VPN Not Showing in Networks in Windows – Quick and Easy Fix

VPNs have become more of a necessity these days and a VPN is viewed as an essential tool for online privacy and anonymity. While encrypting your connection, a VPN can also let you unblock geo-blocked websites, streaming services, games, and more.

You can easily configure a VPN on operating systems like macOS, Windows, etc., using the in-built VPN settings. When you add your VPN, you will be able to see it in the network connections. You just have to click and connect whenever necessary. Though there are many benefits of using a VPN, it could be annoying when your VPN doesn’t work. In some instances, Windows users do not find the VPN in the network connections on their devices. If you have also encountered this issue, read on to know why you do not see your VPN in the network connections.

Why is My VPN Not Showing up in the Network Connections in Windows?

In certain cases, you might see the existing VPN connections but not the newly configured VPN connection in networks. At times, all your VPN connections could go missing. Both the issues are quite similar and the reason could be due to an issue with the local cache or corrupted system files. The newly configured VPN might not appear in the network connections because the configuration wasn’t successful. No matter what the reason is, you can quickly fix the issue and start using your VPN.

Sometimes, the issue could be due to the VPN itself. Free VPNs and certain VPN services that are not of good quality may be the reason behind this issue. You can easily fix the issue by switching to a better VPN service like NordVPN or Surfshark VPN. These VPN services come with updated apps for Windows and other platforms.

Fix VPN Not Showing up in Network Connections Error in Windows 11/10

1. Restart Windows

As soon as you encounter this issue, we recommend restarting your device to see if it helps. In most cases, restarting your device can fix bugs, if any. Whenever your VPN doesn’t connect or if you do not see your VPN in network connections, try rebooting by following the steps below.

• Hit the Windows icon and open the Start Menu.
• Hit the Power icon and click on Restart.

2. Dummy VPN Connection

You can create a new dummy VPN connection by providing random connection and server names. You will need to create it alongside existing VPN connections. Doing so will refresh the connections, as a result of which you will see your VPN in networks.

Steps to Create Dummy VPN

• Open Settings on your Windows laptop or PC by pressing WIndows+I
• Hit Network & Internet and then click on VPN
• You will need to click on Add VPN and enter random details to configure a dummy VPN
• Once it is done, click on Save to save the changes you just made.

You should now see your VPN in Networks.

Delete the Dummy VPN

After the issue is fixed, you will need to delete the dummy VPN you just created. To delete it,

• Click on the dummy name and click on Remove
• Click on Confirm to remove it

3. Delete the VPN in PowerShell

You can delete the VPN in PowerShell and then add it back to fix the issue.

• Search for and find PowerShell in the Start menu and open it
• Type on Get-VpnConnection into PowerShell and hit enter to view the available VPN connections you have added already.
• Now, type in Remove-VpnConnection -Name "Name" -Force into PowerShell and hit enter. Replace “Name” with the name of the VPN you wish to remove.
• You can now close PowerShell.

4. Reset Windows

Resetting Windows is the next method you can try to fix the VPN not showing in networks issue in Windows. This process could take more time and the time taken to reset Windows will depend on the number of apps and files on your hard disk.

• To open the Settings app, press Windows+I
• Type “reset” in the search box and select Reset this PC
• Select Reset PC and from the options available, select Keep my Files
• You might have to reinstall certain apps or drivers after refreshing, so make a note of the drivers and apps that have to be reinstalled
• Keep track of the instructions you see on the screen to reset Windows