Fix: Windscribe slow speed / slowing internet [Best solutions]

Windscribe is an excellent VPN service that’s gained a lot of traction, probably thanks to its generous free version. We all enjoy a good bargain, and Windscribe doesn’t cease to deliver, giving that its free version is still alive and kicking.

However, some users have reported excessive slowdowns of their Internet connection when using Windscribe. The worst part is that this slowdown apparently affects premium users as well as ones who enjoy Windscribe without paying a dime.

Does Windscribe slow down computers?

Naturally, any additional process running on your PC slows it down, albeit some of them do so by very little.

Windscribe is actually one of those programs that don’t take a huge chunk out of your PC’s performance while running.

Does Windscribe slow down your Internet speed?

It’s in every (trustworthy) VPN’s quintessence to protect your Internet connection by any means. Most VPNs, including Windscribe, do so by encrypting your traffic before passing it through its secure tunnel.

If you want to find out more about how VPNs affect Internet speed, check out our guide.

This, in turn, can slow down your Internet connection, but it shouldn’t be too noticeable.

As we’ve previously explained in greater detail, factors that may weigh in to slow down your Internet include encryption, distance, VPN server quality bandwidth limitation, and the number of servers.

However, your VPN is rarely the only thing that’s bringing your Internet speed close to a halt.

How to fix Windscribe slow speed

1. Run a speed test

First and foremost, it’s very important to know what you’re dealing with. If you have a lightning-fast connection and Windscribe seems to slow it down greatly, run a speed test, and see how much slower it gets.

Having a 50 Mbps connection that gets slower with ~ 10 Mbps (while using nearby servers) is perfectly fine. You can probably notice this amount of slowdown while using other services, as well.

Naturally, selecting a server that’s located at a greater distance will increase the slowdown percentage even further.

2. Choose a different protocol

Windscribe has a wide selection of protocols, so if one of them seems to be kind of slow, just switch to another one. For instance, if you’re using OpenVPN, you may want to give IKEv2 a try, as well.

Furthermore, if your ISP/network is restrictive, your connection may be throttled. Therefore, you may want to try changing to various other ports, and even enable give the Stealth protocol a shot.

The Stealth protocol disguises VPN traffic as regular traffic, thus reducing the chances of your ISP detecting and actively limiting your VPN connections.

3. Configure your router properly

Check your router’s configuration page for anything resembling VPN pass-through. If you see this setting, make sure it’s enabled to circumvent any hardware limitations on your side.

Also, if you have a router firewall, make sure it doesn’t block or restrict any of the ports you’re using with Windscribe.

4. Choose another server

Due to VPN server congestion or distance, you may experience speed loss. Luckily for you, both of these issues can be easily solved in the same manner.

All you have to do is disconnect from the Windscribe VPN server you were using and connect to another one. If you can choose one that’s even closer to you it might get even better.

It’s widely known that distance plays a great part when it comes to connection speed. Thus, it goes without saying that servers that are far away will tend to be much slower than the ones nearby.

5. Check your security software

Certain antivirus/antimalware/firewall software on your PC could have a negative impact on your Internet connection speed, especially if you’re using a VPN such as Windscribe.

Try pausing your security software for a short while, run a speed test and check if there’s any improvement. If that doesn’t work, try quitting the programs altogether, and try again.

It’s worth mentioning that you should check if your firewall software doesn’t have any rules for blocking traffic on ports that Windscribe is using, or even restricting the app itself from communicating with the Internet efficiently.

Final thoughts on fixing Windscribe’s slow speed

All things considered, if you notice that Windscribe slows your Internet connection more than it should, you may want to try our suggested fixes. Most of the time, a simple server switch can work wonders.

However, you should know and understand that any VPN other than Windscribe can slow down your Internet speed, as well.

Last, but not least, make sure your non-VPN connection is in top-notch shape before attempting any VPN-related fixes.