Connected to PIA but Cannot Browse the Internet – Private Internet Access Support

This guide will help if websites will not open or online apps stop working the moment you connect to Private Internet Access (PIA) or while you are using the VPN.

Important: If you are in a country with internet restrictions, contact PIA Support for assistance. If you are using a manual VPN configuration, try switching to the official PIA app for the best compatibility and access to PIA’s latest connection settings.

Before You Start: Enable Debug Logging (Optional)

You can enable debug logging to assist customer support in investigating your issues if the troubleshooting tips below do not work.

To enable debug logging on the desktop app:

Disconnect from the VPN server.
Click the three-dot menu icon and choose Settings.
Click Help.
Select the checkbox next to Enable debug logging.

To enable debug logging on the mobile app:

Tap the menu icon (≡) from the main dashboard.
Go to Settings > Help.
Turn on Enable Debug Logging.

1. Test Your Internet Connection

Before looking for issues within the PIA app, confirm that your regular internet connection is working:

Disconnect from PIA.
Open your browser and visit a website.

If the website loads while PIA is disconnected, continue with the troubleshooting steps below.

If it still does not load, the problem is likely with your network rather than PIA. Try connecting to a different network (for example, switch from Wi-Fi to cellular) to see if it resolves the issue.

2. Try a Different Server

A congested server (with many people connected to it) can struggle to process all the data being sent through it. This can make websites load slowly or time out.

To check whether that is potentially the issue, connect to a different server:

Select the VPN SERVER widget on the main screen.
Select your preferred server location. You can also let PIA choose the optimal location for you:
- Windows, macOS, and Linux: Click Choose Automatically at the top of the list.
- iOS and Android: Tap Automatic at the top.
You will be taken back to the main screen. Select the power button to connect.

If you are using a manual configuration, download a new .ovpn configuration file and test it.

3. Change the VPN Protocol

Some networks may block or have trouble handling a particular VPN protocol, so switching to another protocol may resolve the issue.

To change protocols on the desktop app:

Disconnect from PIA.
Select the three-dot menu, and choose Settings.
Select Protocols.
Switch from WireGuard to OpenVPN.
Reconnect and test your connection.

To change protocols on Android or iOS:

Tap the menu button (☰).
Go to Settings > Protocols.
Tap Protocol Selection and choose another protocol.
Reconnect and test your connection.

4. Test Transport Types and Ports

Some networks, like public Wi-Fi or school networks, block certain ports or types of traffic to manage traffic, protect users, or enforce rules. If the network blocks the specific settings PIA is using, the PIA app will connect, but it will not be able to load websites and apps.

To test another setting on the PIA app for Windows, macOS, and Linux:

Disconnect from PIA.
Select the three-dot menu, and choose Settings.
Select Protocols.
Make sure OpenVPN is selected.
Switch between UDP and TCP under Transport, or choose another available Remote Port.

In the PIA Android and iOS apps, you can find the same settings following these steps:

Tap the burger menu (☰).
Select Settings > Protocols.
Select OpenVPN.

Try one change at a time so you can identify which setting works. If nothing works, continue to the next step.

5. Enable Small Packets

Internet data travels in small units called packets. PIA adds encryption data to each packet, which increases its size. If a packet becomes larger than your network can handle, it may need to be divided into smaller pieces or sent again. This can make websites and apps load slowly, time out, or fail to open.

To change to a smaller packet size in the PIA desktop apps:

Disconnect from PIA.
Select the three-dot menu, and click Settings.
Select the Protocols tab from the left-side menu.
Under MTU, select Small Packets.
Reconnect and try browsing again.

In the PIA mobile apps, you can enable small packet size by following these steps:

Tap the burger menu (☰).
Select Settings > Protocols.
Toggle Use Small Packets on.

6. Check Your Antivirus or Firewall On Desktop

Antivirus and firewall software monitors which apps connect to the internet. It may mistake PIA’s encrypted connection or network activity for a threat and block part of the app, preventing internet traffic from passing through the VPN.

The quickest way to check is to temporarily disable it and test whether you can access the internet while connected to PIA. If you can, follow this guide on How to Add Antivirus Exclusions to Your Antivirus Software to whitelist the PIA app and prevent the issue from happening again.

You should also turn off any other VPN or proxy-based browser extension that can conflict with the PIA connection.

7. Reinstall the PIA App

Uninstalling and reinstalling the PIA app can help create a fresh VPN setup on your device, free of potential errors and misconfigurations.

To uninstall the PIA app, follow the steps for your device:

To reinstall the PIA app, follow the guide for your device here:

8. Check Your DNS settings

Your browser uses the Domain Name System (DNS) to find the server that hosts the websites you are trying to access. If that lookup fails, websites will not open even though the VPN tunnel itself remains connected.

By default, PIA uses PIA’s own DNS servers when the VPN is connected. If you have configured the PIA app to use a different set of DNS servers, try switching back to PIA DNS. If you have not changed these settings beforehand and PIA’s DNS servers are potentially causing issues, you can temporarily use these DNS servers until the problem is resolved:

DNS 1: 208.67.222.222
DNS 2: 208.67.220.220

If they do not work as expected, try the following alternative set:

DNS 1: 156.154.70.1
DNS 2: 156.154.71.1

To change your DNS settings in the PIA app, follow the steps for your device:

Flush DNS Cache

If the problem continues, flush your device’s DNS cache. This removes saved DNS results that may be outdated or incorrect.

Windows: Open Command Prompt as an administrator and run ipconfig /flushdns.
macOS: Open Terminal and run sudo dscacheutil -flushcache; sudo killall -HUP mDNSResponder.
Linux: Open Terminal and run sudo resolvectl flush-caches on systems that use systemd-resolved.
Android or iOS: Enable Airplane mode, wait for 10 seconds, and then disable it.

9. Send Debug Logs to PIA Support

If none of the above troubleshooting steps helped narrow down or fix the issue, you can generate a debug log and send it to PIA Support. The log records technical information that can help identify any problems with the app.

You can follow the steps here to create and send a debug log on desktop and mobile.

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