Fix Bitdefender VPN errors 2, 4, 9, 12, etc. on Windows, Mac, Android, iOS (2024)

1. Restart your PC

Sometimes the operating system or other services and software dependencies do not start up correctly. Shutting down Windows and rebooting your computer can address such issues.

Reconnect to Bitdefender VPN after the PC has restarted and check if the situation has been resolved.

2. Change your DNS

If you are currently using the default DNS (Domain Name System) from your Internet provider, switch to athird-party DNS server that might be faster and reliable.

How to change yourDNS to see if that’s the problem:

• Open Control Panel→ Network and Internet→ Network and Sharing Center→ Change adapter settings → double-click your active adapter (network) → chooseProperties.

or

• Go to Windows Start menu in the lower-left corner → type inncpa.cpL and hit Enter → double-click your active adapter (network) → chooseProperties.

• Click on Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4) in the connection items list, then press Properties.

• Select Use the following DNS server addresses and enter the following addresses:

Preferred DNS server: 8.8.8.8
Alternate DNS server: 8.8.4.4

• Click OK to confirm the change, then restart your PC.

3. Reset the Internet connection

If you have followed all the above steps, but Bitdefender VPN is still unable to establish the connection, there may be an issue with the way the network is configured. To correct it, please reset the Internet connection by following the instructions below.

Open Command Prompt with administrator privileges: click the WindowsStart⊞ menu, typecmdthen right-click theCommand Promptoption in the search results and chooseRun as administrator.

Type the following in the Command Prompt window:

• • • Type ipconfig /release and then press Enter on the keyboard.
    • Type ipconfig /flushdns and press Enter.
    • Typeipconfig /renewand press Enter.
    • Next, typenetsh winsock resetand press Enter
    • Finally, typenetsh int ip resetand press Enter.

Restart your computer, then check to see if you can connect to Bitdefender VPN.

4. Reinstall Bitdefender VPN

To make sure all the VPN files are intact, and you have the latest version of the productit is recommended to reinstall Bitdefender. Follow these steps:

• • • Uninstall Bitdefender VPN using the instructions provided here.
    • Then, reinstall Bitdefender VPN with a fresh kit downloaded from here.

5. Try another network

If the VPN errors persist after going through the previous steps,something on your local network is most likely still blocking the connection to the Bitdefender servers.

Check if you can use Bitdefender VPN after connecting your computer to another network (Wi-Fi, hotspot, Ethernet cable, etc.).

• • • To learn how to set up a hotspot on your iPhone or iPad accessthislink.
    • Go hereto learn howto set up a hotspot on Android phones.

If Bitdefender VPN is working when the PC is using another internet connection contact your network administrator or your Internet Service Provider to determine which network or router settings may be blocking the VPN connection.

6. Sign-in again

To make sure you are signed in with the right Central account and the VPN app communicates properly with Bitdefender Central, use the Switch Account feature.

• Bring up Bitdefender VPN then access the human-shaped icon on the sidebar.

• Click on Switch Account at the bottom of the interface.

• Sign in with your Bitdefender Central account from the window that appears on your screen, then try again to connect to VPN.

7. Disable other VPNs & Networking apps

If the computer is already connected to another VPN app,then a second simultaneous connection from Bitdefender VPN will not be possible. Therefore, make sure to disconnect from any other VPN software before trying to connect to Bitdefender VPN.Also, uninstall any networking and web filtering software that aims to optimize the network card. These toolscan have a negative impact on VPN functioning.

In particular, these two programs are known to cause errors in Bitdefender VPN:

•Intel Killer Intelligence Center also known asKiller Control Center,Killer Performance Driver Suite, orKiller Performance Suite. You can either uninstall the entire Killer suite as it’s a non-essential component or only disable the Advanced Stream Detect option.

• Safe Browsing from Easy Solutions. This URL filtering app will cause the error code 182 in Bitdefender VPN when is present on the PC.

8. Enable the VPN adapter

Make sure the BitdefenderVPN adapter is enabled:

• Go to Windows Start menu and type inncpa.cpL then hit Enter on your keyboard.

• This will open Network Connections. In this window, right-click on the adapterTAP-Windows Adapter V9and choose Enableif it’s disabled.

• Thenopen Device Managerby following the instructions provided here→ go to Network adapters and expand the tree menu → right click on the entryTAP-Windows Adapter V9and select Disable.

• Wait for a few seconds, then right-click again onTAP-Windows Adapter V9 and this time choose to Enable it.

• Now try again toconnectto Bitdefender VPN.

1. Restart your Mac

Sometimes the operating system or software dependencies do not start up correctly. Shutting down macOS and rebooting your Mac can address such issues.

Reconnect to Bitdefender VPN after the Mac has restarted and check if the situation has been resolved.

2. Repair Keychain Access

KeychainAccess from macOS is a password management system. Force Bitdefender VPN to repair the information stored there in case of data corruption:

• Open Finder, then click on Go at the top of the screen.

• Select Utilities.

• Inside the Utilities folder double-click on Keychain Access.

• A new window will pop up. SelectAll itemson the sidebar, under Category.

• Use the search bar located in the upper right-hand corner of the window and type in the word VPN.

•Look at the Kind column and delete all entries that include the word IPSec […].

• Next, click the Bitdefender VPN icon from the top menu bar, open the small cogwheel button, and choose Quit.

• Thenopen Finder, click on Go at the top of the screen, selectApplications → Bitdefender → open Bitdefender VPN→ connect to VPN.

3. Check if Bitdefender VPN is installed correctly

Search for “Bitdefender VPN.app” on Mac tocheck if the Bitdefender VPN app exists in other locations besides:

/Applications/Bitdefender/Bitdefender VPN.app

/Library/Bitdefender/Central/Modules/com.bitdefender.vpn/Bitdefender VPN.app

If you find Bitdefender VPN.app in other paths than the Applications and Library folders mentioned above, delete those extra Bitdefender VPN entries.

Also eject mounted volumes and disks on which Bitdefender VPN may still reside, to ensure they do not impact the VPN connection.

4. Reinstall Bitdefender VPN

To make sure all the VPN files are intact, and you have the latest version of the product it is recommended to reinstall Bitdefender VPN. Follow these steps:

• Uninstall Bitdefender VPN using the instructions provided here. When you reach Step 5 in the article choose to uninstall only Bitdefender VPN.

• Then reinstall Bitdefender VPN with a fresh kit downloaded from theproduct page.

5. Uninstall other VPNs

Other VPN applications such as Kaspersky VPN, NordVPN, ExpressVPN, etc. may generate connection errors if installed on the same Mac as Bitdefender VPN.

Therefore, make sure to uninstall other VPNs if Bitdefender VPN encounters connection errors. Consult the manufacturer’s documentation to find out how you can uninstall their VPN application.

6. Disable Proxy

If the issue persists, check if you have enabled any Proxy settings. To disable Proxies:

•Open System Preferences from the dock or from the Apple Logo menu .

• Click the Network icon, then click Advanced at the bottom of the window.

• Open the Proxies tab.

• Disable ‘Auto Proxy Discovery’ or any other options checked under Select a protocol to configure.

•Click OK.

7. Change your DNS

If you are currently using the default DNS (Domain Name System) from your Internet provider, switch to athird-party DNS server that might be faster and reliable.

How to change yourDNS to see if that’s the problem:

• Open System Preferences from the dock or from the Apple Logo menu .

• Go to the search bar located in the upper right-hand corner of the windowand type in DNS.

• Select DNS servers from the search results.

• Click the+button under DNS Servers and enter8.8.8.8

• Click + again and enter8.8.4.4 (This is for redundancy.)

• Click + and enter 2001:4860:4860::8888

• Click + one more time and enter 2001:4860:4860::8844 (This is for redundancy.)

• PressOK, then Apply.

8. Try a different network

If the VPN errors persist after going through the previous steps,something on your local network is most likely still blocking the connection to the Bitdefender servers.

Check if you can use Bitdefender VPN after connecting your Mac to another network (Wi-Fi, hotspot, Ethernet cable, etc.).

• To learn how toset up a hotspot on your iPhone or iPad accessthislink.

• Gohereto learn howto set up a hotspot on Android phones.

If Bitdefender VPN is working when the Mac is using another internet connection contact your network administrator or your Internet Service Provider to determine which network or router settings may be blocking the VPN connection.

1. Restart your Android device

Sometimes the operating system or software dependencies do not start up correctly. Shutting down and rebooting your Android device can address such issues.

Reconnect to Bitdefender VPN after the Androidsmartphone or tablet has restarted and check if the situation has been resolved.

2. ReinstallBitdefender VPN

To make sure the VPN app is intact, and you have the latest version it is recommended to reinstall Bitdefender. Follow these steps:

• Uninstall Bitdefender VPN from your Android device. If you need help uninstalling the app please read this article.

• Then, reinstall Bitdefender VPN from Google Play Store.

3. Grant permissions

If Bitdefender VPN doesn’t connect on Android, make sure thenecessary permissions were granted to the Bitdefender VPN app.

• Clear the Bitdefender VPN app cache: go toSettings→Storage→ tap Other Apps→find Bitdefender VPN among the listed apps and tap it → chooseClear cache.

• Next, uninstall Bitdefender VPN from your device.If you need help uninstalling the app please read this article.

• Finally, reinstall Bitdefender VPN from Google Play store.

4. Disable other VPNs

Android doesn’t allow more than one VPN to be active. If the smartphone or tablet is already connected to a VPN app,then a second simultaneous connection from Bitdefender VPN will not be possible. Therefore, make sure to disconnect from any other VPN before trying to connect to Bitdefender VPN.

On Android 7 and later you may also want to look into a feature called Always-on VPN. IfAlways-on is enabled for another VPN app installed on the device, it will block any network connections that don’t use that VPN, including Bitdefender VPN. To address this issue, disable the Always-on VPN option for all the VPN applications installed on your device:

• Open your phone’s Settings app.

• TapNetwork & internet.Depending on the device model, the name may vary – e.g.Wi-Fi & internet, Wi-Fi & network, etc.

• Tap VPN. If you can’t find it, search for “VPN”.

• Tap next to the name of each VPN app from this list.

• DisableAlways-on VPN if it’s enabled for any VPN except the Bitdefender app.

5. Change your DNS

If you are currently using the default DNS (Domain Name System) from your Internet provider, switch to athird-party DNS server that might be faster and reliable.

To learn how to change yourDNS settings on Android follow this link.

6. Try a different network

If the VPN errors persist after going through the previous steps,something on your local network is most likely still blocking the connection to the Bitdefender servers.

Check if you can use Bitdefender VPN after connecting your Android device to another network (Wi-Fi, hotspot, cellular data).

• To learn how toset up a hotspot on your iPhone or iPad accessthislink.

• Gohereto learn howto set up a hotspot on Android phones.

If the VPN is working when the device is using another internet connection contact your network administrator or your Internet Service Provider to determine which network or router settings may be blocking the VPN connection.

1. Restart your iPhone / iPad

Sometimes the operating system or software dependencies do not start up correctly. Shutting down and rebooting your iOS device can address such issues.

Reconnect to Bitdefender VPN after the iPhone or iPad has restarted and check if the situation has been resolved.

2. ReinstallBitdefender VPN

To make sure the VPN app is intact, and you have the latest version it is recommended to reinstall Bitdefender. Follow these steps:

• Uninstall Bitdefender VPN from your iOS device.If you need help uninstalling the app please read this article.

• Then, reinstall Bitdefender VPN from App Store.

3. Grant permissions

If Bitdefender VPN doesn’t connect on iOS, make sure thenecessary permissions were granted to the Bitdefender VPN app:

• Go toSettings→ General → scroll down and selectVPN→tap the ⓘ icon next to Bitdefender VPN→ choose Delete VPN→ tap Delete to confirm.

• Next, open the Bitdefender VPN app and try to connect.

• Choose Allow in the ‘BitdefenderVPN would like to add VPN Configurations’ screen.

• Enter your iPhone / iPad passcode, to allow the VPN connection.

4. Change your DNS

If you are currently using the default DNS (Domain Name System) from your Internet provider, switch to athird-party DNS server that might be faster and reliable.

To learn how to change yourDNS settings on iOS follow this link.

5. Try a different network

If the VPN errors persist after going through the previous steps,something on your local network is most likely still blocking the connection to the Bitdefender servers.

Check if you can use Bitdefender VPN after connecting your iOS device to another network (Wi-Fi, hotspot, cellular data).

• To learn how toset up a hotspot on your iPhone or iPad accessthislink.

• Gohereto learn howto set up a hotspot on Android phones.

If the VPN is working when the device is using another internet connection contact your network administrator or your Internet Service Provider to determine which network or router settings may be blocking the VPN connection.