Technologies

How to Disable Your VPN Temporarily and Why You Might Need To

Don’t be surprised if you have to turn your VPN off at some point.

A virtual private network is a privacy tool that can help protect you and your information online by encrypting your data and hiding your IP address. You might be tempted to leave your VPN on all the time, but sometimes you might have to turn it off.

If you want to protect some of your internet traffic with your VPN but not all of it, you could try split tunneling. If split tunneling isn’t viable, or you’re getting frustrated with the split tunneling process, you might need to simply turn your VPN off altogether for some time.

Here’s why you might need to disable your VPN and how to do it.

Some reasons you might turn your VPN off

There are a lot of situations where you might want to pause your VPN. Most are because sites actively block, or have policies against, VPNs. Turning off your VPN could also help diagnose some network issues. If you’re traveling to a country where VPN use is illegal or regulated, turning your VPN off could help keep you out of trouble.

Banks

You might encounter such a block when you connect to your bank or other online financial institution. Some banks might block traffic from other countries, so turning off your VPN would let you access your institution. Always remember to be on a secure network when accessing your financial information, so no banking at public Wi-Fi hotspots like Starbucks or McDonald’s.

Work or school

Turning your VPN off could also be required by your workplace or school. Some of these institutions have rules or policies against using VPNs, and it’s best to follow these guidelines so you don’t get in trouble.

Streaming services

You might also turn your VPN off because a site or service might block your access because you’re using a VPN. Some streaming sites, like Netflix and Hulu, have policies against VPN usage. To comply with these policies, you should turn off your VPN just in case, so you aren’t punished by the service. If you want to speed up your internet to stream high-quality videos, you should disconnect your VPN, as well.

Troubleshooting

If you’re having network issues, disconnecting from your VPN could also help you identify what’s wrong with your internet access. You might experience occasional network issues when using a VPN — you are routing to another region, sometimes on the other side of the world, after all — so turning off your VPN could help resolve your issue.

Traveling

You might also need to turn your VPN off if you’re traveling to a region where VPN usage is illegal or could result in legal repercussions. According to Surfshark, VPNs aren’t illegal in China, for example, but there are rules in place concerning how VPNs are used. If you don’t want to get in trouble, you should turn your VPN off when traveling, just in case.

How to turn off a VPN on any device

Turning off your VPN is straightforward on most devices that support native VPN apps. For instance, you can install a VPN app easily on Windows, MacOS, iOS, iPadOS, Android and Amazon Fire TV OS. Simply open the VPN app on your device, and you should see a button that lets you know you’re Connected to your VPN. Tap or click that button, and it should now read Disconnected. The specific text may differ, but common words to look for include Connect or On.

In other VPN programs, you might see a button that says Disconnect. If you click or tap this button, you will be disconnected from the VPN.

In some VPN apps, like NordVPN and Surfshark, you also have the option to pause your VPN connection for a set amount of time, like 5 or 30 minutes. That way, you don’t forget to turn your VPN back on if you’re dealing with a network connectivity issue.

And as a reminder we advise reading through a site or service’s user agreement before using a VPN. It’s also important to remember that illegal activity is still illegal, even if you’re masking your location with a VPN.

Turning off a VPN on some devices like game consoles or smart TVs may be more challenging

While turning off a VPN using an app on your device is pretty straightforward, it’s not always as simple with devicesthat aren’t compatible with VPN apps, like game consoles, some smart TVs or streaming devices and routers.

Gaming consoles, including the PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S and Nintendo Switch, don’t have native VPN apps. Android TV, Amazon Fire TV and Apple TV streaming devices let you download VPN apps directly, while Roku doesn’t. Smart TVs that run Android TV or Amazon Fire TV accordingly are compatible with VPN apps, whereas you can’t install a VPN app on smart televisions running Roku, LG’s webOS or Samsung’s TizenOS.

If your device isn’t compatible with native VPN apps, you’ll need to run a VPN on your router or use a PC as a hotspot. Because installing a VPN on your router can be tricky and may void your warranty, we recommend using ExpressVPN’s Aircove VPN router or a device from FlashRouters. Alternatively, you can use a Windows or Mac computer as a hotspot to share your VPN connection. For sharing a VPN connection through a MacOS or Windows PC, simply disconnect from that Wi-Fi hotspot and connect to your router’s Wi-Fi directly.

Here’s how to disable a VPN on your router:

Log in to your router’s dashboard by heading to the right IP address.
Enter your login credentials (username and password).
Find the tab with your VPN info. This might be VPN settings, Control panel, Settings or Network/WAN setup.
Toggle your VPN off. You may need to reboot your router for changes to take place.

Turning off a VPN on Linux may not be as easy as other devices

A handful of VPN providers, including ExpressVPN, Surfshark, Proton VPN and PIA, have graphical user interface apps for Linux that let you turn a VPN on or off as easily as on other operating systems. But for command-line interface Linux VPN apps, you may need to use the command line to disable your VPN connection. For instance, with NordVPN, you’ll enter nordvpn disconnect or nordvpn d in the command line to stop using a VPN connection. The correct command prompts should be listed in the documentation on your VPN provider’s website.

For more, check out the best VPNs, learn what to know about geo-blocking and find out how to turn off a VPN on your iPhone.

Technologies

Today’s All-Symbol NYT Connections Answer Feels Like an April Fool’s Joke

Here’s the answer to April Fool’s tricky Connections puzzle for April 1, #660.

Looking for the most recent Connections answers? Click here for today’s Connections hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands puzzles.

Today’s Connections puzzle feels like an April Fool’s Day prank. The grid is filled with symbols or single letters, no words. Many of them are recognizable, but some of them threw me for a loop (especially the single letters), and they might confuse you too. Read on for clues and today’s Connections answers.

The Times now has a Connections Bot, like the one for Wordle. Go there after you play to receive a numeric score and to have the program analyze your answers. Players registered with the Times Games section can now nerd out by following their progress, including number of puzzles completed, win rate, number of times they nabbed a perfect score and their win streak.

Read more: Hints, Tips and Strategies to Help You Win at NYT Connections Every Time

Hints for today’s Connections groups

Here are four hints for the groupings in today’s Connections puzzle, ranked from the easiest yellow group to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group.

Yellow group hint: It’s all about the Benjamins.

Green group hint: Combined.

Blue group hint: Cartoony faces.

Purple group hint: Not left.

Answers for today’s Connections groups

Yellow group: Currency symbols.

Green group: And/together with.

Blue group: Emoticon mouths.

Purple group: «Right.»

Read more: Wordle Cheat Sheet: Here Are the Most Popular Letters Used in English Words

What are today’s Connections answers?

The yellow words in today’s Connections

The theme is currency symbols. The four answers are $, £, ¥ and €. (Dollar sign, pound sign, yen and euro.)

The green words in today’s Connections

The theme is and/together with. The four answers are &, +, N and X.

The blue words in today’s Connections

The theme is emoticon mouths. The four answers are (. ), O and P.

The purple words in today’s Connections

The theme is «right.» The four answers are R, →, ⊾ and ✓

Technologies

IGN Live Fan Festival Returns With Games, Celebrities and More on June 7

IGN’s second annual live games show comes back to Los Angeles and tickets are now on sale.

When the venerable gaming show E3 shut down for good back in 2023, fans and developers lost the best opportunity in the US to hear breaking news about upcoming games and play a few themselves. While Summer Game Fest has emerged for media like CNET to get this access, fans were left out in the cold — until last year, when the first IGN Live was held for the public to get hands-on play time and see celebrities on stage.

This year, IGN Live returns to Los Angeles on June 7 and 8, giving fans access to more games, panels and announcements from Netflix, 2K, Lenovo and more.

IGN hasn’t shared its lineup for this year’s weekend of events, but last year’s IGN Live included the first news about a potential Xbox handheld from Xbox head Phil Spencer, a panel of the cast of The Lord of the Rings: Rings of Power, an interview with Casper Van Dien on the Starship Troopers: Extermination game and hands-on time with upcoming Souls-like Phantom Blade Zero.

IGN Live will be held at Magic Box @ The Reef in downtown Los Angeles, and wishful attendees can buy tickets now, with early bird tickets starting at $15 per day or $30 for the full weekend (discounts available until April 30).

Fans who can’t make it, don’t worry: the show will be streamed on IGN.com, YouTube, Twitch and the site’s social channels.

Disclosure: IGN is owned by Ziff Davis, the same parent company as CNET.

Technologies

What Time is Nintendo Switch 2 Direct: How To Watch April Nintendo Direct

The Switch 2 reveal is almost here.

The Nintendo Switch 2 reveal on Wednesday could be the biggest gaming news of the year. After surprising everyone with a teaser of the new console back in January, Nintendo will hopefully give some more details about the Switch 2, such as how much it’ll cost, what games are coming out and when it will launch.

Nintendo has kept details about the Switch 2 under wraps since January. What is known is that the Switch 2 will be bigger than the original Switch, have more graphics power, use new Joy-Cons and have backward compatibility with games for the original Switch. There’s also the big question about that mysterious C-button. Everything else about the new console should be revealed on Wednesday.

Here’s what we know about the Switch 2 Nintendo Direct.

When is the Switch 2 Nintendo Direct?

Nintendo says the Switch 2 Nintendo Direct will happen on Wednesday, April 2, at 6 a.m. PT (9 a.m. ET, 2 p.m. BST).

Where can I watch the Switch 2 Nintendo Direct?

Like previous Nintendo Direct events, the show will be streamed live on Nintendo’s YouTube channel and Twitch channel.

What will be revealed at the Switch 2 Nintendo Direct?

The biggest reveal will be the release date and price of the Switch 2. Considering there will be Nintendo Switch 2 Experience events happening until June 1, the launch of the new console will likely happen in June. A recent leak showed that U.S. retailers may open pre-orders for the Switch 2 on April 9.

As for price, the Switch 2 could possibly launch at the same $300 price tag that the original Switch had, but don’t bet on that. The OLED Switch costs $350, and given it’s been nearly eight years since the original Switch arrived, it makes more sense for the Switch 2 to have a $400 launch price.

Then comes the games. So far, Nintendo has only shown a new Mario Kart in the Switch 2 reveal. Nintendo usually has some of its major franchises ready whenever it launches a console, so expect more Mario titles or a Zelda game to be available at launch or soon after. Several 2025 titles are also expected, including Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition, Pokémon Legends Z-A and Metroid Prime 4: Beyond.

It will also be interesting to see how much third-party support it’ll receive. The Switch trailed behind the Xbox and PlayStation consoles in third-party games due to its lack of hardware power, but if Nintendo beefs up the Switch 2 specs to make it comparable to, say, a Steam Deck, that support could grow exponentially.

Tech specs will be another big reveal for the Nintendo Switch 2 Direct. Potential buyers will be interested in seeing how much of a graphics upgrade they’ll get with the Switch 2 and what kind of battery life it could have.

There are also questions about the new Joy-Cons. The reveal video showed how the new controllers can act like a computer mouse, which could make for some interesting uses with certain PC games.

As of now, the only major feature revealed by Nintendo is the Switch 2’s backward compatibility with the original Switch. It appears most of the Switch library will work on the new console, with a few exceptions.