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In this tutorial, you will learn what might cause connectivity issues on your Mac and how to fix them.
If you notice the connection being unstable on your device when connected to a VPN, here is what you should try first:
- Change the default protocol
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Try other locations
- Temporarily disable potentially interfering apps
- Remove parental/security controls on your router
- Reboot your Mac
- Set custom DNS on your machine
- Turn off IPv6 on your device
Change the default protocol
- Go to the Settings page on your Surfshark app.
- Tap on VPN Settings.
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You will find the Protocol setting. By default, the protocol should be Automatic. Change it from Automatic to OpenVPN (UDP).
- Connect to one of the servers and test the speed again.
- If OpenVPN (UDP) does not help, try the WireGuard protocol as well.
Try other locations
Even if you have used the Fastest server button previously, you should try several other locations as well. Try the ones that are close to your physical location.
If you're not sure how to check if the speed has increased, there are many apps on the App Store for testing the speed. Download one and use it for speed testing purposes.
Temporarily disable potentially interfering apps
Some apps might have taken over network controls on your device. This can sometimes interfere with your Surfshark (or any other VPN) connection.
This applies to other VPNs, firewalls, file-sharing apps, and especially anti-virus software.
If you have any of those, try disabling them. Then, reboot your device and see if the connection gets any better.
Remove parental/security controls on your router
Some network providers might have enabled network security features on your network. Most often, such features are parental controls or some "Safe DNS" function.
Setting custom DNS on your router will do the trick. To do that, you will need to navigate to your router's network settings and change the DNS to:
Reboot your Mac
Even though this may sound simple, it often does the trick. Rebooting your Mac will kill unnecessary apps' background processes and give you a fresh start.
Set custom DNS on your machine
Your internet service provider often provides default DNS servers. In many cases, they're not the best option performance-wise.
Here's a guide on how to configure custom DNS on a macOS device.
Turn off IPv6 on your device
IPv6 is a networking system that some internet networks use. Surfshark does not support IPv6 at the moment, so if you have it on your network, connectivity issues may arise.
See if you have IPv6 on your network and how to disable IPv6 on macOS.
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