Free VPN Test guide · Published 2026-10-05
VPN connected but your IP is not changing?
A connected message describes the VPN app's state. Your browser may still use another route. Compare the public address and network, then check which applications and protocols the client actually protects.
Compare your current connectionPublic IP and WebRTC checks are available here. Active DNS and IPv6-only route checks are temporarily unavailable.
Make a fair before-and-after comparison
Check the public address while disconnected, connect the VPN and reload the same page. Distinguish the public address visible to a website from your private LAN address, which may stay unchanged because it belongs to the local network.
Keep Wi-Fi or mobile data unchanged during the comparison. Also distinguish an unchanged country label from an unchanged IP: connecting to a VPN server in the same country can legitimately preserve the location estimate.
Check split tunneling and app exclusions
Many VPN clients let selected apps bypass the tunnel. Review the split-tunneling list and any browser exclusions. A working tunnel for one application does not establish that the browser making this request is inside it.
Choose the intended routing policy in the provider's app, reconnect and retest. If your organization manages the client, follow its documented configuration; some corporate VPNs intentionally tunnel only workplace destinations.
Distinguish an extension from a full VPN
A browser extension can act as a proxy for browser traffic rather than protecting the whole device. Conversely, a full client can exclude the browser or support only some destinations. Check the provider's explanation of the product you installed.
Test the supported app, protocol and server configuration rather than assuming every product with VPN in its name has the same behavior.
Inspect IPv6 and browser exposure
The IPv4 route can use a VPN while IPv6 follows another route. Run the IPv6 test and compare its address with the disconnected result. Run WebRTC as a separate check for browser-visible candidates.
A private candidate is not the same as a public ISP address. If a public result matches your ordinary connection, check the provider's documented IPv6 and leak-protection settings, then reconnect and repeat the check.
Retest and separate recognition from routing
Try another permitted VPN server and reload. If the app remains connected but your expected route never changes, collect the before-and-after public addresses and ask the provider to review your routing settings. Do not send account passwords with the report.
A changed address with No VPN evidence is a different situation: the exit may simply be missing from detection inventories. Use the network and route evidence rather than requiring a provider label to conclude that the browser connection changed.