| Updated: January 18, 2025
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Governments often block VPNs in the name of national security and use various techniques like IP block, port block, etc.
Here are expert tips to bypass VPN blocks:
This article will discuss everything you need to know about VPN blocks and which techniques are useful in such scenarios.
The popularity of VPNs has grown significantly over the years thanks to dictatorial regimes, content restrictions, online security awareness, and scams. In today’s world of online education and jobs, a VPN has become an essential tool, but did you know there are countries that have blocked VPNs?
Yes, there are, and the reason they gave for doing it is ‘National Security.’ You won’t be able to fully use a VPN if you reside in China, Russia, North Korea, etc, because they have either blocked or regularized VPNs.
This article will highlight how you can bypass the VPN block imposed by regimes like these and stay anonymous online.
Using a VPN is essential and allowed in most Western countries. Its usage is restricted in countries like Russia and China and heavenly regulated in other countries. Here are the best methods that I tested to bypass the VPN block.
A VPN is best not because it proclaims it but because the users say it’s the best. With the VPN market growing every year, more providers are jumping on the bandwagon to make a quick buck from the trend.
They claim they offer the best service, have a 10Gbps server, and offer modern VPN protocols like WireGuard and OpenVPN with solid data encryption.
The truth is only a few of them really offer what they advertise, and others lack in other aspects like speed and user-friendliness.
I can recommend NordVPN and ExpressVPN to anyone looking to bypass the VPN ban in their country. I have tested these VPNs in Russia and China, and both worked perfectly. Other publications and YouTubers have reviewed these VPNs and rated them the best.
Selecting a different IP address or changing the VPN server can help in bypassing the VPN block. Sometimes, it is the IP address that has been blocked by the government or streaming services, and with a single click, you can change it.
Most VPN providers have several servers in a single location. If one IP from a server is blocked, you can employ another one and stay anonymous online.
Changing a VPN port is one of the easiest ways of getting around the VPN ban. The option to change your port is unavailable in the VPN application, but you can switch ports by selecting a different VPN protocol.
I recommend using these ports for the best VPN experience:
Out of the four, I recommend using TCP 443 because it is the regular port used by the internet traffic.
If you reside in countries like China, the only way to bypass the VPN block is to use obfuscated servers. Obfuscated servers use the same protocols used by email providers, websites, etc., to carry your data and won’t be blocked.
This is the best way to secure online activities from deep packet inspection and other tracking tools.
A Dedicated IP address is allotted to a single user and is saved from being blocked. Usually, the government bans an entire group of similar IPs that it believes belong to a VPN provider. A dedicated IP address is from a different pool and won’t be blocked that easily.
Most VPN providers offer a dedicated IP or Static IP address at an additional cost. This is your best investment if you live in a country with strict censorship laws.
Believe it or not, switching to mobile data can help you bypass the VPN block implemented by the ISP at work or school. Although activities like gaming and streaming require a lot of bandwidth, so be sure you have purchased enough data before using a VPN for activities like these.
Additionally, you should always test a VPN for mobile VPN leaks to ensure it is properly securing your online activities and identity.
Setting up your own VPN is the best alternative if nothing else works. However, this can only happen if you are a Microsoft Windows user because Windows gives you the option to set up your own VPN on your device, which won’t be detected.
The Windows VPN uses the SSTP VPN protocols, so double-check if your VPN provider offers it.
If your ISP blocks access to VPN servers, adjusting your DNS settings might resolve the issue. Popular DNS providers include Cloudflare (1.1.1.1, 1.0.0.1), Google (8.8.8.8, 8.8.4.4), and OpenDNS (208.67.222.222, 208.67.220.220).
This approach can bypass DNS-level restrictions on blocked websites without a VPN. However, unlike a VPN, changing DNS settings doesn’t encrypt your internet traffic—it only allows access to websites blocked by your ISP. Here is a guide on the difference between VPN, Smart DNS & proxy.
There are several ways to make your VPN useless. We will be discussing the most popular ways governments and ISPs use to block VPNs and how you can find your way out of this block.
This is the most sophisticated and modern method for knowing the online activities and identities of a VPN user. China implemented this technology to block VPN use, and it has helped them successfully mitigate threats to the government and improved the efficiency of the great firewall of China.
Recently, Turkey opted for DPI to monitor its citizens and foreigners in the name of national security. With DPI, the government can read which packet of data is from a VPN and then block it. I recommend using obfuscation servers to make your VPN traffic like ordinary traffic.
We have already discussed IP blocking, and the best solution is getting a dedicated IP address. However, you can try connecting to a different IP address or location and check if that works.
Port blocking or VPN protocol ban, in easy words. A VPN uses different protocols to encrypt your data, and these protocols run on different ports. If your government or ISP has blocked most ports, I would recommend using Port 443, which OpenVPN TCP uses.
There are many reasons for blocking a VPN, and censorship is at the top of the list. Here are more reasons for a VPN block.
Dictorial regimes, such as those in China, Russia, and Iran, have completely blocked VPNs or heavily regularized them. Regularization means that your VPN provider must share user data with the government whenever necessary, which kills online privacy.
These countries want to limit the flow of international news and content to their people in the name of national security so they can be easily managed. This is how you maintain a dictatorial regime by limiting access to information and international narrative.
Copyrights are another reason why your VPN will not work for some websites and applications. People rely on torrents to watch movies and TV shows or download software, which is illegal in many countries and punishable in a few.
To counter this, many websites and ISPs present the use of VPNs to download copyrighted material for free. I advise against torrenting copyrighted material and using a cracked VPN for it.
Streaming has seen a prominent spike in the last five years. However, due to copyright issues, Netflix won’t be able to make every TV show globally available. To bypass these restrictions, Netflix/Prime users employ a VPN to change their IP address and watch their favorite movies and TV shows.
I neither support nor discourage the use of VPN to access restricted content. I am with you as long as no one gets scammed.
Management blocks some websites to maintain the integrity of an office or school. This helps them get the most out of their employees and save bandwidth. YouTube is mostly blocked at schools and workplaces because it consumes the most data and time.
I don’t encourage using a VPN to access blocked websites at your workplace because it is unethical. Your employer is paying you for your time, so work hard and stop figuring out ways to access social media at work.
Some countries have restricted porn and gambling websites for good. The websites can’t be accessed with a free VPN; they can be accessed with paid VPNs.
The financial authorities can not determine the culprit if they use a VPN. Therefore, websites and applications with financial dealings have restricted VPNs.
If your VPN does not work after everything I have told you to do. Use these methods to bypass the VPN block.
You can also check this guide on VPNs not working and fixing it with smart tips and tricks.
The best way to bypass a VPN block is by subscribing to the best VPN available on the market. I would recommend NordVPN and ExpressVPN.
I have also mentioned other methods like getting a dedicated IP address and switching your VPN server and port to access the internet anonymously. Using obfuscated servers is the final resort you can use to bypass the VPN block.
Yes, governments can block VPNs. They do this through various methods, such as:
Governments with strict internet control, such as China, Russia, and Iran, often employ such measures to restrict access to restricted content or monitor online activity. However, some VPNs use advanced techniques, such as obfuscated servers or stealth protocols, to bypass these blocks.
It can be challenging to bypass a government-imposed VPN firewall. While you can attempt to use obfuscated VPN servers for this purpose, I was unable to successfully do so using this method.
I can recommend using NordVPN and ExpressVPN after testing them, bypassing VPN blocks.
Mustafa is a cybersecurity analyst and a co-founder of VPN for What. Since 2017, Mustafa has gained international experience, working with governments, NGOs, and the private sector as a cybersecurity and VPN expert and advisor.
