Have you changed your DNS settings or connected to a VPN and then wondered why your public IP or DNS test results looked different—or stayed the same?
DNS settings and VPNs do different jobs. This discussion is a place to compare experiences and make sense of changes in your public IP and DNS test results.
An unexpected result is a starting point for investigation, not proof of a leak. A browser excluded by split tunneling may still show your ISP-assigned public IP. A browser DNS test identifies the resolvers answering its lookups; it does not prove that requests traveled inside the VPN tunnel or that every other app uses the same path. Compare the result with your VPN provider’s documented configuration.
What changed in your tests? For example:
- Did changing DNS affect website loading without changing your public IP?
- Did your browser and another app behave differently with the VPN connected?
- Did split tunneling or a browser’s secure DNS setting help explain the result?
- Did a VPN, browser, or device update change which resolvers appeared?
If you would like help, tell us the device and operating system, browser, VPN service, whether split tunneling or secure DNS is enabled, and which test you used. Describe what you expected and what you observed. Change one setting at a time when comparing results, and avoid disconnecting a VPN if doing so would expose activity you need to protect.
You do not need to post your full public IP address, account details, or private browsing history. If sharing a screenshot, remove personal information first. When reporting a fix, include the setting changed and the device or version tested.
For a discussion specifically about suspected leaks, see What is a VPN leak?.
