge to do so, so let\u2019s get started.<\/p>\n<h2 role=\"heading\" aria-level=\"2\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_Are_VPNs\"><\/span>What Are VPNs?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p> In short, VPNs are services that will let you connect to the internet through their servers, effectively changing your IP address and partially protecting you from tracking by your ISP and any websites that you visit. If you want to keep yourself undetected while browsing, they\u2019re an important part of your toolkit, although you\u2019ll also need to use Incognito Mode and follow some other steps for anything resembling anonymity.<br \/>\nHowever, VPNs aren\u2019t bulletproof: There are some problems that can pop up in even the best of VPNs that can potentially reveal your IP address to the sites or services that you visit, thus rendering your VPN useless. Thankfully, there are a number of free tools available on the web that can help you track down these issues and deal with them.<\/p>\n<h2 role=\"heading\" aria-level=\"2\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Types_of_VPN_Leaks\"><\/span>Types of VPN Leaks<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>When a VPN broadcasts your IP address instead of that of the VPN\u2019s server, that\u2019s called a leak. There are three types of leaks that you can easily detect with simple tools: IP leaks, WebRTC leaks, and DNS leaks.<\/p>\n<p>IP leaks come in two flavors: IPv4 and IPv6 leaks. (We have an article on the difference between IPv4 and IPv6). An IPv4 leak is when the VPN fails to protect your connection, pure and simple. You won\u2019t see too many of these, if ever, as they only h<a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>en when a VPN fails.<\/p>\n<p>According to Dimitar Dobrev, founder of <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/vpnarea.com\">VPNArea<\/a>, IPv6 leaks happen if both you and the website you connect to support IPv6, but your VPN only supports IPv4. With the IPv6 connection effectively unprotected, the site can see your IP address. The only good way to prevent this is to upgrade to a VPN that uses IPv6 protection or has the option to shut it off. If your VPN has neither, then get another.<\/p>\n<p>WebRTC leaks are a different issue: In the words of <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.expressvpn.com?offer=3monthsfree&amp;a_fid=howtogeek&amp;data1=htg&amp;data2=725966\/?offer=3monthsfree&amp;a_fid=howtogeek&amp;data1=htg&amp;data2=725966\">ExpressVPN<\/a> Vice President Harold Li, Web Real-Time Communication (<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/webrtc.org\/\">WebRTC<\/a>) is a collection of standardized technologies that allows web browsers to communicate with each other directly without the need for an inter<a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/social-mediaa\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"1\" title=\"Social Media\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">media<\/a>te server. As this goes on, occasionally, a browser can accidentally reveal your IPv4 address and with it, your location. If this happens, you can disable WebRTC requests with a browser extension.<\/p>\n<p>Last but not least are DNS leaks, which are quite common, and even high-end VPNs will occasionally suffer from them. They happen when your DNS requests\u00a0are sent to your standard DNS servers directly without going through the VPN and using the VPN\u2019s DNS servers. Changing servers should fix it, but if it happens regularly, you probably need to change VPNs.<\/p>\n<h2 role=\"heading\" aria-level=\"2\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"VPN_Testing_Tools\"><\/span>VPN Testing Tools<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Now that we know what we\u2019re looking for, let\u2019s take a look at how we can detect these three types of leaks. There are a number of tools to choose from: Our favorites are <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/ipleak.net\">ipleak.net<\/a>\u2014owned by <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/airvpn.org\/\">AirVPN<\/a>\u2014and <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/ipleak.org\">ipleak.org<\/a>, which is owned by VPNArea. Both do a fine job of showing you what you need to know, but since we like ipleak.net\u2019s interface a little better, we\u2019ll be using that one for the purposes of this article.<\/p>\n<p>If you\u2019re experienced in working with the backend of computers, our favorite VPN service, <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.expressvpn.com?offer=3monthsfree&amp;a_fid=howtogeek&amp;data1=htg&amp;data2=725966\">ExpressVPN<\/a>, has put out its testing tools on <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/github.com\/expressvpn\/expressvpn_leak_testing\">GitHub<\/a>. If you\u2019re comfortable with more advanced tools like this, we recommend that you give them a whirl and get not just information on leaks, but also on a host of other data.<\/p>\n<h2 role=\"heading\" aria-level=\"2\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Testing_Your_Connection\"><\/span>Testing Your Connection<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>To show you how the tests work, first, we\u2019ll go to <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/ipleak.net\">ipleak.net<\/a> without enabling a VPN. There\u2019s no introduction screen or anything. You\u2019re immediately brought to your test results.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-725971\" src=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/ipleak-result-without-vpn.png?trim=1,1&amp;bg-color=000&amp;pad=1,1\" alt=\"Test result without VPN enabled\" width=\"650\" height=\"408\" onload=\"pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\" onerror=\"this.onerror=null;pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\"\/><\/p>\n<p>At the top is your IP address. Under that are the country and the city you\u2019re in (Hello from sunny Cyprus.). However, sometimes, your city might show up differently: For instance, ipleak.net usually shows my city as Larnaca or Nicosia (both of which are about 50 miles away). This is due to my ISP connecting to a server elsewhere on the island.<\/p>\n<p>The IPv6 test is just to the right of your IP address. It showing up as \u201cnot reachable\u201d means that you passed, in this case, so we\u2019re safe. Below that is WebRTC detection. If it\u2019s empty, you\u2019re also good.<\/p>\n<p>Last but not least is your DNS test, which shows a host of IP addresses, which can be from anywhere. These are the different servers that your signal has bounced between before hitting ipleak.net\u2019s server. As it is now, it\u2019s also fine.<\/p>\n<p>Since running a test on an unprotected connection is kind of pointless, let\u2019s connect to a server in the Netherlands. All you need to do in this case is connect, and then reload the ipleak.net page. The test will be run again automatically.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-725967 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/leak-test-vpn-nl.png?trim=1,1&amp;bg-color=000&amp;pad=1,1\" alt=\"Connect, and then reload the ipleak.net page, and the test will be run again automatically.\" width=\"650\" height=\"421\" onload=\"pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\" onerror=\"this.onerror=null;pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\"\/><\/p>\n<p>In this test, there are a few things to note: The results for the IPv6 and WebRTC tests are fine. To find out whether our VPN passed the DNS leak test, we need to look through the list of IP addresses and see whether or not our original IP is there: If it\u2019s not, like now, we\u2019re all good. This means that the connection is all good and that the VPN has passed.<\/p>\n<p>However, there is one thing to note, and if you start running your tests yourself, you\u2019ll come across this quite often: The location of the VPN\u2019s IP address is different than what we selected. We chose a server in Amsterdam, but this IP places us in Overijssel, which is a province about 60 miles or 100km from Amsterdam.<\/p>\n<p>According to Mr. Dobrev, this has to do with the way that IPs are registered. IP addresses can be moved around, but it often takes a while for the registrar to update this information. Also, to further complicate the issue, there\u2019s more than one registrar. However, this is not a security issue. Usually, within a few days, the IP address will show up where it needs to be.<\/p>\n<h2 role=\"heading\" aria-level=\"2\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_Do_Bad_Results_Look_Like\"><\/span>What Do Bad Results Look Like?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>However, not all tests will look this rosy. <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/general\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"3\" title=\"General\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">General<\/a>ly speaking, IPv4, IPv6, and WebRTC leaks will happen the least. Your author has tested a <i>lot<\/i> of VPNs and has only come across a few of these. However, DNS leaks are a lot more common, so always be sure to look carefully through the DNS servers to make sure that you don\u2019t spy your own IP address among them.<\/p>\n<p>If you\u2019re looking for a new VPN, our top pick is\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.expressvpn.com?offer=3monthsfree&amp;a_fid=howtogeek&amp;data1=htg&amp;data2=725966\/?offer=3monthsfree&amp;a_fid=howtogeek&amp;data1=htg&amp;data2=725966\">ExpressVPN<\/a>. ExpressVPN offers <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.expressvpn.com?offer=3monthsfree&amp;a_fid=howtogeek&amp;data1=htg&amp;data2=725966\/?offer=3monthsfree&amp;a_fid=howtogeek&amp;data1=htg&amp;data2=725966dns-leak-test\">its own DNS leak test<\/a>, too.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><script>\n setTimeout(function(){\n  !function(f,b,e,v,n,t,s)\n  {if(f.fbq)return;n=f.fbq=function(){n.callMethod?\n  n.callMethod.apply(n,arguments):n.queue.push(arguments)};\n  if(!f._fbq)f._fbq=n;n.push=n;n.loaded=!0;n.version='2.0';\n  n.queue=[];t=b.createElement(e);t.async=!0;\n  t.src=v;s=b.getElementsByTagName(e)[0];\n  s.parentNode.insertBefore(t,s) } (window, document,'script',\n  'https:\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_US\/fbevents.js');\n   fbq('init', '335401813750447');\n   fbq('track', 'PageView');\n  },3000);\n<\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. 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