“The internet stopped working” can describe several problems: a local network outage, a VPN connection failure, a routing issue, DNS resolution or a destination refusing the connection. Start by separating those possibilities rather than changing every setting at once.
Establish a safe baseline
Record your platform, operating-system and app versions, the selected server, protocol and the approximate time of the failure. Follow the provider’s documented troubleshooting steps. If you briefly compare behavior without the VPN, avoid sensitive tasks during that comparison; a kill switch may intentionally block ordinary traffic when a tunnel is unavailable.
Check the surrounding network
Confirm that Wi-Fi or mobile data is connected and that any captive portal has been completed. Ask whether other devices have the same problem. A failure on every device suggests something different from a failure isolated to one app. Changes in workplace or school networks may also affect permitted connections.
Change one variable
Try another documented server or supported protocol, noting the result. Restore the earlier setting before another experiment when possible. Repeatedly changing servers, DNS, routing and security settings together makes it difficult to identify the cause—and difficult for support to reproduce it.
DNS and routing deserve separate attention
A connected tunnel does not prove that name resolution or all intended routes work. Use official app instructions for DNS and split-tunnel behavior. On a router, understand the distinction between a VPN client routing outward and a VPN server providing access to your own network. Configuration examples from another provider may not be suitable.
Send support useful details, not secrets
- Describe the device, network type and app version.
- List the server or connection mode and the time of the incident.
- Explain which destinations or apps fail and which still work.
- Record the steps already tried and the result of each.
- Remove account secrets, tokens, personal IP details and sensitive browsing data from public posts.
Know when to stop
Do not install random certificates or disable security tools on the advice of an unidentified forum reply. Escalate to official support where the next step is unclear. When sharing an experience on VPNReviews, include the platform and date but keep private troubleshooting logs out of the public review.