Why Is My VPN Not Hiding My Location? 8 Easy Ways to Fix It

If you intend to remain anonymous when going online, you shouldn’t put your faith in a free VPN since it does more harm than good.

A free VPN may have faulty security features and leak your IP address and location. On top of that, it might monitor, collect and share your traffic.

But a paid VPN is another story. Because it’s continuously maintained by a development team, you will often receive updates with new features and improvements.

Take ExpressVPN, for example. It’s a premium VPN service with numerous servers in 94 countries worldwide.

It also passes all IP leak tests, so you can trust that this VPN won’t fail to hide your location.

And, if something like that happens, you can immediately get in touch with the development team, thanks to 24/7 live chat support.

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2. Update your VPN app to the latest version

If WebRTC is enabled in your web browser, then it will leak your IP and location no matter what you do. It’s not a feature that you can control from a VPN desktop app.

You can manually configure browser settings to disable WebRTC leaks. Or, you can turn to a browser extension that automatically does that.

There are plenty of free browser extensions that can turn off WebRTC. Just head over to Chrome Web Store or Firefox Add-ons and search for “disable WebRTC”.

However, if you own ExpressVPN, make sure to install its browser add-on. It has an extra feature for blocking WebRTC IP detection.

The VPN provider doesn’t always create the tunnel correctly. It might leak your IP address and location along the way.

What you can do is simple: connect to another VPN server. You can also try restarting the VPN app and reinstalling the TAP drivers.

HTTP requests can leak your IP address and location, without any fault on the VPN client’s side.

To stop this from happening, avoid visiting HTTP pages and make sure you’re always using HTTPS.

You can find a lot of awesome add-ons that force your web browser to access only HTTPS websites, such as HTTPS Everywhere.

If you’re a premium VPN user, though, check if the VPN’s browser addon can enforce HTTPS pages. For instance, ExpressVPN follows this rule.

If you’re trying to access services that track you down by GPS instead of IP, then your regular VPN won’t be able to hide your location. Examples include Waze, Google Maps, and Tinder.

A VPN isn’t designed to change your GPS location. However, if you’re an Android user, look for apps in the Play Store for this purpose.

If you prefer using a VPN with integrated features for changing your GPS location, use Surfshark.

It’s an excellent premium VPN service that supports unlimited connections. And its Android app can take over your GPS.

1. In Chrome, go to Settings > Advanced > Location
2. In Firefox, head over to Options > Privacy and Security > Permissions > Location
3. In Opera, visit Settings > Websites > Location
4. In Microsoft Edge, check out Tools > Internet Options > Privacy > Location

Once you reach the location settings, you can manage permissions by disabling access to your current location for each online service.

Geolocation API is one of the easiest ways for online apps and services to find your location. It’s accurate, easy to use, and unaffected by your VPN.

To test this, connect to your VPN and run a geolocation test using this tool.

A VPN kill switch is an excellent addition to any VPN service. It automatically cuts off all Internet access on your device if the VPN drops unexpectedly.

So, the kill switch prevents IP leaks that could occur in the time it takes your VPN client to reconnect.

ExpressVPN is a prime example of a virtual private network solution with a built-in kill switch. You can quickly find and activate it from the settings panel.