My VPN stopped connecting: a 5-step checklist

Before you start: two quick checks

First rule out the simple causes. Make sure your internet works without the VPN and that your DXVPN plan is active.

Open a normal website with the VPN switched off. If nothing loads, the problem is your connection, not the VPN. Next, check your plan in the dashboard or in @dxvpnbot. The Free plan has 10 GB a month, so check that you have not used it up. Finally, glance at the status page to see whether a node is down.

It also helps to update your app. Old client versions sometimes lack support for newer protocols such as Reality or Hysteria2, and an update can fix a connection that suddenly stopped working after a server-side change.

If all of that is fine, your network is probably blocking something. Work through the steps below in order. Each one takes a minute or two.

Step 1: Switch protocol in your app

Try another protocol first. Censors often block one protocol at a time, so a different one may connect straight away.

Your subscription gives your app several entries, one per protocol. A good order to try is:

1. VLESS + Reality: looks like TLS 1.3 to a real website.
2. Trojan: answers probing with a decoy web server.
3. Shadowsocks 2022: looks like random bytes, with no TLS handshake.

On Free, Pro and Family plans you can also try AmneziaWG for speed or Hysteria2 if TCP seems slowed down. If you are unsure which one suits your network, see how to choose a VPN protocol.

Step 2: Refresh your subscription

Refresh the subscription link in your app. This pulls in the latest server addresses and settings, which may already include a fix.

The link refreshes on its own every 6 hours, but a manual refresh saves you the wait. In most apps you do it from the subscription or profile list, with an "update" or refresh button. After refreshing, try the protocols from step 1 again.

Step 3: Get a fresh config from @dxvpnbot

If refreshing did not help, or the link itself will not load, ask the Telegram bot @dxvpnbot for a new config. As long as Telegram opens, the bot works even when the website does not.

The bot can send you configs and QR codes, switch devices on and off, show your usage and connect you to support. Scan the new QR code or import the config, then connect again. If Telegram itself is hard to reach, an MTProto proxy link from a Family plan can help someone in your household keep Telegram working.

Step 4: Try another node

If no protocol connects at all, the server's IP address may be blocked. Switch to another node.

DXVPN currently runs two nodes, including one in the Netherlands; the live status page lists them. Nodes in Hong Kong, Tokyo and Singapore are planned. Pick a config for the other location and try again. If you do not see one in your app, refresh the subscription or ask @dxvpnbot. An IP block affects every protocol on that server, so switching node is often the step that works when step 1 did not.

Step 5: Use VLESS + WebSocket via CDN

As a last resort, connect with VLESS + WebSocket through a CDN. Your traffic then goes to a content delivery network first, not straight to our server.

Because the CDN also serves many ordinary websites, blocking it could break a lot of unrelated services. That makes this route harder to block by address. The trade-off is that speed depends on the CDN path, so it may be slower than a direct connection. Use it to get back online, then try the faster protocols again later.

How subscription links work

A subscription link is one URL that gives your app every config on your plan and keeps them up to date. You set it up once instead of copying configs by hand.

• It detects your app. The link recognises whether your client is v2ray-, Clash- or sing-box-compatible and sends the matching format.
• It includes every protocol on your plan. Free, Pro and Family get all 7; Basic gets VLESS, Trojan and Shadowsocks.
• It refreshes every 6 hours. New servers or changed settings reach your app without you doing anything.

You can also get configs as a QR code or a config file, but the link is the easiest option to maintain. Find a compatible client on the download page.

How automatic fallback works

Because each device gets a bundle of protocol configs, a compatible app can move to another protocol when one is blocked. You stay connected without starting this checklist.

How much happens automatically depends on your app. Clash- and sing-box-based clients support groups that test several entries and use one that responds. Other apps show the list and let you choose. Either way, the protocols are already there, so recovering is a tap, not a new setup. To see why several protocols beat one, read what deep packet inspection is, or see the overview in how DXVPN works.

Still stuck after all five steps? Message support through @dxvpnbot; the team aims to answer within 24 hours. Include your app name, the protocols you tried and your node.