You are connected to a VPN. Your IP address appears masked. But your real IP address is still leaking — through a browser feature called WebRTC. This is one of the most common and dangerous privacy failures, and most VPN users have no idea it is happening to them.
What Is a WebRTC Leak?
WebRTC (Web Real-Time Communication) is a browser technology that enables video calls, voice chat, and peer-to-peer file sharing directly in the browser. It is built into Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge, and Brave by default.
To establish a connection, WebRTC uses a process called STUN (Session Traversal Utilities for NAT), which can reveal your real IP address — even when you are connected to a VPN. Websites can trigger this silently using JavaScript.
How to Test for a WebRTC Leak
Use Anonymiz WebRTC Leak Test to check instantly. Connect to your VPN, then open the test. If you see your real IP address (not your VPN IP), you have a leak.
How to Fix a WebRTC Leak in Chrome
Chrome does not have a built-in toggle to disable WebRTC. Your options are:
- Install WebRTC Network Limiter — Official Chrome extension from Google that restricts which IP addresses WebRTC can use. Set it to "Use my default public address only."
- Use a VPN with WebRTC leak protection — NordVPN, Mullvad and ProtonVPN all block WebRTC leaks at the VPN client level.
- Switch to Brave Browser — Brave blocks WebRTC leaks by default with no extensions required.
How to Fix a WebRTC Leak in Firefox
Firefox gives you a direct toggle to disable WebRTC:
- Type
about:configin the address bar and press Enter. - Click "Accept the Risk and Continue."
- Search for
media.peerconnection.enabled. - Double-click the value to set it to false.
This completely disables WebRTC in Firefox. Note: this also disables video calling services like Google Meet. Re-enable it when you need video calls.
How to Fix a WebRTC Leak in Safari
Safari has the best default WebRTC privacy of all major browsers. Since Safari 12, WebRTC is restricted to prevent IP leaks by default. To verify:
- Open Safari Preferences → Advanced → check "Show Develop menu."
- Open Develop → WebRTC → ensure "Enable Legacy WebRTC API" is unchecked.
How to Fix a WebRTC Leak in Edge and Brave
- Brave — Go to Settings → Privacy and Security → WebRTC IP Handling Policy → Select "Disable non-proxied UDP."
- Edge — Install the same WebRTC Network Limiter extension as Chrome. Edge uses the Chrome extension store.
Verify the Fix
After applying any fix, run the Anonymiz WebRTC Leak Test again. You should now only see your VPN IP address — not your real IP. If you still see your real IP, your VPN does not support WebRTC protection and you should disable WebRTC in the browser directly.
