What can a VPN do?

By VPNGuide Editorial Team · Updated 22 September 2026

A correctly configured VPN can:

Encrypt traffic between your device and VPN server. Replace the public IP address websites normally see with the VPN server's address. Reduce what your internet provider can observe about traffic travelling inside the VPN tunnel. Protect traffic travelling through untrusted networks between your device and the VPN server. Allow your internet connection to appear to originate from the VPN server's location. Provide secure remote access to private organisational networks when configured for that purpose.

A VPN cannot automatically:

Make you completely anonymous. Stop phishing attacks. Remove malware already installed on your device. Prevent you entering your password into a fraudulent website. Stop websites tracking a logged-in account. Delete existing cookies. Prevent all browser fingerprinting. Make weak passwords secure. protect information after it leaves the VPN server and travels onwards unless that traffic is protected by technologies such as HTTPS. Make illegal online activity legal.

Think of a VPN as one layer of privacy and security, rather than a complete online security solution.