Does a VPN change your IP address?

Websites see the VPN exit

A VPN encrypts traffic between your device and a VPN server, which then connects to websites on your behalf. Websites see the public address of that exit server instead of your provider’s address.

With a VPN connected, IPNIXA should show an address and network organization belonging to the VPN or its hosting provider, and a location near the selected server. Locations of VPN servers in location databases are sometimes inaccurate.

Step-by-step: check that your VPN works

This takes two minutes and catches the most common problems.

1. With the VPN off, open the IPNIXA VPN check and select Save current connection. It keeps your IPv4 and IPv6 addresses, country and ISP in this browser tab for 30 minutes.
2. Connect the VPN and wait until the app reports that it is connected.
3. Select Check again & compare. The IPv4 address, country and ISP / network rows should all show Changed.
4. Read the leak checks. WebRTC should say No public address or Same as above. IPv6 should show both addresses in the same country, or only one address confirmed. A warning on either line means some traffic can bypass the VPN.
5. Switch to another VPN server and select Refresh to confirm the results are repeatable.
6. Shortcut: open the IPNIXA home page with the VPN on. When the connection looks like a VPN, the NIXA Privacy Check opens below your result and runs these checks as you scroll.

IPv6: the most common leak

Many connections are dual-stack. If a VPN only carries IPv4 traffic, the browser can still reach dual-stack websites directly over IPv6 — and those websites see your real IPv6 address, which identifies your provider and approximate location.

Because IPNIXA tests IPv4 and IPv6 separately, it shows this situation clearly: the IPv4 address belongs to the VPN, while the IPv6 address still belongs to your provider. The VPN check flags it as an IPv6 leak when the two addresses appear in different countries.

• Enable the VPN app’s IPv6 leak protection or “block IPv6” option, if it has one.
• Choose a VPN that tunnels IPv6 traffic as well as IPv4.
• As a last resort, disable IPv6 on that device while the VPN is in use, and re-enable it afterwards.

WebRTC, DNS and other leaks

WebRTC lets browsers set up video calls and some browser games directly between devices. To do that, the browser asks a STUN server which public address it has, and a web page can read the answer. If that request leaves outside the tunnel, the page learns your real IP even though normal requests use the VPN. The IPNIXA VPN check makes this same request and warns when WebRTC reveals an address websites did not otherwise see.

DNS queries can also bypass the tunnel and reveal your provider’s resolvers, and apps outside the browser may skip the VPN when split tunneling is on. Those need your VPN app’s protection settings or a dedicated DNS leak test.

• Turn on the VPN app’s kill switch, so traffic stops instead of leaving unprotected if the tunnel drops.
• Use the VPN’s own DNS servers or its DNS leak protection.
• Review split tunneling and make sure the apps you want protected are inside the tunnel.
• If the WebRTC check warns, turn on your VPN’s WebRTC protection or limit WebRTC in your browser settings.

What a VPN does and does not change

A VPN is useful, but it changes only part of what websites can learn about you.

Why some sites block VPNs

Accounts, cookies, browser fingerprints and the information you enter still identify you to websites. The VPN provider can see your connection metadata instead of your internet provider, so the choice of provider matters.

Many services block known VPN ranges or ask for extra verification. If a site refuses access, the cause is usually the shared exit address, not your device. Switching to another server or turning the VPN off for that site usually resolves it.