Surfshark Not Connecting? Fixes in the Right Order (2026)

When Surfshark will not connect, its help center tells you to do two things first. Pick several countries by hand instead of trusting Quick connect. Then change the protocol under Settings, VPN Settings, Protocol. If both fail, the next suspects in Surfshark’s own order are your antivirus, an outdated or wrong build of the app, and IPv6. IPv6 is the newer type of internet address, and Surfshark does not support it.

This page follows that order. It also covers side effects that Surfshark documents in separate articles:

• NoBorders switching itself on
• The Kill Switch blocking your internet by design
• A Bypasser rule sending an app around the tunnel
• TVs that stopped working when SmartDNS was discontinued on 2 February 2026

We checked every path against Surfshark’s support pages on 31 October 2026. The plan, device, protocol and refund facts come from our Surfshark record, verified the same day. We have not yet tested Surfshark in our lab, so nothing here is a measured result.

Symptom

Surfshark’s articles list these signs. The exact wording decides which guide support will point you to:

• Stuck on the “Connecting” status, a “Connection failed” or “Unable to connect” notification, or a connection that fails right after you press connect. Surfshark has one such guide each for Windows, macOS, Android, iOS, Linux and Fire TV.
• “Error 403” or “Unable to reach systems”: Surfshark says both usually mean you are in a country with network restrictions.
• “Surfshark background service is not running” on Windows: the app’s service could not start. Surfshark says the most common fix is updating the app.
• Connected, but no internet, or a connection that keeps dropping.
• Auto-connect, KillSwitch or LAN settings that will not change on Windows.
• A smart TV with no internet at all since early February 2026. This is the SmartDNS shutdown, covered in step 12.
• Netflix’s proxy error with Surfshark connected: see Does Surfshark work with Netflix? and our Netflix VPN not working page, which covers every provider.

Likely causes, ranked

Surfshark does not publish failure statistics. So this ranking follows the order its own troubleshooting articles use. That order is the best sign of frequency that Surfshark gives.

1. One server, or the Quick connect choice, is unreachable. Every Surfshark “unable to connect” guide starts by asking you to connect manually to several countries. A single server “could be experiencing some issues”.
2. The protocol does not get through. A protocol is the method the app uses to build the VPN connection. WireGuard is Surfshark’s default and, in its words, “the fastest VPN protocol available today”. Filtered networks often need OpenVPN TCP instead. OpenVPN is also how you reach Surfshark’s obfuscated servers. IKEv2 was removed from the Windows app in July 2022, but it remains on Android and iOS. Dausos, Surfshark’s own protocol, is a beta that exists only in the macOS App Store app.
3. Antivirus software, another VPN or a system-wide ad blocker is interfering. Surfshark asks you to add it to the antivirus exclusions and to remove other VPN apps.
4. The app is outdated or the wrong build. Surfshark’s macOS guide suggests swapping between the App Store and website versions. Its Android guide suggests swapping between the Play Store version and the direct APK. On Windows, a missing .NET package stops the background service.
5. IPv6 is turned on. Surfshark “does not support the IPv6 protocol”, and every connection guide lists turning it off.
6. The network is restricted. NoBorders is Surfshark’s mode for networks with restrictions. It normally turns itself on when the app detects restrictions, and it offers a shorter server list. If it did not turn on, the documented fix is to turn it on by hand.
7. The Kill Switch is doing its job. A kill switch blocks your internet if the VPN connection drops. In Strict mode, Surfshark’s Kill Switch “blocks internet access anytime the VPN is off”. After a manual disconnect, that looks like a failure.
8. A Bypasser rule is routing the app around the tunnel, or a “Route via VPN” list leaves out the app you are using. Bypasser is Surfshark’s split tunneling feature, which lets chosen apps skip the VPN.
9. The router or ISP is filtering. This includes parental controls and “Safe DNS” features. DNS is the system that looks up the address of each site you visit. On Fire TV Sticks, it also includes specific BT, Virgin Media and Sky router settings.
10. A TV still points at the discontinued SmartDNS address. Surfshark warned this would leave the TV “unable to connect to the internet”.
11. What it is not: a device limit. Surfshark’s Starter, One and One+ plans allow unlimited connections at the same time, so there is no session to clear. The only cap in our record is three devices during the 7-day trial.

Fixes in order

Check the connection after each step, as Surfshark’s guides do.

1. Rule out the basics. Confirm the internet works with Surfshark disconnected. Restart the device, and try another network, such as a phone hotspot or mobile data. If the failure follows the network rather than the device, go to steps 4 and 11.
2. Connect manually to several countries. Skip Quick connect and pick two or three locations. If one works, the other server was the problem. Surfshark asks you to tell its Customer Success team which location failed.
3. Change the protocol. Windows, macOS, Android and iOS: Settings, “VPN Settings”, “Protocol”, then test WireGuard, OpenVPN UDP and OpenVPN TCP in turn. On Android, the advanced options may be hidden. If so, Surfshark says to press and hold the Protocol tab for three seconds. Choosing OpenVPN means “you are using obfuscated servers”. Older guides called this Camouflage mode. OpenVPN TCP is the one to try on networks that filter traffic. On a Mac running the App Store build, “Dausos Beta” appears in the same Protocol menu. If Dausos fails to connect, Surfshark says to switch back to WireGuard or OpenVPN. It also says to restart the app, and to uninstall the DMG version before you install the App Store version, to avoid conflicts. Windows users will not find IKEv2. Surfshark removed it from that app in July 2022.
4. Turn on NoBorders. Windows and macOS: Settings, “VPN Settings”, scroll to “Advanced Settings”, toggle “NoBorders”. iOS: Settings, “VPN Settings”, “Advanced Settings”. Android: Settings, “VPN settings” tab, “Advanced settings”. If that section is missing, hold the Protocol tab for three seconds. NoBorders usually turns itself on when the app detects a restriction. It then offers “a selected list of servers that perform best under those conditions”.
5. Clear interference. Add Surfshark to your antivirus exclusions, or turn off the antivirus for a while. Uninstall or turn off other VPN apps and system-wide ad blockers, then restart.
6. Update or reinstall the right build. Update first. If you already have the latest version, reinstall. On Windows, uninstall, download from surfshark.com/download/windows and install again. On macOS, try the website version if the App Store version fails, or the reverse. On Android, switch between the Play Store version and the direct APK. For “Surfshark background service is not running”, Surfshark’s order is: update the app and the latest .NET packages, turn off the antivirus or add an exception, restart, then reinstall.
7. Turn off IPv6. Surfshark links separate guides for Windows, macOS, Android and Linux. On iOS there is no device setting. Turn IPv6 off on the router instead, or ask your ISP. Surfshark’s Fire TV guide gives a Sky router example: 192.168.0.1, “Advanced”, “LAN/IP setup”, uncheck “Enable IPv6 on LAN side”. Our IPv6 leak test shows whether an IPv6 address is still visible.
8. Fix DNS and router filters. Surfshark’s unstable-connection guide says to turn off parental controls or “Safe DNS” in the router. Its other option is to set the router’s DNS to Surfshark’s 162.252.172.57 and 149.154.159.92. Surfshark’s connection guides also list a custom DNS on the device as a fix for tunnels that will not connect. Remove any third-party DNS you no longer need.
9. Check the Kill Switch. On Windows, macOS, Android, iOS and Linux, the toggle sits under Settings, “VPN settings”. Surfshark’s feature page describes two modes. Soft “activates only if the VPN connection drops unexpectedly”. Strict “blocks internet access anytime the VPN is off, even if you disconnected manually”. If you want internet while disconnected, use Soft or turn the switch off. On Windows, the Auto-connect, KillSwitch or LAN settings may refuse to change. If so, Surfshark’s order is to restart the app, then restart Windows. Next, go to Settings, “Help”, “Diagnostics”, “Restore original settings”. Finally, reinstall.
10. Check Bypasser. Windows: Settings, “VPN settings”, “Bypasser”, then either “Bypass VPN” or “Route via VPN”. With “Bypass VPN”, the listed apps and sites skip the tunnel. With “Route via VPN”, only the listed apps use it. “Select apps” and “Add apps” manage the list. A “Websites / IP addresses” tab exists under Bypass VPN. Every change needs a reconnect to any location. If the browser or streaming app you are using sits on a bypass list, that is why it shows your real location. Surfshark has separate Bypasser guides for macOS, Android and iOS. The Android app also offers a Reverse Bypasser.
11. Work through the Fire TV Stick steps. Surfshark’s Fire TV guide starts with Settings, “Protocol”, set OpenVPN (TCP), then the other protocols. On BT routers, it then has you turn off the firewall and create an IPv6 pinhole for the stick, for ports 80 to 51820. A pinhole is an opening in the router’s firewall for one device. On Virgin Media, turn off Web Safe at my.virginmedia.com: “My Apps”, “Web Safe”, switch off Virus Safe and Child Safe. On Sky, turn off IPv6 on the LAN side. After that, send diagnostics from the bottom of the app’s Settings. Then uninstall and reinstall from the Amazon Appstore. As a last resort, sideload the app, which means installing it from a file instead of the Amazon Appstore. Fire TV sticks on Vega OS have their own guide, which starts with the “Fastest” server. The Fire TV Stick 4K Select, from 2025, is one of them.
12. Remove SmartDNS from TVs. Surfshark discontinued SmartDNS on 2 February 2026. It warned that a device still using it “will be unable to connect to the internet”. Samsung: Settings, “General”, “Network Status”, “IP settings”, “DNS settings”, choose automatic. You can also remove the SmartDNS address and enter 194.169.169.169, which is Surfshark Public DNS, or another DNS server. LG: Settings, “All settings”, “Network”, your network, “Advanced Wi-Fi Settings” or “Edit”, the DNS server field. If you cannot find the TV’s DNS settings, Surfshark suggests asking the manufacturer or doing a factory reset. Its alternatives are a VPN-protected Wi-Fi hotspot from a Windows PC, Surfshark on a router, or the native app on Android TV or Apple TV. Some older guides tell you to activate SmartDNS in your account, including Surfshark’s own pre-2026 articles. They describe an option that no longer exists.
13. Use the restricted-country steps, then contact support. Surfshark’s network-restrictions article has you try the protocol change, at least five server locations and no other VPNs. Then it has you try a manual connection with Tunnelblick or the OpenVPN client. After that, it has you try a manual connection inside the Surfshark app. If nothing works, Surfshark’s chat is 24/7. Its “Submit a request” form accepts a screenshot of the error, and Surfshark asks for one.

Once connected, run our is my VPN working check and Surfshark’s own DNS leak test. The leak test should show a single DNS server in the same location as the server, and a “protected” notice.

When to switch

Surfshark’s refund policy gives “a full refund within 30 days of your first purchase”. It covers subscriptions bought on its website or through Paddle, Google Play or Cleverbridge. You request it through live chat, and it is “typically processed within a few business days”. The policy excludes:

• A subscription that has already renewed
• Any account that received a refund before
• Non-refundable add-ons such as Dedicated IP and Alternative ID

Our Surfshark record adds that prepaid and gift-card payments are non-refundable. It also notes that cryptocurrency refunds are paid in the same cryptocurrency. Apple refunds App Store purchases, and Amazon refunds Amazon Appstore purchases. Google refunds Google Play purchases within 48 hours of payment, and Surfshark support handles them after that. The cancel Surfshark guide walks through every route.

On 31 October 2026, the Starter 24-month plan cost $2.49 a month. That is $67.23 for the first 27 months, including three promotional months. The renewal amount is not published. The page says “the applicable renewal price” instead. Surfshark says the plan is billed once and then annually. The monthly plan is $16.45.

If a network keeps blocking Surfshark, compare how the alternatives handle restricted networks before you decide:

• NordVPN vs Surfshark covers the sister company’s NordWhisper protocol and obfuscated server category.
• ExpressVPN vs Surfshark covers Lightway’s TCP fallback and MediaStreamer. MediaStreamer replaces the smart DNS that Surfshark no longer offers for TVs.
• Proton VPN vs Surfshark covers the open-source alternative with a free tier.

All three offer a 30-day refund, so you can test them inside Surfshark’s window. Our Surfshark review and the score shown there cover the whole service.

Related

• Surfshark review and Surfshark pricing and price history
• Does Surfshark work with Netflix?
• Netflix VPN not working: the provider-neutral fix order
• NordVPN not connecting and ExpressVPN not working
• All VPN troubleshooting guides and the IPv6 leak test