How to Delete a VPN from iPhone or iPad
If you’re using a VPN with iPhone or iPad you may wish to eventually delete that VPN from your device, perhaps because you are no longer using the VPN service, or if the VPN is no longer needed. For example, maybe you used a VPN while traveling and are back home and no longer find it necessary, or perhaps you changed jobs and a work-specific VPN is no longer needed.
This article will show you how to delete a VPN from iPad or iPhone.
How to Remove VPN from iPhone or iPad
- Open the Settings app
- Toggle the “VPN” switch to OFF if the VPN you want to delete is not already disabled
- Go to “General” and then tap on “VPN”
- Locate the VPN profile you want to remove and tap the (i) button
- Tap “Delete VPN”
- Confirm that you want to delete the VPN to remove it from the iPhone or iPad
With the VPN deleted, it will no longer be available for use on the iPad or iPhone. If you wanted to use the VPN again, you’d either need to re-add the VPN Profile or reconfigure the VPN manually.
Many VPN services install a VPN profile that make the setup of their service particularly easy, and by deleting the VPN this way you are effectively removing that profile. This also works the same to delete and remove a manually configured VPN on iPhone or iPad too.
Nearly every third party VPN service (that you’d actually want to use anyway, though Opera web browser has a free VPN as do some other services) is a paid service, and they can be very helpful for international travelers and for the privacy conscious or security minded since a VPN will route all internet traffic on a device through the VPN as long as it’s active. Additionally, many businesses and organizations have a VPN that is required to access internal networks and other organization specific data. Whichever the case, once you no longer need the VPN or are no longer paying for the service, you’ll probably want to remove the VPN profile from your iPhone or iPad.
The screenshots here demonstrate removing a VPN from an iPad but deleting a VPN from iPhone is exactly the same, as it is with iPod touch.
Thank you for this well written and very helpful article. Wish you well and best regards.
I’ve been dealing with a VPN issue for about a month. This solution resolved when Apple, VPN tech support and other forums didn’t. Great article. Thanks.
Thank you! I was sent a message that by opening it a vpn was added to my device and I wasn’t sure if I could be hacked thru it, so I wanted to delete it… Your post actually showed how to delete! Thank you!
How can I stop children from accessing vpn to go on to social media that us blocked by our router??
You could uninstall the VPN app, otherwise you could use Screen Time to time limit or block the VPN app
https://osxdaily.com/2020/03/26/set-time-limit-apps-iphone-ipad-screen-time/
You can also use Screen Time to directly limit social media apps too:
https://osxdaily.com/2018/12/13/limit-social-networking-use-screen-time-ios/
How do i add the vpn back
If it’s an app based VPN, re-install the VPN app to get the profile again. If it’s manually configured, add it manually in Settings.
When I go from step 4 (clicking on VPN’s info icon) I don’t get to your step 5. I get the VPN’s type, server and account but not the Connect on Demand or Delete VPN options. So there is no where for me to go. I’m using an ipad mini-4 running ios version 13.3. Suggestions?
Australian Mobaile’s. sistem no Support
VPN Configurations
Why remove the VPN? Why not simply disconnect until
you wish to use it again?
You’d disconnect from the VPN if you no longer need it at that moment.
Many reasons to delete the VPN profile though; If you change jobs, cancel the VPN service, use a different one, no longer need it, etc
I would love to use Opera but the VPN has never worked for me. :(