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.

• • Title: Firefox Built-in VPN suddenly unavailable – Local laws and restrictions error**

Hello,

I have been using Firefox's built-in VPN without any problems until yesterday. Suddenly, it stopped working and now displays this message:

"VPN: Local laws and restrictions limit where you can use this feature."

My system details and troubleshooting results:

- Firefox version: 159.0.1 - Operating system: Windows 10 - Mozilla account: Signed in - Remote improvements: Enabled - Enterprise policies: Inactive - No relevant VPN holdback study found in about:studies.

I am physically located in Tehran, Iran. However, my usual internet connection's public IP was identified as Frankfurt, Germany, by ipwho.is.

I also tested using my mobile phone hotspot, which was identified as Tehran, Iran. The same VPN restriction message appeared with both connections.

The built-in VPN was working until yesterday, so I would like to know whether my IP address or account has been incorrectly classified, or whether access to the service has recently changed.

Could you please investigate this issue and explain why the VPN suddenly became unavailable?

Thank you.

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 Team,

I am experiencing a persistent issue with the built-in Firefox VPN feature in Firefox version 159.0.1 on Windows 10 Pro 64-bit.

I have successfully signed up for a Mozilla account and signed in to Firefox. However, the VPN feature does not activate and the interface continuously displays "Get Started" instead of showing the VPN on/off toggle.

Here are the troubleshooting steps I have already completed:

1. Successfully signed out and signed back into my Mozilla account. 2. Confirmed that my account is recognized as signed in. 3. Tested the VPN feature in Firefox Troubleshoot Mode. The problem remained unchanged. 4. Checked Firefox's Troubleshooting Information page. 5. Investigated the VPN-related settings and configuration. 6. Restarted Firefox and repeated the tests.

Additional diagnostic information: - Operating System: Windows 10 Pro 64-bit - Firefox Version: 159.0.1 - VPN Type: Built-in Firefox VPN - Account Sign-in Status: Successful - VPN Interface Status: "Get Started" - Expected Behavior: A functional VPN activation toggle should appear. - Actual Behavior: The VPN setup screen remains stuck on "Get Started".

The issue persists even after these troubleshooting steps.

Could you please investigate whether this is an account eligibility, regional availability, server-side activation, or Firefox VPN provisioning issue?

I would appreciate detailed instructions to resolve this problem or confirmation if there is a known issue affecting Firefox VPN activation.

Thank you for your assistance.

Firefox built-in VPN is unavailable on my connection and shows the message "Local laws and restrictions limit where you can use VPN." I am using an Iranian IP address. How can I enable the built-in VPN?

Dear Firefox Team,

I am writing to express my concern about the recent unavailability of Firefox's built-in VPN service in Iran and to kindly request that you consider making this feature accessible to users in the country.

I had been using Firefox's built-in VPN regularly, and it was an extremely valuable tool for me. Unfortunately, I recently discovered that Iran is not included in the list of supported countries, and the service is no longer available to me.

Internet access in Iran is subject to significant restrictions. Many international websites and online services are either blocked by the authorities or restrict access to users connecting from Iranian IP addresses. As a result, accessing independent information, educational resources, professional platforms, and many essential online services can be extremely difficult.

For users like me, Firefox's built-in VPN was more than just a convenient browser feature. It provided an opportunity to access the open internet, overcome geographical restrictions, and stay connected to the global digital community.

I understand that service availability may depend on technical, legal, or regulatory considerations. However, I sincerely hope Mozilla will reconsider its regional availability policy and explore ways to make this feature accessible to people in Iran, subject to applicable requirements.

Mozilla has long been associated with an open, accessible, and user-centered internet. Making this service available to users who face substantial barriers to accessing information would be a meaningful reflection of those values.

I would appreciate it if you could forward this request to the relevant team and let me know whether there are any plans to support users in Iran in the future.

Thank you for your time and for your continued efforts to keep the internet open and accessible to everyone.

Kind regards,

Hi,

I'm trying to use Firefox's built-in VPN, but I can't turn it on.

Details: - Firefox version: 159.0.1 (64-bit), up to date - OS: Windows 11 - Location: Iraq - Mozilla account: signed in successfully (I see "Signed in successfully!" on accounts.firefox.com)

Problem: After signing in, the VPN panel in the toolbar still shows "Try Firefox's built-in VPN" with a "Get started" button. When I click it, I'm asked to sign in again and end up in a loop. I can never turn the VPN on.

What I checked: - about:policies shows "The Enterprise Policies service is inactive." - I manually set browser.ipProtection.enabled to true in about:config (the VPN button only appeared after this).

I noticed that Iran is not on the list of supported regions in your help article "Unable to find the built-in VPN in Firefox." Is this the reason it doesn't work for me? If so, are there plans to make the built-in VPN available in Iraq? If not, could you tell me what else might be causing this loop?

Thank you.

Hi I'm having this issue with the built-in vpn for firefox where it keeps sending me back to the "Get Started" page every time I sign in. The vpn was working just fine last until I closed the browser and opened it again a few minutes later. I asked Chatgpt for help but couldn't fix the issue and it sent me here. There are no policies listed on the about policies page, the remote improvements setting is enabled and there are no vpn holdback studies appearing in the about:studies page. Also, the issue persists even in troubleshoot mode. Any ideas how to fix this problem? Thanks in advance

Dear Mozilla Team,

I am writing to you today not just as a user, but as a human being who feels completely trapped between oppressive government censorship and international restrictions.

For a long time, Mozilla’s free VPN was a small window of digital freedom for me, allowing me to bypass the severe and suffocating internet censorship imposed by our government in Iran. But recently, that window was suddenly shut. Overnight, this vital tool stopped working for me and thousands of others like me here.

It is deeply painful to realize that simply because of the geographical accident of where we were born, our entire lives are controlled, restricted, and penalized by governments and external barriers alike. Why must ordinary people suffer from both sides? We are only trying to access the open internet, communicate freely, and reclaim a basic human right.

Mozilla has always stood for a free, open, and accessible internet for everyone. I am urgently asking you from the bottom of my heart: Can Mozilla do something to help us? Is there any way for users in Iran to regain access to your VPN service and bypass these digital walls?

We need your help more than ever. Please don't leave us behind in the dark.

Sincerely,

Farhad mohammadaliha

A user from Iran

Hello Mozilla Support,

I have been using Firefox's built-in VPN successfully for some time, but it has suddenly stopped working and now displays this message:

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

Could you please clarify whether this is due to regional restrictions or sanctions, and whether there is any possibility of restoring access?

Thank you for your assistance.

Hi tHello Mozilla Support Team,

I am a user from Iran, and I have been using Firefox's built-in VPN (the 50 GB monthly VPN included with a Mozilla account).

Previously, I was able to use the built-in VPN directly with my Iranian internet connection, without needing any external VPN or proxy.

However, after connecting to an external VPN configuration while using Firefox, the built-in VPN stopped working independently.

Now, whenever I disconnect my external VPN and try to enable Firefox's built-in VPN, I receive the following error message:

"VPN is unavailable due to local laws and restrictions."

Interestingly, the built-in VPN works again whenever my external VPN is connected.

I have already tried restarting Firefox, testing a different internet connection (mobile hotspot), and checking my browser's connection settings. Unfortunately, none of these steps resolved the issue.

I would like to emphasize that I was previously able to use this feature from Iran without an external VPN connection.

Could you please investigate why my access has changed and let me know whether there is a way to restore the previous functionality?

I would really appreciate your help, as I rely on this service and would like to continue using it.

Thank you for your time and support.

Best regards

Hello,

Until about 10-20 hours ago, the Firefox built-in VPN was working fine for me. Suddenly it stopped working and I can no longer enable it.

I have not used up my 50GB monthly limit.

When I try to turn the VPN on, after a few seconds I get this error:

VPN is unavailable Local laws and restrictions limits where you can use VPN

Also, when I check about:config → browser.ipProtection.enabled, I see this response:

{"subscribed":false,"uid":5956457,"maxBytes":"53687091200","limited_bandwidth":true}

Could you please check why the VPN became unavailable even though my data limit is not exhausted?

Thank you.

To the Mozilla Support and Engineering Teams,

I am writing to express profound disappointment regarding the recent decision to implement GeoIP blocking against Iranian users on your VPN infrastructure.

The Mozilla Manifesto explicitly states that the internet is a global public resource that must remain open and accessible, and that individuals' security and privacy are fundamental and must not be treated as optional. By actively blocking connections from a region experiencing some of the most severe internet censorship in the world, Mozilla is directly contradicting its own core principles.

When you implement geographical blocks against Iranian IPs, you are not just managing network traffic or mitigating bandwidth usage. You are actively participating in the isolation of people who rely on secure tools to access the open web. Cutting off access to privacy tools based on geography effectively means you are doing the censors' work for them.

True internet freedom cannot be conditional on a user's country of origin. A genuine commitment to an open, secure web means protecting access for those who need it the most, not locking them out. I urge the leadership and engineering teams to reconsider this policy and actually stand by the open-internet values Mozilla claims to represent.

Until just a few days ago, I was able to use the Mozilla VPN, but now I can no longer use it; when I click to connect, it displays error {Local laws and restrictions limite where you can use VPN}.

Prior to this, I was able to use the VPN without any issues, and I have only used a few gigabytes of data.

Subject: Firefox Built-in VPN Suddenly Unavailable in Iran

Hello Mozilla Support Team,

I have been using Firefox's built-in VPN without any issues until yesterday.

Suddenly, when I try to enable it, I receive the following error:

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

I am using Firefox on Ubuntu Linux.

Interestingly, if I temporarily connect through an HTTP proxy (Every Proxy), the VPN connects successfully. After the connection is established, I can disable the proxy, and the Firefox VPN continues working normally.

This makes me suspect that my direct IP address is being incorrectly classified or that something has recently changed in the geographic availability check.

I understand that I am a resident of Iran. Have you deliberately blocked this service in Iran? In a country where people arguably need this service more than ever?

We need VPN services not only for online security and privacy, but also to access various services that are essential for our everyday activities.

I sincerely ask you to reconsider this restriction and make Firefox VPN accessible to users in Iran again.

People in Iran deserve the same access to online privacy, security, and freedom as everyone else. I truly hope you will reconsider this decision and help us regain access to this valuable service.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Best regards,