VPN ads make it sound like magic invisibility. The reality is more interesting: a VPN is a clever rerouting trick combined with strong encryption. Here's exactly what happens when you click "Connect."

Step 1: An encrypted tunnel forms

Your VPN app contacts a VPN server. They negotiate encryption keys (typically AES-256 or ChaCha20) and establish an encrypted tunnel. From this moment on, every packet your computer sends is sealed inside an encrypted wrapper before it leaves your device.

Step 2: All traffic gets rerouted into the tunnel

Your OS's routing table is rewritten to send all internet-bound traffic through the tunnel. Your ISP now sees only an unbroken stream of encrypted data going to one IP — the VPN server. They can't read it, can't see which sites you're visiting, can't tell streaming from email.

Step 3: The VPN server unwraps and forwards

At the other end, the VPN server decrypts the wrapper and forwards your request to the real destination using its own IP as the source. The website sees the VPN's IP, not yours. The reply comes back to the VPN, gets re-encrypted, sent through the tunnel, decrypted on your device.

What this actually protects

• From your ISP: what sites you visit, what you do on them, your real IP-to-traffic mapping
• From websites: your real IP and (mostly) your real location
• From local network attackers: sniffing your traffic on public Wi-Fi

What it doesn't protect

• The VPN provider sees your traffic — pick one with a real no-logs policy
• Browser fingerprinting still identifies you across sessions
• Logged-in accounts (Google, Facebook) still know it's you
• Malware on your device sees everything regardless of VPN

Verify yours with our VPN check after install.

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