I lost internet access after I disconnected from NordVPN on Linux

Problem

After you disconnect from a NordVPN VPN server on your Linux device, you are not able to access the internet, even if your other devices work fine.

Most common symptoms

  • If you reconnect to NordVPN, the internet starts working again.
  • You get errors, like "NXDOMAIN", in your browser when visiting, for example, google.com.

Verifying the issue

  1. Double-check if you can reach any IP address by running this command in your terminal:
  2. ping 1.1.1.1

    NOTE: If you are not able to reach 1.1.1.1, follow the "No Internet is leaving the system" troubleshooting steps.

  3. If the ping succeeds with no issues, verify if the DNS servers are working by running this command:
  4. getent hosts nordvpn.com

    NOTE: If this command fails, you have verified that the issue stems from your DNS servers. Follow the "Troubleshooting DNS connectivity issues" troubleshooting steps

Troubleshooting steps

No internet is leaving the system

  1. Double-check if the NordVPN killswitch feature is disabled by running this command:
    nordvpn set killswitch 0
    NOTE: If the NordVPN killswitch feature is enabled, it is expected that you will lose internet access after you disconnect from the VPN due to how the feature is built.
  2. Disconnect from NordVPN servers once more to clean up any firewall configuration left behind by writing:
  3. nordvpn disconnect
  4. Reboot your device.
  5. If the issue still persists, reach out to our support team for continued assistance.

Troubleshooting DNS connectivity issues

  1. Toggle your Wi-Fi connection off and on. If you are using a wired connection, unplug and reconnect the LAN cable.
  2. Reboot your device.
  3. If the issue still persists, reach out to our support team for continued assistance.

Additional tips

  1. Test on a different device to isolate the issue
  2. Verify your internet connection is active

 

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