Firefox Community Forum

So, can somebody please explain to me why Firefox VPN is now unsupported in so many countries where people can only exercise their freedom of information by using a VPN?

Do local laws and restrictions apply to the people of these countries because of their governments' actions, while those same governments don't even need a VPN to access such information? Instead, they censor it to prevent their citizens from accessing it.

You claim to be sanctioning the "governments", but in reality, you are only sanctioning the "people" — the very people who are actually fighting against their governments' practices.

Dear Mozilla / Firefox Support Team,

I am writing to formally and urgently request that you restore access to the Firefox VPN service for users in Iran.

Until recently, the Firefox VPN service was working very well for us. However, today we discovered that the service has suddenly become unavailable. Whenever we try to activate it, we receive the following message:

• • "VPN is inactive."**

This is extremely disappointing and frustrating, especially considering how important and necessary this service is for users in Iran.

Internet access in Iran is subject to significant restrictions, censorship, and limitations. Reliable VPN services are not simply a convenience for us; they are an essential tool for accessing the open internet, communicating freely, obtaining information, and carrying out everyday online activities.

We strongly urge Mozilla and the Firefox team to reconsider this restriction and make every possible effort to restore VPN availability for users connecting from Iran.

• • We respectfully but firmly request the following:**

1. Please investigate immediately why Firefox VPN has become unavailable in Iran. 2. Please clarify whether access has been deliberately restricted for Iranian users or whether this is a technical issue. 3. Please take the necessary steps to restore the service in Iran as soon as possible. 4. Please do not permanently exclude users in Iran from accessing this essential service. 5. Please provide an estimated timeline for restoring access.

We want to emphasize that users in Iran need this service more than ever. Disabling access to a reliable VPN creates additional difficulties for people who already face serious internet restrictions.

We genuinely appreciate Mozilla's commitment to an open, accessible, and free internet. We hope these values will also extend to users in Iran.

• • Please treat this request as urgent and escalate it to the relevant technical and policy teams. We strongly insist that Firefox VPN access for Iran be restored as quickly as possible.**

We look forward to receiving a clear response and, most importantly, a practical solution.

Thank you for your attention and cooperation.

Best regards, A Firefox user from Iran

Dear Sir/Madam, I was using Mozilla Built-in VPN for quite some time. But, since yesterday I am receiving the message "due to local laws and restriction limits you can not use VPN". I was happy with having the Builtin VPN. I don't know what has happened. Regards, Javid

Firefox’s built-in VPN worked until yesterday, but now it loops between “Continue to VPN” and “Get started.”

I use Firefox 159.0.1 (64-bit) on Windows 11 Pro (64-bit).

I have already checked the following:

Signing out of my Mozilla account and signing back in several times did not help.

No “VPN - MVP Beta Holdback” study is listed.

“Allow Firefox to improve features, performance, and stability between updates” is enabled.

The Policies page says “The Enterprise Policies service is inactive.”

The preference browser.ipProtection.entitlementCache exists, but its value is empty. I have not changed or deleted it.

Please help me determine whether this is an account-eligibility problem, a service problem, or a Firefox issue. Please provide simple, step-by-step instructions.

Hello, I saw that Firefox is offering unlimited VPN throughout the holiday season on this article here: https://blog.mozilla.org/en/firefox/built-in-vpn-unlimited-data/?utm_medium=organicsocial&utm_source=reddit&utm_campaign=vpn&utm_content=

However, I have not yet received the option to use VPN whatsoever in my country Italy. I have checked the list of countries and I am sure it's supported...

I remember there was a similar program earlier this year which had unlimited browser VPN, but my Firefox browser still does not have VPN whatsoever at all.

How do I get access to VPN? Or do I have to contact support to get access? I'm just confused that I seemingly don't have any access to it, this would be my second time not being able to take advantage of the free VPN period.

hello, i'd like to inform my disappointment from not being able to access to vpn solely because of my region, which we need VPN to do our basic activity in a daily basis, especially university students such as me who uses the firefox VPN to ressearch, study and fulfilling our projects.

due to war situations which has erratically caused sky rocketing inflations and to mention on strict sanctions, we're facing with sacrificing our needs for the sake of survival . it's really expensive to buy VPNs here, so i'd like a review on giving access to iranian users again

thank you for readding this.

Hello Mozilla Support,

I need help with the built-in VPN in Firefox 159.0.1 on Windows.

The VPN was working perfectly on my computer until a few days ago. Then, suddenly, it stopped working.

When I click "Get started" in the Firefox VPN panel, I am redirected to sign in to my Mozilla account. The sign-in process succeeds, but when I return to Firefox, the VPN panel still shows "Get started" instead of "Turn on VPN".

I also previously received this error:

"VPN Unavailable – Local laws and restrictions limit where you can use VPN."

Here are the troubleshooting steps I have already completed:

- Signed out of my Mozilla account and signed back in. - Confirmed that Firefox Sync is enabled. - Confirmed that Remote Improvements is enabled. - Checked about:studies. No VPN-related holdback study was found. - Checked about:policies. Enterprise Policies are inactive. - Checked about:config. browser.ipProtection.enabled is set to true. - Checked proxy settings. No manual proxy configuration was found.

My internet connection is through an Iranian mobile network (MCI/Hamrah Aval), and websites detect my IP location as Iran.

However, the built-in VPN was working on this same computer and internet connection just a few days ago.

Could you please help me understand:

1. Why does Firefox keep returning to "Get started" after a successful Mozilla account sign-in? 2. Has there been any recent change to regional eligibility or VPN availability? 3. Is this a known issue with Firefox 159.0.1?

I would really appreciate your help in restoring the built-in VPN.

Thank you.

Sup guys.

I switched to firefox a while back and as luck would have it, discovered it's perfectly fine free built-in vpn. being from the most notorious country on planet earth, we're extremely restricted in terms of accessing the free world and this felt like a breeze. (Only other way I could connect was using TOR. and it'd take me very very long time to just load a page, just like it's taking right now.)

It worked very well for me. one tap connection and all. but this morning I tried using it and suddenly it's giving me the "access blocked in your region" message.

I do understand that firefox isn't obligated to provide, but I also think we have nothing to do with those who are ruling us forcefully and also think that feature was a great match for people like us.

I'm in a terrible situation mentally, physically and financially. and not really able to find something else since nothing really works here.

If someone on Firefox team reads this, I really appreciate some insights.

thanks.

Subject: Firefox Built-in VPN Stuck on “Get Started” After Successful Sign-in

Hello Mozilla Support Team,

I’m experiencing an issue with Firefox’s built-in VPN (IP Protection).

Yesterday, I successfully activated the VPN and used it without any problems for approximately two hours. However, today, when I click the VPN icon and select “Get Started,” I receive the message “Signed in successfully!” but the VPN panel still displays “Get Started” instead of showing the “Turn on VPN” or connection option.

My system details: - Firefox version: 160.0 (64-bit) - Operating system: Windows 10, build 16299.15

Troubleshooting steps I have already tried: - Signed out and signed back into my Mozilla account. - Tested with a new Mozilla account. - Restarted Firefox completely. - Verified that `browser.ipProtection.enabled` is set to `true`. - Checked `browser.ipProtection.guardian.endpoint`, which is set to the default value: `https://vpn.mozilla.org/`. - Confirmed that `browser.ipProtection.stateCache` shows `unauthenticated` and `browser.ipProtection.entitlementCache` is empty. - Confirmed that DNS resolution works and that TCP connectivity to `vpn.mozilla.org` on port 443 succeeds. - Verified that an HTTPS request to `https://vpn.mozilla.org/` returns HTTP 200 OK when using TLS 1.2.

Despite these tests, the VPN panel remains stuck on “Get Started.”

I would appreciate specific troubleshooting steps or confirmation of whether my Firefox installation is eligible for the built-in VPN.

Thank you for your assistance.

Subject: Firefox Built-in VPN Suddenly Blocked by Location Restriction Hello Mozilla Support Team, I am using Firefox 159.0.1 on Windows. Until yesterday morning, the free built-in Firefox VPN was working correctly. However, it suddenly stopped working and now displays this message: "VPN is unavailable. Local laws and restrictions limit where you can use VPN." My public IP address has not changed. Two independent IP geolocation services identify my IP as being located in Azerbaijan. I have checked the following: Firefox is up to date. Remote Improvements is enabled. No VPN-related Beta Holdback study appears in about:studies. Enterprise Policies are inactive. I am signed in to my Mozilla account. Could you please clarify why the built-in VPN suddenly became unavailable and whether this is an expected regional restriction or a possible IP geolocation issue? Thank you for your help.

Dear Mozilla Team,

I'm writing to express my disappointment and concern about the recent restriction on Firefox's built-in VPN for users connecting from Iran.

People in Iran live under severe internet restrictions, widespread censorship, and limited access to independent information and online services. For us, VPNs are not simply a convenience or a way to change our virtual location. They are essential tools for accessing the open internet, communicating freely, and overcoming censorship.

That's precisely why I find it deeply disappointing that Mozilla's built-in VPN has become unavailable to users in Iran, displaying the message:

"VPN is unavailable. Local laws and restrictions limit where you can use VPN."

I understand that Mozilla may have legal and regulatory obligations to consider. However, I urge you to reconsider the impact of this decision on ordinary Iranian users.

People who are already deprived of basic internet freedoms should not face additional barriers from a company whose mission and values are built around an open, accessible, and free internet.

Mozilla has long stood for privacy, freedom, and an open web. I sincerely hope these principles will extend to Iranian users as well, rather than leaving them behind precisely when they need these tools the most.

Could you please clarify:

1. Why has Firefox's built-in VPN become unavailable in Iran? 2. Is this a permanent restriction or a temporary measure? 3. Is Mozilla actively considering any way to make this service accessible to Iranian users?

We are not asking for special treatment. We are asking not to be excluded from tools that help people access the free and open internet.

I hope Mozilla will listen to the voices of its Iranian users and reconsider this decision.

Best regards, A Firefox user from Iran