Mullvad not working: what blocks the tunnel and how to clear it

A red screen reading "BLOCKING INTERNET" means the app's kill switch is deliberately holding your traffic until a tunnel is up again. Work through four things in order: whether the block survives a disconnect (Lockdown mode), whether the account still has paid time, whether your network filters WireGuard, and whether DNS is set outside the app. Everything below goes cause by cause.

When Mullvad says BLOCKING INTERNET

The kill switch is built in and permanently on. Any time the tunnel is absent, while the app connects, after Wi-Fi drops, or once paid time expires mid-session, it halts every packet until a tunnel returns or you press Disconnect. If the block stays after disconnecting, Lockdown mode is active: it also seals the internet after Quit, and it switches itself on automatically when you install an older app version. Apps excluded through split tunnelling keep working either way.

Account number, paid time and the five-device limit

There is no free trial and no renewal to forget; time is prepaid at a flat €5 a month, and the app warns you three days before it ends. One trap worth checking: time bought on the website lands on whichever account number you were logged in with there, so it must match the number your app uses. Five devices share an account, and a sixth login brings up the device list, where you have to log one out.

WireGuard ports, MTU and leftover OpenVPN configs

Mullvad removed OpenVPN support from its apps and servers on 15 January 2026. A router or third-party client configured with OpenVPN can no longer connect to Mullvad and has to be rebuilt with WireGuard. Inside the app, switch the default port 51820 for 53 or a custom one like 123 when a firewall closes the standard port. If the tunnel connects but passes nothing on mobile data, drop the MTU from 1380 to 1280; some networks need it.

Getting through filtered networks with Mullvad

This is Mullvad's weak spot: the censorship bypass sub-score is 2.4 of 10, since it publishes obfuscation and bridges but no VLESS Reality, Trojan, Hysteria2 or obfs4. The built-in methods slow the connection and drain the battery. Enable them one at a time and only where a plain connection fails; settings live under VPN settings > Anti-censorship (desktop, Android) or WireGuard obfuscation (iOS).

UDP-over-TCP suits public Wi-Fi and mobile networks that block UDP. Where most servers are unreachable, multihop lets you enter through one that answers and exit anywhere. If login fails with "API unreachable", test each route under Settings > API access and disable the failing ones; repeated attempts rotate bridge servers, and a phone should try both Wi-Fi and mobile data. The website is also reachable via an onion service. Details are in Mullvad's restrictive-networks guide.

Connected, yet pages or apps fail

Android Private DNS and a browser's Secure DNS override Mullvad's own tunnelled resolvers, so turn both off before blaming the VPN; the app guide explains the DNS settings, and the Connection check tool tests for VPN, DNS and WebRTC leaks. Split tunnelling can push a browser around the tunnel by accident. One stubborn site usually blocks your exit IP; reconnecting to another server gives a different exit address and may help. A second VPN client or a security suite can hold the network adapter; pause them briefly to test.

Android and iPhone quirks

Battery optimisation can kill or disconnect the app in the background, especially on Samsung, Motorola, OnePlus and Xiaomi devices; exempt it. Update from the same source you installed from (Google Play, F-Droid, website, GitHub), or reinstall cleanly. "Block connections without VPN" also cuts split-tunnelled apps and local devices. A screen-overlay blue light filter can block taps inside the app. In Russia, Apple removed the app from the App Store, so existing users there cannot buy time in it.

Streaming through Mullvad

No streaming support (Netflix, BBC iPlayer, and so on) is published, so no promises; when a service rejects the exit IP, another server sometimes helps, or exclude the browser via split tunnelling using Mullvad's own guide.

Emailing Mullvad support

Write to support@mullvadvpn.net (GPG accepted) or use the in-app Report a problem form, which attaches anonymised logs, in English or Swedish. There is no live chat, phone or Telegram support, and Mullvad does not publish a public status page.

Mullvad connection FAQ

Why does Mullvad block my internet after I disconnect?

Lockdown mode is on. Disable it in VPN settings.

Does Mullvad still work with OpenVPN?

No. Apps and servers dropped it on 15 January 2026; use WireGuard.

Why can the app not log in?

The API is likely filtered. Test each API access method and switch networks.

Short fix order for Mullvad

Read the screen, confirm paid time and device count, try another server, change port or MTU, enable one obfuscation method, clear Private DNS, then write support with logs. Our hub for every ranked VPN covers the rest.