Why Can’t I Access VPN Websites? Here are 6 Simple Solutions
Using undetectable VPN software with obfuscated servers can unblock any website
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Key notes
- VPNs are excellent tools that can keep you private and bypass various restrictions, but what if you can’t access VPN websites, to begin with?
- Certain governments and organizations such as schools or companies can restrict you from accessing and purchasing VPNs from official websites.
- A potential solution to unblock VPN offers on your PC is to change your DNS address and see if it’s working.
It’s a common practice for some institutions to restrict users from accessing VPN websites. For instance, if you’re in a country that promotes censorship and citizen monitoring, you might be unable to open VPN websites.
The same applies to schools, where the staff has become aware that VPN can circumvent many limitations. Thus, the only obvious solution to this issue would be blocking VPN websites altogether.
No matter the cause, blocked websites are quite annoying, especially when it happens to the websites of the tools that can unblock other websites.
As a result, users flagged as impossible to access the next VPN websites:
- NordVPN: Can’t access a website
- ExpressVPN: Website blocked
- Surfshark VPN: Can’t access website
Why can’t I access VPN websites?
If you’re not able to access any VPN websites then most probably your IP address was restricted from accessing them.
The main reason for VPN website censorship should be your Internet provider, as it can manage your network connection and restrict what content you’re seeing.
Issues like this one are frequent in different regions due to government laws or institutions’ limitations on Internet access.
Hence, if you’re unable to access VPN websites for some reason, it’s most likely due to your ISP actively blocking access to them.
Reportedly, various ISPs have flagged VPNs as adult content, which makes it tenfold easier to block them since adult content restrictions have been around for quite a while.
Can VPN be blocked?
As VPNs got smarter and smarter, so did network administrators. Just as VPNs have the power to bypass blocked websites, so do network administrators that can block VPN services.
However, the process is meticulous and requires advanced firewalls to detect VPN traffic. Just so you know, VPN traffic is quite easy to spot since it’s all encrypted.
Some VPNs offer obfuscation capabilities, which cleverly disguise VPN traffic as regular, unencrypted traffic. This makes it extremely difficult for ISPs and their fancy firewalls to detect and block VPNs.
Check out our list of VPN services that offer obfuscation features:
| Product Name | Obfuscation | Company Name |
|---|---|---|
| ExpressVPN | Stealth servers | Express VPN International Ltd. |
| Private Internet Access | WireGuard VPN protocol | Kape Technologies. |
| NordVPN | Obfuscated Servers | Tefincom & Co., S.A. |
| Surfshark VPN | Camouflage Mode | Surfshark LTD |
| VyprVPN | Chameleon protocol | Golden Frog GmbH |
| IPVanish | Scramble OpenVPN traffic | StackPath, LLC |
| TunnelBear | Stealth VPN | McAfee, LLC |
| Windscribe VPN | Stealth VPN | Windscribe Limited |
| VPN Unlimited | KeepSolid Wise | KeepSolid Inc. |
How can I access blocked VPN websites?
1. Try changing your DNS
ISPs may assign a specific DNS to you when you sign up for their services. The bad news is that this DNS is, more often than not, restricted in a wide variety of ways.
For instance, using an ISP-assigned DNS could yield lower speeds and higher ping or prevent you from accessing certain websites or online content.
Using a free DNS service such as Google’s free DNS, Cloudflare, or OpenDNS can boost the quality of your connection in terms of both speed and accessibility.
2. Ask a friend to purchase a VPN subscription
Even though the VPN website is blocked, that doesn’t mean you can’t use VPN services on your computer. You just need to have the client installation package and a valid subscription.
A blocked VPN website usually means there’s no way for you to purchase a subscription. That’s why we suggested you ask a friend, preferably one you trust and is outside the restricted network, to buy a subscription for you and hand you the credentials and setup files.
After you retrieve the installation executable and credentials, you can install the VPN on your computer and use it normally. However, please make sure you’re using an obfuscation-enabled VPN.
Remember that your ISP could still block VPNs that don’t obfuscate traffic.
3. Use VPN mirror websites
Some VPN services such as ExpressVPN offer mirror websites that can be accessed by users who can’t access the main website. For obvious reasons, we can’t post them here (your ISP could see and block them).
However, a simple query on your favorite search engine could help you locate them quickly. VPN mirror websites allow you to purchase a subscription and download the installation package.
Thus, you won’t have to ask your friends for any favor in this case.
4. Use Tor to circumvent website restrictions
If your ISP didn’t already think of blocking Tor, you could use it to access VPN websites. For this to work, you’ll need to download the Tor bundle and use its network to bypass your ISP’s VPN website blocking.
Note that you’ll probably need patience, as Tor generally runs very slowly. Even without ISP throttling, Tor is still quite lazy.
Certain VPN providers, such as ExpressVPN, offer onion websites you can access with Tor. These are hidden services and aren’t usually picked up by your ISP.
5. Use a proxy server
Although proxies have somewhat decreased in popularity since the uprising of VPNs, they are still quite capable of letting you reach restricted content.
Furthermore, proxy servers are perpetually changing, so there’s a good chance that servers you can find today won’t be there tomorrow. This usually means that your ISP needs to be extra thorough when blocking them.
The great news is that you can find many free proxy servers online. Thus, you may not even have to pay for using such a service.
6. Use specialized tools like Proxychains
If you’re really stubborn, you can probably find a huge selection of privacy-focused third-party tools on the Internet. Such a program is Proxychains, which is free to use and not difficult to configure.
The bad news is that you’ll probably have to find one that runs on Windows since Proxychains has been designed to run on Unix systems.
Can VPN unblock websites?
Yes. Generally speaking, if a website is restricted to a certain region, you can use a VPN to circumvent this geographical limitation. You launch the VPN, connect to a server located in the country where the service is available, and things should be a-ok.
The same goes for websites that are blocked in narrow organizations such as school or company networks. You use a VPN, select a server outside the restrictive network, and you should be able to access the websites. It’s quite simple, actually.
Thus, it’s safe to conclude that a VPN could help you access blocked websites without too much effort.
VPN websites can eventually be unblocked
To wrap it up, even if you discover that you can’t access any VPN websites on your network, things probably aren’t so grim. There are a bunch of workarounds that can help you reap all the benefits of having a VPN.
For instance, you can ask a friend to purchase a VPN subscription, use specialized third-party apps, and even change your ISP-assigned DNS.
That being said, check out our best VPNs that can help you protect your online privacy. Visit our guide on how to unblock VPN in schools, universities, and hotels to learn more about unblocking various services by using a VPN.
And if you can’t make a VPN work on your home connection, rest assured that it can often be fixed by applying a few easy steps.
In the comments section below, let us know whether the guide proved to be helpful to you.
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