What is a VPN Kill Switch?
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A kill switch is one of the most important VPN features — yet many users do not know it exists or have it enabled.
What a kill switch does
If your VPN connection drops unexpectedly, a kill switch instantly blocks all internet traffic until it reconnects. Without it, your device falls back to your real IP — exposing your location and identity to every site you were connected to.
Why connections drop
Server overload, routing changes, switching from WiFi to mobile data, brief network interruptions, or ISP interference in countries that actively try to block VPN traffic.
System-level vs app-level
A system-level kill switch blocks all traffic when the VPN drops. An app-level kill switch — available exclusively in NordVPN — lets you target specific applications only. Your torrent client and browser get cut off but your video call continues. This level of control is genuinely useful.
Which VPNs include a kill switch
NordVPN includes both system and app-level kill switches. ExpressVPN, Surfshark, ProtonVPN, Mullvad, and PIA all include system-level. Always confirm yours is enabled in the VPN app settings — it is often off by default.
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