Troubleshoot Bitdefender VPN connection errors
There are a few common causes for connection errors encountered by Bitdefender VPN:
• You are not connected to the Internet and can’t access the Internet via Wi-Fi or Ethernet cable. Make sure you have Internet access before using Bitdefender VPN.
• A strictly configured firewall is preventing VPN connectivity (e.g. 3rd party firewall software, router’s built-in firewall). If you are not sure if your router comes with a dedicated firewall or how to turn it off please refer to its manual, contact the manufacturer or your ISP.
• Another VPN/Proxy is running when you try to connect. In this case, disable the other VPN/Proxy solution.
• You are trying to connect from a public Wi-Fi such as work, school, airport, etc. which may have blocked the ports required by Bitdefender VPN. You need to contact the network administrator to try and change their firewall settings.
• Some ports used for the VPN connection are closed. Depending on the device you’re currently using, the following ports have to be open:
on Windows & Android: 1194 UDP, 443 UDP
on Mac: 4500 UDP, 500 UDP, 443 UDP
If the above tips don’t help you resolve the VPN error, try these troubleshooting steps.
Start by clicking the name of your operating system.
on Windows »
1. Restart your PC
Sometimes the operating system or other services and software dependencies do not start up correctly. Shutting down Windows and rebooting your computer can address such issues.
Reconnect to Bitdefender VPN after the PC has restarted and check if the situation has been resolved.
2. Sign-in again
To make sure you are signed in with the right Central account and the VPN app communicates properly with Bitdefender Central, use the Switch Account feature.
• Bring up Bitdefender VPN then access the human-shaped icon on the sidebar.
• Click on Switch Account at the bottom of the interface.
• Sign-in with your Bitdefender Central account from the window that appears on your screen, then try again to connect to VPN.
3. Enable the VPN adapter
Make sure the Bitdefender VPN adapter is enabled:
• Go to Windows Start menu 
and type in ncpa.cpL then hit Enter.
• This will open Network Connections. In this window, right-click on the adapter TAP-Windows Adapter V9 and choose Enable if it’s disabled.
• Then open Device Manager by following the instructions provided here → go to Network adapters and expand the tree menu → right click on the entry TAP-Windows Adapter V9 and select Disable.
• Wait for a few seconds, then right-click again on TAP-Windows Adapter V9 and this time choose to Enable it.
• Now try again to connect to Bitdefender VPN.
4. Reinstall Bitdefender VPN
To make sure all the VPN files are intact, and you have the latest version of the product it is recommended to reinstall Bitdefender. Follow these steps:
• Uninstall Bitdefender VPN using the instructions provided here.
• Then, reinstall Bitdefender VPN with a fresh kit downloaded from the product page.
5. Change your DNS
If you are currently using the default DNS (Domain Name System) from your Internet provider, switch to a third-party DNS server that might be faster and reliable.
How to change your DNS to see if that’s the problem:
• Open Control Panel → Network and Internet → Network and Sharing Center → Change adapter settings → double-click your active adapter (network) → choose Properties.
or
• Go to Windows Start menu in the lower left corner → type in ncpa.cpL and hit Enter → double-click your active adapter (network) → choose Properties.
• Click on Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4) in the connection items list, then press Properties.
• Select Use the following DNS server addresses and enter the following addresses:
Preferred DNS server: 8.8.8.8
Alternate DNS server: 8.8.4.4
• Click OK to confirm the change, then restart your PC.
6. Connect to another network
If the VPN error persists after going through the previous steps, something on your local network is most likely still blocking the connection to the Bitdefender servers.
Check if you can use Bitdefender VPN after connecting your computer to another network (Wi-Fi, hotspot, Ethernet cable, etc.).
• To learn how to set up a hotspot on your iPhone or iPad access this link.
• Go here to learn how to set up a hotspot on Android phones.
If Bitdefender VPN is working when the PC is using another internet connection contact your network administrator or your Internet Service Provider to determine which network or router settings may be blocking the VPN connection.
on macOS »
1. Restart your Mac
Sometimes the operating system or software dependencies do not start up correctly. Shutting down macOS and rebooting your Mac can address such issues.
Reconnect to Bitdefender VPN after the Mac has restarted and check if the situation has been resolved.
2. Disable Proxy
If the issue persists, check if you have enabled any Proxy settings. To disable Proxies:
• Open System Preferences from the dock or from the Apple Logo menu.
• Click the Network icon, then click Advanced at the bottom of the window.
• Open the Proxies tab.
• Disable ‘Auto Proxy Discovery’ or any other options checked under Select a protocol to configure.
• Click OK.
3. Change your DNS
If you are currently using the default DNS (Domain Name System) from your Internet provider, switch to a third-party DNS server that might be faster and reliable.
How to change your DNS to see if that’s the problem:
• Open System Preferences from the dock or from the Apple Logo menu.
• Go to the search bar located in the upper right-hand corner of the window and type in DNS.
• Select DNS servers from the search results.
• Click the + button under DNS Servers and enter 8.8.8.8
• Click + again and enter 8.8.4.4 (This is for redundancy.)
• Click + and enter 2001:4860:4860::8888
• Click + one more time and enter 2001:4860:4860::8844 (This is for redundancy.)
• Press OK, then Apply.
4. Repair Keychain Access
Keychain Access from macOS is a password management system. Force Bitdefender VPN to repair the information stored there in case of data corruption:
• Open Finder, then click on Go at the top of the screen.
• Select Utilities.
• Inside the Utilities folder double-click on Keychain Access.
• A new window will pop up. Select All items on the sidebar, under Category.
• Use the search bar located in the upper right-hand corner of the window and type in the word VPN.
• Look at the Kind column and delete all entries that include the word IPSec […].
• Next, click the Bitdefender VPN icon from the top menu bar, open the small cogwheel button, and choose Quit.
• Then open Finder, click on Go at the top of the screen, select Applications → Bitdefender → open Bitdefender VPN → connect to VPN.
5. Reinstall Bitdefender VPN
To make sure all the VPN files are intact, and you have the latest version of the product it is recommended to reinstall Bitdefender. Follow the steps:
• Uninstall Bitdefender VPN using the instructions provided here. When you reach Step 5 in the article choose to uninstall only Bitdefender VPN.
• Then reinstall Bitdefender VPN with a fresh kit downloaded from the product page.
6. Connect to a different network
If the VPN error persists after going through the previous steps, something on your local network is most likely still blocking the connection to the Bitdefender servers.
Check if you can use Bitdefender VPN after connecting your Mac to another network (Wi-Fi, hotspot, Ethernet cable, etc.).
• To learn how to set up a hotspot on your iPhone or iPad access this link.
• Go here to learn how to set up a hotspot on Android phones.
If Bitdefender VPN is working when the Mac is using another internet connection contact your network administrator or your Internet Service Provider to determine which network or router settings may be blocking the VPN connection.
on Android »
1. Restart your Android device
Sometimes the operating system or software dependencies do not start up correctly. Shutting down and rebooting your Android device can address such issues.
Reconnect to Bitdefender VPN after the Android smartphone or tablet has restarted and check if the situation has been resolved.
2. Grant permissions
If Bitdefender VPN doesn’t connect on Android, make sure the necessary permissions were granted to the Bitdefender VPN app.
• Clear the Bitdefender VPN app cache: go to Settings 
→ Storage → tap Other Apps → find Bitdefender VPN among the listed apps and tap it → choose Clear cache.
• Next, uninstall Bitdefender VPN from your device. If you need help uninstalling the app please read this article.
• Finally, reinstall Bitdefender VPN from Google Play store.
3. Disable other VPNs
Android doesn’t allow more than one VPN to be active. If the smartphone or tablet is already connected to a VPN app, then a second simultaneous connection from Bitdefender VPN will not be possible. Therefore, make sure to disconnect from any other VPN before trying to connect to Bitdefender VPN.
On Android 7 and later you may also want to look into a feature called Always-on VPN. If Always-on is enabled for another VPN app installed on the device, it will block any network connections that don’t use that VPN, including Bitdefender VPN. To address this issue, disable the Always-on VPN option for all the VPN applications installed on your device:
• Open your phone’s Settings app .
• Tap Network & internet. Depending on the device model, the name may vary – e.g. Wi-Fi & internet, Wi-Fi & network, etc.
• Tap VPN. If you can’t find it, search for “VPN”.
• Tap next to the name of each VPN app from this list.
• Disable Always-on VPN if it’s enabled for any VPN except the Bitdefender app.
4. Change your DNS
If you are currently using the default DNS (Domain Name System) from your Internet provider, switch to a third-party DNS server that might be faster and reliable.
To learn how to change your DNS settings on Android follow this link.
5. Connect to a different network
If the VPN error persists after going through the previous steps, something on your local network is most likely still blocking the connection to the Bitdefender servers.
Check if you can use Bitdefender VPN after connecting your Android device to another network (Wi-Fi, hotspot, cellular data).
• To learn how to set up a hotspot on your iPhone or iPad access this link.
• Go here to learn how to set up a hotspot on Android phones.
If the VPN is working when the device is using another internet connection contact your network administrator or your Internet Service Provider to determine which network or router settings may be blocking the VPN connection.
on iOS »
1. Restart your iPhone / iPad
Sometimes the operating system or software dependencies do not start up correctly. Shutting down and rebooting your iOS device can address such issues.
Reconnect to Bitdefender VPN after the iPhone or iPad has restarted and check if the situation has been resolved.
2. Reinstall Bitdefender VPN
To make sure the VPN app is intact, and you have the latest version it is recommended to reinstall Bitdefender. Follow the steps:
• Uninstall Bitdefender VPN from your iOS device. If you need help uninstalling the app please read this article.
• Then, reinstall Bitdefender VPN from App Store.
3. Grant permissions
If Bitdefender VPN doesn’t connect on iOS, make sure the necessary permissions were granted to the Bitdefender VPN app:
• Go to Settings → General → scroll down and select VPN → tap the ⓘ icon next to Bitdefender VPN → choose Delete VPN → tap Delete to confirm.
• Next, open the Bitdefender VPN app and try to connect.
• Choose Allow in the ‘BitdefenderVPN would like to add VPN Configurations’ screen.
• Enter your iPhone / iPad passcode, to allow the VPN connection.
4. Change your DNS
If you are currently using the default DNS (Domain Name System) from your Internet provider, switch to a third-party DNS server that might be faster and reliable.
To learn how to change your DNS settings on iOS follow this link.
5. Connect to a different network
If the VPN error persists after going through the previous steps, something on your local network is most likely still blocking the connection to the Bitdefender servers.
Check if you can use Bitdefender VPN after connecting your iOS device to another network (Wi-Fi, hotspot, cellular data).
• To learn how to set up a hotspot on your iPhone or iPad access this link.
• Go here to learn how to set up a hotspot on Android phones.
If the VPN is working when the device is using another internet connection contact your network administrator or your Internet Service Provider to determine which network or router settings may be blocking the VPN connection.
