Kill Switch
Kill Switch
Your last line of defense against data leaks. The kill switch instantly blocks all internet traffic if the VPN connection drops, ensuring your real IP address and unencrypted data are never exposed.
What Is a Kill Switch?
A VPN kill switch is a security mechanism that continuously monitors your VPN connection. If the connection drops for any reason, the kill switch immediately blocks all outgoing internet traffic from your device until the VPN is restored. This prevents your device from falling back to your regular, unencrypted internet connection and exposing your real IP address, location, or browsing activity.
Without a kill switch, a momentary VPN disconnection could leak sensitive data to your ISP, the website you are visiting, or any network observer. The kill switch eliminates this risk entirely.
Why It Matters
Even a brief VPN disconnection of a few seconds can expose your real IP address to websites, reveal your DNS queries to your ISP, and send unencrypted data over the network. The kill switch prevents all of this.
How It Works
The kill switch operates at the network level on your device, intercepting all traffic before it leaves your system.
Continuous Monitoring
The kill switch constantly monitors the state of your VPN tunnel. It checks for connection drops, timeouts, and protocol failures in real time.
Instant Blocking
When a disconnection is detected, all outgoing internet traffic is blocked within milliseconds, before any data can leak through the unprotected connection.
Automatic Recovery
Once the VPN reconnects successfully, the kill switch releases the traffic block and restores normal internet access through the encrypted tunnel.
Transparent Operation
When the VPN is connected and stable, the kill switch operates silently in the background with zero impact on your connection speed or performance.
Kill Switch Lifecycle
VPN Connected
The kill switch is armed and monitoring. All internet traffic flows through the encrypted VPN tunnel as normal. You browse, stream, and work without any interruption.
Connection Drops
The VPN tunnel is interrupted due to a network change, server issue, or signal loss. The kill switch detects this immediately.
Traffic Blocked
All internet traffic from your device is instantly blocked. No data leaves your device unencrypted. Your real IP address remains hidden.
VPN Reconnects
OrbVPN's auto-reconnect feature re-establishes the VPN tunnel. Once the secure connection is confirmed, the kill switch releases the block and traffic flows again.
Enabling the Kill Switch
The kill switch can be toggled on or off from the OrbVPN settings. We strongly recommend keeping it enabled at all times for maximum protection.
Open Settings
Launch OrbVPN and navigate to the Settings screen from the bottom navigation bar.
Find Kill Switch
Scroll to the Security section within Settings. The Kill Switch toggle is located here alongside other security options.
Enable the Toggle
Tap the Kill Switch toggle to enable it. When the toggle is in the on position, the kill switch is active and will protect you from any VPN disconnection.
Connect to VPN
Return to the connection screen and connect to a VPN server. The kill switch is now armed and monitoring your connection.
Recommended Setting
Keep the kill switch enabled at all times. There is no performance penalty when the VPN is connected, and it provides critical protection during unexpected disconnections.
What Happens When the VPN Drops
Understanding the kill switch behavior during a disconnection helps you know exactly what to expect and what actions to take.
Internet Access Paused
All apps and services lose internet connectivity. Websites will not load, downloads will pause, and streaming will stop. This is intentional and protective.
No Data Leaks
Your real IP address, DNS queries, and browsing data remain protected. Nothing is transmitted over the unencrypted connection.
Auto-Reconnect Activates
OrbVPN immediately begins attempting to re-establish the VPN connection. Most reconnections complete within a few seconds.
Normal Service Resumes
Once the VPN is restored, the kill switch lifts the traffic block and all your apps and services resume automatically.
Notification
OrbVPN displays a notification when the kill switch activates, informing you that internet access has been temporarily paused for your protection. You will also see a notification when the VPN reconnects and normal access resumes.
Always-On VPN
For the highest level of protection, combine the kill switch with the always-on VPN feature. This ensures OrbVPN automatically connects at device startup and maintains an active VPN session at all times.
Boot Protection
The VPN connects automatically when your device starts up, ensuring you are never online without protection, even briefly.
Persistent Security
Combined with the kill switch, always-on VPN ensures there is never a moment when your traffic can travel unencrypted.
Enable Kill Switch
First, ensure the kill switch is enabled in OrbVPN Settings under the Security section.
Enable Always-On VPN
Toggle the Always-On VPN option in your device's VPN settings. This tells your operating system to start OrbVPN automatically.
Verify Protection
Restart your device and confirm that OrbVPN connects automatically. Check the connection screen to verify the VPN is active.
Android Protection Levels
On Android devices, OrbVPN offers two kill switch protection levels, allowing you to balance maximum security with convenience.
Full Protection
Blocks ALL traffic when the VPN disconnects, including system apps and background services. No data of any kind leaves your device without VPN protection. Maximum security.
Partial Protection
Blocks only user-initiated traffic when the VPN disconnects. System services like push notifications, alarms, and background syncs continue to function normally.
Choosing a Protection Level
How to Choose
Select Full Protection when maximum security is your priority -- no exceptions, no leaks, complete traffic lockdown during VPN disconnections. Select Partial Protection when you need to stay reachable -- you will still receive push notifications, calendar reminders, and other system alerts even during brief VPN reconnections. Partial Protection still blocks all user-initiated browsing, app traffic, and downloads.
Open Kill Switch Settings
Navigate to Settings > Security > Kill Switch on your Android device.
Select Protection Level
Choose between Full Protection and Partial Protection. The current selection is highlighted.
Confirm Your Choice
The protection level takes effect immediately. You will see a confirmation indicating which level is active.
Android Only
Protection level selection is available on Android only. On iOS, macOS, Windows, and Linux, the kill switch operates in full protection mode by default.
When to Disable the Kill Switch
While we recommend keeping the kill switch enabled, there are rare situations where you might want to disable it temporarily.
Local Network Access
If you need to access local network resources like printers or file shares while the VPN is temporarily down, the kill switch will block this access.
Captive Portals
Hotel, airport, and coffee shop Wi-Fi networks often require you to sign in through a captive portal. The kill switch may block access to the sign-in page.
Re-enable Promptly
If you disable the kill switch for any reason, remember to re-enable it as soon as possible. Running without the kill switch leaves you vulnerable to data leaks during any VPN disconnection.
Never Leak a Single Byte
The kill switch is your safety net. Enable it and browse with confidence, knowing that your data is protected even if the unexpected happens.