How to Fix Slow VPN Speeds
There's nothing worse than buffering when you're trying to stream, or lag when you're gaming. While all VPNs will reduce your speed slightly due to encryption overhead, a good VPN should be barely noticeable. If your connection is crawling, try these fixes.
1. Switch Servers
This is the #1 cause of slow speeds. The server you are on might be overcrowded. Connect to a server closer to your physical location for the best speeds.
2. Change Protocols
If you are using OpenVPN (TCP), switch to WireGuard or IKEv2. WireGuard is modern, lightweight, and significantly faster.
3. Use a Wired Connection
Wi-Fi is convenient but unstable. Plugging in an Ethernet cable will always give you a faster and consistent baseline speed.
4. Restart Your Router/Modem
It's a cliché for a reason. Restarting your router clears its memory cache and can resolve underlying network congestion issues.
5. Disable Local Firewalls
Sometimes your antivirus or Windows Firewall conflicts with the VPN traffic, scanning every packet and slowing it down. Try temporarily disabling them to test.
Conclusion
If none of these work, it might be your ISP throttling you, or simply a bad VPN provider. Premium VPNs like ExpressVPN invest heavily in high-speed 10Gbps servers to prevent this.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does VPN slow down my internet?
Encryption takes processing power, and routing your traffic through a distant server adds travel time (latency) to your data.
What is the fastest VPN protocol?
WireGuard is currently the fastest and most modern protocol, offering significant speed improvements over OpenVPN.