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Mac Can Not Connect to Internet If VPN is Off

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  • Last reply by SUMOsJR

CeramicMonster
CeramicMonster
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After a force restart of my computer while Mozilla VPN was on, my computer can not access the internet at all unless I have the VPN (or ExpressVPN) turned on. I have tried whatever I can in network preferences, however that did not work. I am hesitant to manually uninstall in case I loose access to the internet in a way I can't fix. Has anyone had this occur to them? Was there a solution? Thanks!

2018 Macbook Pro Big Sur 11.1

After a force restart of my computer while Mozilla VPN was on, my computer can not access the internet at all unless I have the VPN (or ExpressVPN) turned on. I have tried whatever I can in network preferences, however that did not work. I am hesitant to manually uninstall in case I loose access to the internet in a way I can't fix. Has anyone had this occur to them? Was there a solution? Thanks! 2018 Macbook Pro Big Sur 11.1

Chosen solution

Hi

This issue is likely connected to your current DNS settings on your mac. When the VPN is turned on, the DNS address is being recognized and used. But when you turn the VPN off that DNS is not recognized and thus you cannot use the internet.

  • Go to the Mac Menu bar and select system preferences.
  • Go to Network
  • Make sure WiFi is selected and then click the "advanced" button
  • Click on the DNS tab

In the window you should have some greyed out DNS address. Those are specifically your internet/router connection.

If you have any that are not greyed out(white), these are DNS address that have been manually added. They are the ones to check out and potentially remove to address your internet issue. You could add Googles DNS (8.8.8.8) alternately as this is the most commonly used public DNS and could also resolve the internet issues.

That should resolve your network issue. After doing this though you will want to sign out of the Mozilla VPN app and then uninstall it. Reinstall it afterwards and log back in. ALSO make sure to fully uninstall any other VPN apps. Previously installed VPN settings/folders can conflict with the Mozilla VPN install.

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SUMOsJR
SUMOsJR
  • Moderator
  • Administrator
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Chosen Solution

Hi

This issue is likely connected to your current DNS settings on your mac. When the VPN is turned on, the DNS address is being recognized and used. But when you turn the VPN off that DNS is not recognized and thus you cannot use the internet.

  • Go to the Mac Menu bar and select system preferences.
  • Go to Network
  • Make sure WiFi is selected and then click the "advanced" button
  • Click on the DNS tab

In the window you should have some greyed out DNS address. Those are specifically your internet/router connection.

If you have any that are not greyed out(white), these are DNS address that have been manually added. They are the ones to check out and potentially remove to address your internet issue. You could add Googles DNS (8.8.8.8) alternately as this is the most commonly used public DNS and could also resolve the internet issues.

That should resolve your network issue. After doing this though you will want to sign out of the Mozilla VPN app and then uninstall it. Reinstall it afterwards and log back in. ALSO make sure to fully uninstall any other VPN apps. Previously installed VPN settings/folders can conflict with the Mozilla VPN install.