Why "no internet" after disconnecting is so common
A kill switch works by installing firewall rules that block traffic on any route other than the tunnel. If the app crashes, is force-quit, or is uninstalled without disconnecting first, those rules can outlive it. The tunnel is gone, the blocking is not, and every application reports no connection.
The fix is almost always to reinstall the client, connect, disconnect cleanly, then remove it — which gives the app a chance to withdraw its own rules. Deleting firewall entries by hand works but is easy to get wrong.
The related case is an always-on VPN profile on Android or iOS, which is designed to re-establish the tunnel automatically. Disconnecting inside the app achieves nothing, because the operating system immediately reconnects. That setting has to be turned off at the system level.
Platform by platform
On Windows, disconnect in the client, then check Settings → Network & Internet → VPN for a leftover profile. Turn the client’s own kill-switch toggle off before uninstalling anything.
On macOS, disconnect in the app, then open System Settings → Network and look for a VPN entry in the sidebar; removing the app does not always remove the configuration. Check System Settings → General → VPN & Device Management for a profile the client installed — this is also where a managed work VPN appears.
On iOS, go to Settings → General → VPN & Device Management → VPN. Disconnect there, and delete the profile if one remains. An always-on configuration installed by an employer cannot be removed without removing the management profile, which may well be deliberate.
On Android, Settings → Network & Internet → VPN, then the gear icon beside the connection. Turn off "Always-on VPN" and "Block connections without VPN" before disconnecting, or the system will keep reconnecting.
- Windows: client toggle → Settings → Network & Internet → VPN → remove profile
- macOS: System Settings → Network, and General → VPN & Device Management
- iOS: Settings → General → VPN & Device Management → VPN → delete profile
- Android: Settings → Network & Internet → VPN → gear → disable Always-on first
Before you turn it off for good
If you are disconnecting because something stopped working, the VPN is often not the cause but the easiest thing to blame. Streaming services block VPN address ranges continuously, banks flag foreign addresses, and captive portals on public Wi-Fi need the tunnel down only until you have signed in.
Switching servers usually resolves the first two faster than disconnecting does, and split tunnelling lets you exclude one application permanently instead of turning the whole thing off every time.
Avoid
- Uninstalling the client without disconnecting first — that is what strands kill-switch rules
- Turning the VPN off for banking when switching to a server in your own country would do
- Leaving a system VPN profile installed after removing the app that created it
Cancelling as opposed to disconnecting
Turning a VPN off does not stop the billing. Subscriptions renew whether or not the client is installed, and renewal pricing is commonly higher than the introductory term - NordVPN’s is, and none of the four publish their renewal rate in advance - so an unused subscription is an expensive one.
If you are finished with the service rather than pausing it, cancel the subscription itself. The process differs by provider, and anything bought through an app store has to be cancelled in the store rather than with the provider.