NordVPN is one of the more popular VPN providers at the moment. However, just being popular doesn’t make it perfect. The service still suffers from the occasional bugs and glitches. 

In this article, we’re looking at a few fixes you can try if NordVPN isn’t working for you.

Also read: Windows not connecting to PPTP VPN: 9 Fixes

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Check your internet connection

The first step of troubleshooting anything is to reboot the device that may be causing the issue.

It almost seems like a joke now, but rebooting your device does have some pretty surprising results, and you might be able to resolve many seemingly random issues.

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Issues at the ISP’s end

If the WAN light on your router isn’t on, this can indicate that you’re not getting a signal from your ISP and that they may be facing an outage.

In such cases, the best thing to do is contact them and inquire about what’s going on with them. Generally, your ISP would be quick to resolve any such outages.

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Try another server

If the server you’re trying to connect to is overloaded, there’s a good chance that you might not be able to connect to the service. Try connecting to another NordVPN server to see if that resolves your problem. This method also works if you’re connected but are experiencing slow internet speeds over a VPN. 

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Disable antivirus and any third-party firewalls

Another thing that should be on your diagnostics list is to temporarily disable your antivirus and check if you can share files through your network. If you’re using any third-party firewalls, they can also cause conflict with network communications to keep you safe.

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Check your credentials

If you’re running VPN software on your router, check to see if you’re using the right credentials. Do keep in mind that these credentials are different from your NordVPN account credentials and will cause your VPN not to connect if entered incorrectly. 

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Try another DNS

Multiple free DNS providers are using whom you can fix this issue. In this example, we’re going to use Google’s DNS.

Step 1: Press Windows key + I to open the Windows settings and click on Network & Internet.

Step 2: Click on Change adaptor options.

Step 3: Right-click on your active network (WiFi or LAN) and click Properties.

Step 4: Find Internet Protocol Version 4 in the list, click on it, and click Properties. 

Step 5: Check the Use the following DNS server addresses radio button and type in 8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4 in the preferred and alternative DNS addresses, respectively. 

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Check if NordVPN is working

Although rare, outages still happen. If you think everything is fine from your end, but you still can’t connect to NordVPN servers, check to see if NordVPN is down or not. You can use websites like DownDetector or visit NordVPN’s social media handles to see if the service is live. 

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Check your router ports

NordVPN requires the 443 TCP and 1194 UDP ports open on your router to work properly. Check to see if the ports mentioned above are open and that your router or firewall allows pass-throughs for the VPN. Your provider can also block traffic on a particular port; if that’s the case, try changing the NordVPN default port to see if that solves your problem. 

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Use command prompt to flush DNS

The error ‘Your DNS server might be unavailable’ itself states that it has something to do with DNS settings. Misconfigured DNS settings can cause a lot of headaches. Here’s how you can reset them.

Step 1: Press Windows key + R and type in cmd, and hit enter.

Step 2: Type in ipconfig /flushdns to reset DNS settings to default.

If the above command doesn’t help, try entering these commands in the Command Prompt one at a time.

netsh winsock reset
netsh int ip reset

If you suspect an issue with your router’s DHCP assignment, use these commands to release your old IP and request a new one. 

ipconfig /release
ipconfig /renew

Use the following commands to reset your network stack if this doesn’t work.

ipconfig/flushdns
nbtstat -R
nbtstat -RR
netsh int ip reset C:\resetlog.txt
netsh winsock reset

Head over to your terminal on a Mac and type in sudo killall -HUP mDNSResponder. Next, type in your password when prompted for it, and try re-accessing the internet.

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Contact Customer support

If nothing else works, try contacting NordVPN customer support and describe the issue to them. They’ll most likely be able to help you out and clear any doubts whether they’re related to the NordVPN client not working or issues with your internet or router. 

Also read: Top 6 VPN protocols compared: Which VPN protocol is best for you?