Why Is My VPN So Slow? How to Speed It Up

A VPN adds one extra step to every connection, so a small change in speed is normal. But if pages crawl, video keeps buffering or uploads never finish, something specific is usually holding things back, and it is often not the VPN itself. The cause may be your Wi-Fi, a busy background app, a device setting or the network you are on.

This guide gives you an order of checks that works on any device. Measure first, rule out your own connection, then change one thing at a time and test again. For the background on why speed changes at all, read why internet speed changes with a VPN. This page is about action, not theory, and it makes no promises about specific speeds, because every network and device is different.

Step 1: Measure before you change anything

Guessing wastes time. Spend two minutes to get a baseline.

1. Open a speed-test site or app with the VPN turned off. Note the download speed, the upload speed and the ping (latency).
2. Turn the VPN on and run the same test again, in the same place, at about the same time.
3. Write the two sets of numbers down.

Now you can read the result.

• If the speed is already poor with the VPN off, your internet connection is the problem. Go to Step 2 and Step 3. The VPN is not the cause.
• If the speed is fine with the VPN off but much lower with it on, continue through the steps below.
• If download is fine but upload is weak, see Step 6.
• If the speed numbers look good but pages still open slowly, the delay may be in name lookups. See Step 8.

Run each test two or three times, because one test can be unlucky. Do not compare tests taken at very different times of day, since shared networks are busier in the evening.

Step 2: Rule out your own network

A VPN cannot be faster than the connection underneath it. Check the basics.

• Restart your router: unplug it for thirty seconds, plug it back in, and wait a few minutes.
• Check whether other people at home or at the office are downloading, streaming or video calling. A busy network is a slow network for everyone.
• Compare Wi-Fi with mobile data. If mobile data is much better, your Wi-Fi is the weak link.
• Check for a data-saver or throttling notice from your mobile plan, since some plans slow down after a limit is reached.

If your internet is slow without a VPN too, fix that first. The guide on improving connection stability covers network habits that help any connection.

Step 3: Improve the Wi-Fi signal

Wi-Fi quality changes a lot from room to room. A weak signal means retries and delays, and a VPN makes every wasted packet more noticeable.

• Move closer to the router, or into the same room, and test again.
• If you can, use a cable. A wired connection is the quickest way to see whether Wi-Fi is the problem.
• If your router supports both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz, try the 5 GHz network when you are close to the router. It is usually faster at short range, while 2.4 GHz reaches farther.
• In a hotel, cafe or airport, the shared network may be slow for everyone. Try mobile data or a hotspot from your phone to compare.

Step 4: Disconnect, restart and reconnect

Long sessions can end up in a poor state, especially if the device went to sleep, changed networks or moved between Wi-Fi and mobile data.

1. Disconnect the VPN and close the app completely.
2. Turn Wi-Fi off and on, or switch airplane mode on for ten seconds and off again.
3. Restart the device if it has been on for days.
4. Open the app and connect again, then repeat your speed test.

This simple restart fixes a surprising number of slow connections. If the connection keeps dropping instead of just being slow, use the guide on reconnecting when the VPN disconnects.

Step 5: Check the app and its connection options

Different connection methods can behave differently on different networks. Open your My Pass page and look at the setup instructions for your device.

• If the app or My Pass lists more than one way to connect, try another and test again. Use only the options shown there.
• Make sure only one VPN is active. Two VPN apps or profiles on one device can fight each other and slow everything down. Turn off any other VPN, "private network" or proxy app.
• Make sure the app is up to date. If it is not, get it again from the download button on My Pass rather than from a similar-looking app.
• On Android, check that the app is not restricted by battery optimisation, which can throttle background activity.

Remember that the supported connection methods are what is shown on My Pass. Do not install profiles from other sources.

Step 6: Fix slow uploads

Upload speed is often much lower than download speed on home and mobile connections. A VPN adds overhead, so the difference can feel larger. Uploads matter more than people expect, because they power video calls, cloud backups, photo syncing and sending large attachments.

• Pause automatic photo backup, cloud sync and large uploads while you are on a call or trying to do something urgent.
• Close extra tabs and apps that upload in the background, such as a game launcher or a file-sync tool.
• For video calls, turn off your camera for a moment to see whether audio becomes smooth. That tells you the upload link is the limit.
• Upload from a stronger connection when possible: wired, or close to the router.

If your upload with the VPN off is also weak, then the VPN is not the cause and you may need to speak to your internet provider about your plan.

Step 7: Stop streaming buffering

Video needs a steady flow of data over a long period, not just a good test result for a few seconds. Buffering with a VPN on usually comes from one of these:

• A weak or crowded Wi-Fi connection. Test with a cable or a different network.
• Too many devices streaming at once on the same connection.
• The video quality is set higher than the network can sustain. Lower the quality one level and check whether playback becomes smooth.
• A temporary traffic jam somewhere along the path. Reconnecting the VPN or waiting a few minutes can change the route.
• An older device that struggles with high-quality video. Close other apps first.

A VPN does not change what a streaming service allows. Always follow the service's own terms. This guide only helps with smoothness, not with access.

Step 8: Check if pages load slowly even though speed is fine

Sometimes a speed test looks good but websites still feel slow. The first step of loading a page is looking up the site's address through DNS, and a slow lookup delays everything that follows. High latency also adds delay to every request even when the raw speed is fine. You can read about the effect in Cloudflare's explanation of latency.

Signs of this problem: speed tests give high numbers, but pages hesitate before they start loading, and video starts slowly but plays smoothly afterwards. Try reconnecting, switching networks and restarting the device. If you use a custom DNS setting on the device, or a browser feature that sends DNS elsewhere, turn it off for a test, because it can conflict with the VPN. For more on this, see the guide on DNS leaks.

Step 9: Look at the device itself

• Low battery mode or battery saver can limit network performance. Turn it off for a test.
• Heat and low storage make older phones and laptops slow, and encryption uses some processing power.
• Security software such as a firewall or antivirus with web scanning can slow traffic. Try pausing web scanning briefly to see whether it matters, and turn it back on afterwards.
• Too many open apps compete for the network. Close what you are not using.
• Operating system updates running in the background can use your whole connection. Let them finish.

Common mistakes

• Changing five things at once, so you never learn what worked.
• Comparing a speed test taken in the morning with one taken at night.
• Testing from a different room with the VPN on than with it off.
• Blaming the VPN when the Wi-Fi is the problem.
• Leaving two VPN apps active.
• Reinstalling the app before running simple checks.

Quick checklist

Symptom	First thing to try
Everything slow, with or without VPN	Restart router, move closer, try mobile data
Slow only with VPN on	Reconnect, restart device, check for a second VPN
Slow uploads and video calls	Pause backups, close background apps
Video buffering	Lower quality, switch network, try a cable
Pages hesitate then load	Reconnect, check custom DNS settings, switch network
Slow on one device only	Battery saver, security software, app update

When to contact support

Write to xpassvpn@gmail.com if your pass is active, the slowness continues on more than one network and device after the checks above, and you can describe it. Include the email used at checkout, your device and operating system, the networks you tested, and the speed-test numbers with and without the VPN. Never send your password in the message.

Summary

Measure your speed with and without the VPN, rule out your own network, improve the Wi-Fi, restart and reconnect, check for a second VPN, and pause background uploads. Change one thing at a time and test again. Most slow connections end at one of these steps. If you want a longer explanation of why the numbers move, the speed article covers it, and the help center has guides for your device.