Connection speed – why is it so slow?
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Is your Internet speed not as fast as it could be while using Mullvad? Follow this guide to improve your VPN speed.
What this guide covers
Using the Mullvad VPN app
Install the latest version of Mullvad
Always use the latest version of the Mullvad VPN app. We are constantly making improvements, some of which can improve your speed.
Select the country closest to your location
If you do not select a country, the Mullvad app will default to Sweden. Click on "Switch location" in the app and choose a location that is as close to your real location as possible.
Switch to another city within the same country
You can select a city in the Mullvad app after you click on "Switch location" by using the down-arrow on the right side of the country.
Use a server from a different hosting provider
Mullvad servers are hosted by various providers in different data centers and your Internet provider might have better peering and speed to another provider. You can find the providers on our Servers page.
You can hide providers that don't work well for you by clicking on Switch location and then clicking on the Filter button in the top right corner (left corner on iPhone) (this is not available on iPads).
WireGuard protocol
WireGuard is the default protocol. Open the Settings, then click on VPN settings. Under Tunnel protocol, click on WireGuard.
Turn off DAITA
DAITA increases network traffic which impacts the speed. Open the Mullvad app settings, then click on DAITA and make sure that it is not enabled.
Turn off Multihop
Multihop slows down the speed as the connection is routed from one Mullvad server to another, often in different locations. Open the Mullvad app settings, then click on Multihop and make sure that it is not enabled.
Turn off WireGuard Obfuscation
In case UDP traffic is throttled then you can try to enable UDP-over-TCP obfuscation. However in most cases using WireGuard Obfuscation can significantly increase the latency and slow down the speed. If you don't need it then turn it off. Open the Mullvad app settings, then click on VPN settings. Then click on WireGuard settings and set Obfuscation to "Off".
Change the WireGuard port
Your Internet provider may limit the speed on certain ports. To change it, open the Mullvad app settings, then click on VPN settings. Scroll down and click on WireGuard settings and set the port to Automatic, 51820, 53 or Custom: 123 and see which works best for you.
If you use WireGuard standalone then you can change the port number in the WireGuard configuration file on the Endpoint line.
Change the WireGuard MTU (desktop and Android app only)
Open the Mullvad app settings, then click on VPN settings. Click on WireGuard settings and set the MTU in the bottom to for example 1280.
Try OpenVPN protocol (desktop app only)
Open the Mullvad app settings, then click on VPN settings. Under Tunnel protocol, click on OpenVPN. Then go to the OpenVPN settings and set Bridge mode to "Off".
Try TCP with OpenVPN (desktop app only)
Some Internet providers throttle UDP connections. If that is the case, changing to TCP can show a significant increase in performance. Open the Settings, then click on VPN settings. Scroll down and go to "OpenVPN Settings". After that click on TCP and then set port to 443 or 80.
General tips
Temporarily disable your third party anti-virus and firewall
Try this to see if this improves your speed.
Temporarily turn off any other high bandwidth software
Make sure to turn off apps that are actively downloading/uploading (for example torrent clients, TV streaming services) before testing the VPN speed.
Temporarily disable your router's anti-virus/firewall
Test to see if this improves your speed. Remember to turn the firewall back on again after testing.
Also check if you can turn off "UDP Flood Defense". If you can't then try to add the IP address of the Mullvad server to its whitelist.
Try another Internet connection or computer/device
To help you rule out problems with your Internet connection or router you can connect to a mobile Internet connection via a Wi-Fi hotspot and see if you get better speeds. You can also try it on different computers or devices.
Turn off the SOCKS5 proxy
If you have added our SOCKS5 proxy to your web browser for example then it might decrease the speed.
Use an Ethernet network cable instead of Wi-Fi
A Wi-Fi connection can work fine, but it might be slower due to a weak signal or interference from other wireless networks, or appliances. Use an ethernet network cable instead to make sure that you get reliable speeds free from disturbance.
Reboot your router
Some routers perform quite poorly after they have been running a while.
High speed Internet connections (1 Gbps)
If you have a very fast Internet connection then you can try to use Linux instead of Windows. The Linux kernel WireGuard implementation is often faster than the Windows implementations. You can for example try to put Ubuntu on a USB stick and run it live to test it.
OpenVPN routers
Running an OpenVPN client on a router will perform slowly if it has a slow CPU.
Using OpenVPN standalone
If you are using Windows then OpenVPN typically uses the tap driver, but switching to Wintun can provide better performance. Add windows-driver wintun on a new line in your OpenVPN configuration file.
Internet providers
Most Internet providers that sell to consumers will not guarantee sustained full speed.
Contact Mullvad support
If you cannot solve your problem then you can contact support@mullvadvpn.net. Try to provide answers to these questions:
- What speed do you get with and without the VPN?
- How did you test the speed?
- Which country are you located in?
- Do you have the same problem with multiple computers/devices?
- Which operating system are you using?
- Can you try it using a cellular/mobile data connection?
It may be helpful if you can provide us with a traceroute to our VPN server. Send us the result as text (not a screenshot). Use the instructions below.
First disconnect from Mullvad and then run the following command (replace the server name "se-got-wg-001.relays.mullvad.net" with the one you are using):
Windows
In a Command Prompt:tracert se-got-wg-001.relays.mullvad.net
Linux
In a Terminal:mtr -wbzrc10 se-got-wg-001.relays.mullvad.net
macOS
In the Terminal app:traceroute se-got-wg-001.relays.mullvad.net
"WireGuard" is a registered trademark of Jason A. Donenfeld.