What is a VPN, and what does it really hide?

A VPN is an encrypted tunnel from your device to a server somewhere else. Websites then see the server's address in place of yours.

How it works

Without a VPN, your traffic goes from your device to your internet provider and then to the website. The provider can see which sites you connect to, and each site sees your public IP address.

With a virtual private network switched on, your device first wraps everything in encryption and sends it to the VPN company's server. The server unwraps it and passes it on. Two things change:

Your internet provider, and anyone on the same Wi-Fi, sees only scrambled traffic going to the VPN server.
Websites see the VPN server's address and rough location, not yours.

Companies use the same idea for another purpose: to let staff at home reach the office network as if they were sitting in it.

What a VPN is good for

Public Wi-Fi in cafes, hotels and airports, where you do not know who runs the network.
Hiding your browsing from the local network or the internet provider.
Showing a different address to a website, for example when your own address has been blocked.
Reaching your office or home network from outside.

What a VPN does not do

It does not make you anonymous. If you log in to an account, the site knows it is you. Cookies and browser fingerprints work exactly as before.
It does not stop viruses, fake websites or scam messages.
It does not hide you from the VPN company. The company can see everything your internet provider used to see. You have moved your trust, not removed the need for it.
It does not make an insecure site secure. Most sites already encrypt with HTTPS (the padlock), VPN or no VPN.

The costs

Speed: traffic takes a longer route and is encrypted twice, so expect some loss, more with far-away servers.
Captchas and blocks: many people share each VPN address, so sites treat it with suspicion. Banks and streaming services often refuse VPN addresses.
Money or data: a service that costs nothing has to earn somehow. Some free VPNs have been caught selling browsing data or showing ads inside pages.

Choosing one carefully

Prefer a paid service with a clear owner, a published privacy policy and independent audits of its "no logs" claim.
Be wary of apps with no company address, and of "lifetime" deals.
Check for a kill switch, which cuts the internet if the VPN drops, so traffic does not leak out unprotected.
Use the modern protocols the app offers, such as WireGuard or OpenVPN.
Know the law where you are. Rules on VPN services differ between countries, and some services are restricted in some places.

How to check that it is working

Open our home page with the VPN off and note the address and country. Turn the VPN on and reload. Both should change. If the IPv6 line still shows your own address, the VPN is not carrying IPv6 and you should turn on its leak protection.

Is using a VPN legal?

In most countries, including India, using one is legal. What you do through it is judged by the same laws as without it. A few countries restrict or ban VPN use; check before you travel.

Do I need a VPN at home?

For security, usually not: HTTPS already protects the content of what you send. It helps only if you want to hide which sites you visit from your internet provider, or appear from another place.

Is a VPN the same as incognito mode?

No. Incognito stops your own browser from saving history. A VPN changes the route your traffic takes. They solve different problems.