What is a VPN? Meaning, how it works, and what it hides

How a VPN works, in one picture

Without a VPN, your device talks to every website directly. Your internet provider can see which sites you open, and every website sees your IP address. With a VPN, an app on your device first builds an encrypted connection to a server of the VPN provider. Everything you do online goes through this tunnel.

So a VPN moves trust: away from your internet provider and the Wi-Fi operator, and towards the VPN provider. That is why it matters which provider you choose.

A proxy works in a similar way, but usually for one app only and often without encryption. VPN vs proxy compares the two.

What a VPN hides, and what it does not

The last row is the one many people forget. If you log in to an account, the site knows it is you, VPN or not.

Can you still be tracked with a VPN?

Yes. Logins, cookies, and browser fingerprints still identify you, and the VPN provider can see which sites you open. Authorities can ask it for data under the law of the country where the company is based; what it can hand over depends on what it records. So a VPN gives you more privacy, not anonymous browsing. Who owns your VPN? shows how to check where a provider is based.

VPN meaning: why “virtual” and “private”?

The connection is private because it is encrypted between your device and the server. It is virtual because it is not a separate cable, just an encrypted path through the normal internet. Companies first used VPNs to connect laptops to their office network. Consumer VPN services use the same idea to route your traffic through their servers.

VPN app or VPN router?

Usually, a VPN is an app on each device. On phones, the app adds a VPN entry to the system settings, and many phones show a small VPN or key icon while the connection is on.

Some routers can run the VPN connection themselves. Then every device in your home network uses it, even devices that cannot run a VPN app, such as some smart TVs or game consoles. How to set this up depends on the router, and it only covers devices connected to that router. Outside your home, you still need the app.

How big are VPN services?

This archive tracks 13 VPN services. Together, their own server lists name 1,673 locations in 177 countries.

VPN services tracked

13

Listed server locations

1,673

Countries listed

177

Locations measured

1,126

A location in a list is a promise of the provider. Not every location is where its name says: providers themselves mark 430 of these locations as virtual, which means the server stands in another country. The guide on virtual VPN locations explains this in detail.

When a VPN helps

• Public or untrusted Wi-Fi, for example in a hotel or a café: the Wi-Fi operator sees only the encrypted tunnel.
• Tracking by IP address: websites and ad networks see the server’s address instead of yours.
• Services that are only offered in some countries: with a server in the right country, a site may treat you as a visitor from there. Some services block known VPN addresses, though.

When a VPN does not help

• It does not stop phishing, malware, or weak passwords.
• It does not hide you from sites where you are logged in.
• It does not make an illegal act legal. More on this in Is it legal to use a VPN?.

Next step

If you are not sure you need a VPN at all, read Do you need a VPN?. If you already want one, the VPN finder shows which providers meet the points that matter to you.