Author: Pavel Onuchin, VPN and network security specialist

14 min read

Updated: October 27, 2026

How to turn off a VPN: disconnect it, remove it and cancel the subscription

To turn off a VPN right now, press the disconnect button in its app or switch the VPN off in the system settings. On an iPhone that is Settings → General → VPN & Device Management, on Android Settings → Network & internet → VPN, on Windows the VPN quick setting on the taskbar, on a Mac System Settings → VPN. But turning a VPN off, removing it and no longer paying for it are three different tasks. Apple and Google say plainly that deleting an app doesn't cancel the subscription, so the money will keep being charged. Below are the menu paths for each task, based on Apple, Google and Microsoft help pages as of October 26, 2026.

If you are turning off your old VPN because it is slow or has stopped connecting, we recommend not staying unprotected but replacing it with BessyConnect. Why is explained at the end of the article.

Turn off, remove or cancel the subscription: what do you need?

Turning off means breaking the tunnel: the app and the payment stay. Removing means getting rid of the app and its VPN profile in the system. Cancelling the subscription means stopping automatic charges, and that is done where you paid: in the App Store, on Google Play or with the service itself.

Platform	Where to turn it off	Where to remove the profile	Where to cancel the subscription
iPhone, iPad	The VPN app or Settings → General → VPN & Device Management	Same place: select the profile → Remove Profile	Settings → your name → Subscriptions
Android	Settings → Network & internet → VPN → the settings icon next to the network	Same place → Forget	Google Play → profile icon → Payments & subscriptions
Windows 10 and 11	The network icon on the taskbar or Settings → Network & internet → VPN	Settings → Network & internet → VPN; the program itself under Installed apps	With the service: your account on its site or the bot
macOS	The VPN status menu in the menu bar or System Settings → VPN	System Settings → VPN → Delete Configuration	App Store → your name → Subscriptions, if you bought it there
Chrome	Extensions → Manage Extensions, the toggle	Same place → Remove	With the service that released the extension
Router	The router's web interface, VPN client section	Same place	With the service that issued the settings

If you paid by card on the service's site or through a Telegram bot, neither Apple nor Google sees that payment. In this case Apple's help advises checking your bank statement to see which company is charging you and cancelling the subscription with it.

How to turn off a VPN on a phone: iPhone and Android

The quickest way is to press the disconnect button in the VPN app. If you can't find the app or the button doesn't work, the tunnel is turned off in the system settings, and the VPN icon disappears from the status bar.

iPhone and iPad

Open the VPN app and press the disconnect button.
If you don't remember which app turned on the VPN, open Settings, swipe down and type "VPN" in the search field. Apple itself recommends searching for related settings this way.
A second route: Settings → General → VPN & Device Management → VPN. Turn off the toggle next to the active configuration.
If the VPN turns itself back on a minute later, open that configuration's settings and turn off Connect On Demand. Apple's documentation for administrators describes this toggle in the iPhone's Settings and in the Mac's System Settings.

Android

Open the VPN app and press the disconnect button.
If that didn't work: Settings → Network & internet → VPN. Next to the network you need, tap the settings icon and turn off the toggle.
In the same place, check "Always-on VPN" and "Block connections without VPN". While they are on, the system will bring the tunnel up by itself, and with the second setting traffic goes only through the VPN.

On Xiaomi, Redmi, Samsung and other skins the menu items are named differently. Google advises searching the settings for "VPN settings" in that case, and if the search finds nothing, contacting the manufacturer. Where these toggles live on a phone is covered in detail in the guides how to set up a VPN on iPhone and how to set up a VPN on Android.

How to turn off a VPN on a computer, in a browser and on a router

On Windows a VPN is turned off through the network icon on the taskbar, on a Mac through the VPN status menu in the menu bar. If the VPN runs as a separate program, first disconnect in the program itself and close it, otherwise it may reconnect.

Windows 11. On the taskbar, click the network, volume and battery icon. If you have one VPN, the left part of the VPN quick setting turns it on and off. A second route: Settings → Network & internet → VPN. Windows marks a connected VPN with a blue shield on the taskbar.

Windows 10. Click the network icon in the right corner of the taskbar and select the VPN connection, or open Start → Settings → Network & Internet → VPN. Keep in mind that Microsoft ended support for Windows 10 on October 14, 2025: the system no longer receives free updates and security fixes.

macOS. Click the VPN status menu in the menu bar and disconnect. Or: Apple menu → System Settings → VPN in the sidebar, then turn the service off with the toggle.

Browser extension. In Chrome, click the three-dot icon → Extensions → Manage Extensions and turn off the VPN extension. Google's help has an important caveat: revoking an extension's site access doesn't affect extensions that change VPN or proxy settings. So turn the extension off entirely.

Router. If the VPN is set up on the router, every device at home goes through the tunnel, and turning it off on your phone is pointless. Open the router's web interface and disable the VPN client in the corresponding section.

How to remove a VPN from an iPhone and Android completely

Complete removal takes two steps: delete the app and check whether a VPN configuration or profile remains in the system. The subscription has to be cancelled separately; deleting doesn't touch it.

iPhone and iPad

Cancel the subscription, if there is one. Apple advises cancelling the subscription for an app you are deleting or no longer using.
Delete the app: touch and hold its icon → Remove App → Delete App → Delete. Don't confuse this with Remove from Home Screen: according to Apple's help, it only moves the app to the App Library, and the VPN stays on the phone.
Open Settings → General → VPN & Device Management. If a profile remains there, select it and tap Remove Profile. Apple warns that removing a profile also removes all the settings, apps and data associated with it.
If this section has a device management (MDM) item, it is removed with the Remove Management button. On a work or school phone, ask the administrator first.
Restart the iPhone.

The last resort is Settings → General → Transfer or Reset iPhone → Reset → Reset Network Settings. It removes VPN settings that weren't installed by a profile or MDM, but it also removes the list of Wi-Fi networks along with them.

Android

Turn off "Always-on VPN" and "Block connections without VPN": Settings → Network & internet → VPN → the settings icon next to the network.
Uninstall the app: Google Play → profile icon → Manage apps & device → Manage → the app's name → Uninstall.
Go back to Settings → Network & internet → VPN. If the network is still in the list, tap the settings icon next to it and select Forget.

On a phone with a work profile, the VPN may belong to the organization. According to Android Enterprise help, an administrator can prevent changes to the system VPN settings, in which case you won't be able to remove such a VPN yourself.

How to remove a VPN from a Windows PC and a Mac completely

On a computer a VPN leaves more traces: the program itself, the VPN connection in the settings, sometimes a proxy and network adapters. Remove things in this order.

Windows 10 and 11

Disconnect the VPN and close the program.
Uninstall the program: Start → Settings → Apps → Installed apps, find the VPN → More options (…) → Uninstall. If it isn't there, open Control Panel → Programs → Programs and Features.
Open Settings → Network & internet → VPN and remove the remaining connection. The PowerShell command Remove-VpnConnection -Name "Имя подключения" does the same (replace the name with your connection's name): according to Microsoft's documentation, it removes VPN connection profiles.
If the internet stopped working after removal, check Settings → Network & internet → Proxy: make sure the manual "Use a proxy server" setting hasn't been left on.
The last resort is a network reset. In Windows 11: Settings → Network & internet → Advanced network settings → Network reset. In Windows 10: Settings → Network & Internet → Status → Network reset.

According to Microsoft's help, a network reset removes all installed network adapters and their settings, and after a restart reinstalls them with default settings. Virtual adapters the VPN may have left behind go too, but other networking software, such as VPN clients you do use, will have to be set up again.

macOS

Delete the app. Apple advises first looking in the app's folder for an uninstaller: it also removes authorization items and extensions. If there isn't one, drag the app to the Trash.
Apple menu → System Settings → VPN. Click the button next to the service, choose Delete Configuration and confirm.
Check profiles: in macOS 13 and later this is System Settings → General → Device Management. Select the profile and click the "–" button.
Look at Login Items in System Settings: Apple recommends checking them if third-party software keeps affecting the network.

How to cancel a VPN subscription so you stop being charged

A subscription is cancelled where you paid for it. After cancellation the VPN usually works until the end of the paid period, and the next charge doesn't happen.

App Store (iPhone, iPad, Mac). On an iPhone: Settings → your name → Subscriptions → the subscription → Cancel Subscription. On a Mac: App Store → your name at the bottom of the sidebar → your name again → Subscriptions. If there is no Cancel button or the expiration date is shown in red, the subscription is already cancelled.

Google Play. Google Play → profile icon → Payments & subscriptions → Subscriptions → the subscription → Cancel subscription, then follow the instructions. Google explains with an example: an annual subscription bought on January 1 and cancelled on July 1 keeps access until December 31, and you won't be charged for the next year.

Card payment on a site or through a bot. Turn off auto-renewal in the service's account or in the bot and, if there is such a button, unlink your card. If the service doesn't respond, contact your bank.

Dyadya Vanya («Дядя Ваня»). The help page on vanyavpn.com (as of October 26, 2026) says that auto-renewal is turned off right there, using the subscription email, or in your account: you sign in with a code from an email, then press «Отвязать карту» ("Unlink card"). The subscription will run until the end of the paid term. The trial plan there is described as the first three days of a subscription that then continues monthly, so it is worth turning off renewal in advance. If you subscribed inside the app on an iPhone, it is an App Store purchase, and it is cancelled through Subscriptions in Apple's settings. How the service differs from others is covered in the Dyadya Vanya review.

What changes after you turn it off, and why does a VPN turn itself on?

After you turn it off, sites see your real IP address and country again, and services unavailable on your network stop opening. Your internet provider can again see which sites you visit. The tests in the article how to check if a VPN is working will help you make sure the address has changed.

If the VPN comes back without your involvement, there are usually four reasons:

Connect On Demand. According to Apple's documentation, it lets the device bring up the VPN by itself when needed. On a Mac this item is called "Connect on demand".
Always-on VPN on Android. Android Enterprise help describes it this way: the VPN turns on when the device boots and runs until the device is turned off or the work profile is disabled.
A work profile or MDM. An organization's Always On VPN, according to Apple's documentation, turns on without user involvement, survives restarts and stays until the configuration is removed. The administrator can even remove the Connect On Demand toggle from the settings.
A second VPN or leftovers of the old one. Apple warns that if the program that created a setting is still in use, the setting may reappear. Remove unneeded clients, and on a Mac check Login Items.

The opposite situation, when the VPN turns itself off and you want it to keep working, is a separate topic: we covered it in the article why a VPN disconnects by itself. And if you removed a VPN and want to install it again, start with the guide how to turn on a VPN.

Why we recommend BessyConnect

If you are turning off your old VPN because of problems, because it is slow, keeps dropping or has stopped connecting, we recommend replacing it with BessyConnect rather than staying unprotected.

Camouflage. The VLESS protocol with Reality: traffic looks like ordinary HTTPS.
Choice of servers. There are more than 100, so there is somewhere to switch if one is overloaded.
No logs. No logs are kept.
No extra steps. Registration is optional, and there is a trial period.

Apps are released for iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV, Android and Android TV:

iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple TV — App Store
Android — Google Play
Android TV — Google Play
All platforms — download page

BessyConnect is turned off and removed the same way as any VPN in this article: with the button in the app or in the system settings, then by deleting the app and checking the VPN section. In the App Store the subscription is taken out through your Apple ID. The app description says renewal must be turned off in your Apple ID settings at least 24 hours before the end of the paid period, because the charge happens in the last 24 hours. If you cancel the subscription during the free days, the remaining free days are forfeited.

Now about the limits. BessyConnect has no Windows app, so on a Windows computer it won't replace your old VPN. BessyConnect isn't in the Russian App Store either: to install it on an iPhone you need an Apple ID from another country. If you are turning off the VPN because a banking or government app doesn't work with the tunnel on, BessyConnect won't fix that: such apps usually react to the very fact that a VPN is on, not to a particular service. And no VPN will connect without mobile internet.

The bottom line: you can turn off a VPN in one tap and remove it completely in two steps, but only cancelling the subscription where you paid takes care of the money. If you are removing your old VPN because it can no longer cope, we recommend installing BessyConnect: all versions are gathered on the download page.

Frequently asked questions

How do I turn off a VPN on my phone? Press the disconnect button in the VPN app. If that didn't work, on an iPhone open Settings → General → VPN & Device Management → VPN, on Android Settings → Network & internet → VPN, and turn off the toggle.

If I delete the VPN, will the subscription be cancelled? No. Apple and Google say plainly that deleting an app doesn't cancel the subscription. You need to cancel it in App Store Subscriptions, on Google Play, or with the service if you paid by card on its site.

How do I turn off Dyadya Vanya's automatic payment? According to the service's help, auto-renewal is turned off on the vanyavpn.com help page using the subscription email, or in your account with the «Отвязать карту» ("Unlink card") button. If the subscription was bought in the app on an iPhone, cancel it in Apple's Subscriptions.

Why does my VPN turn on by itself? Most often Connect On Demand is enabled on an iPhone or Mac, or "Always-on VPN" on Android. On a work phone the organization may keep the VPN on through MDM, and sometimes the tunnel is brought up by a second installed VPN.

How do I cancel a BessyConnect subscription? On iPhone, iPad and Mac the subscription is taken out through your Apple ID: Settings → your name → Subscriptions → BessyConnect → Cancel Subscription. Under the App Store terms, this must be done at least 24 hours before the end of the paid period.

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