How do I turn OFF VPN?

Terry Bates

I'm not paying for nagware. How to I turn OFF this VPN "Free trial"? I don't want the free trial, it's not worth it.

Gjoksi

Hello.

You can uninstall Bitdefender VPN from the Control Panel -> Programs and Features. There should be 3 products listed there: Bitdefender Agent, Bitdefender ... (depends on your product) and Bitdefender VPN. Simply uninstall Bitdefender VPN.

Also, open your Bitdefender program and do this:

1. go to Settings -> General and switch off "Special offers" and "Recommendation notifications"

2. go to Privacy -> Safepay -> Settings and switch off "Safepay notifications"

3. go to Privacy -> Video & Audio Protection -> Settings and switch off "Notify when allowed applications connect to the webcam", "Notify when an application tries to access the microphone" and "Notify when browsers access the microphone".

After doing that, in the future no pop-up notifications will be displayed in the lower right corner of your screen.

REMEMBER: When a threat is detected, a pop-up will be displayed in the lower right corner of your screen and you can't disable those pop-up notifications.

Regards.

BAV

I can't believe 3 years later since these shenanigans started and Bit defender still refuse to add a simple "install VPN" checkbox at security suite installation.

Yep, I just tried out the latest BD total and it's forced VPN again! You WILL install this, it says.

I do not understand the logic when most of us will instantly want to uninstall the VPN, for example like myself who uses Nord and will never, ever switch, not if it was free for life.

Why create extra registry entries and uninstall leftovers when it could and should simply be unchecked at point of install? I am evaluating everything, from Kaspersky, BD, Eset etc for my brand new GT77 laptop, and I can tell you, and it's a huge surprise to me too, AVG is winning so far. No forced VPN, still easy to use like BD but webcam blocker is better set up, firewall rules are easier to set up as are real time outbound alerts, and it also takes up a much larger portion of the screen than the tiny, non size adjustable window that BD still insist on using. Endless scrolling. I haven't used BD for 2 years, and ALL the same issues are there. The interface doesn't like mouse wheel scrolling but makes it really hard to grab the super thin scroll bar to manually scroll the page, the interface is tiny and can not be maximised, and updates take forever, to name but a few issues. Sigh.

Scott

https://community.bitdefender.com/en/discussion/comment/325920#Comment_325920

I like the idea of manual installation, from the UI Quick Action panel or the Privacy tab option. That way it lets us know about that security feature (one of Bitdefender's concerns, that we know about it), without installing it on its own.

The rest of your post was very good as well, as these are some of the things I've also considered. As with the thin scroll edge to catch with my finger or the mouse cursor on, especially on the higher-resolution screens.

:)

Scott

AgileCowboy

I had to restart my Windows laptop earlier today and immediately after the reboot saw a notification from Bitdefender that it was upgraded to the latest release which is ok and per my expectations.

Than later today I found out that Bitdefender VPN is installed alongside Bitdefender AV. And it's a trial version.

I'm puzzled why a respected company like Bitdefender wants to silently push additional products on my system that I did not request, do not need (as I already have VPN software from another vendor) and did not consent to.

Is there anybody from Bitdefender that can motivate this action/approach?

Alexandru_BD

Hello @AgileCowboy,

The VPN is part of all Bitdefender security suites and this way the customers also benefit from a free service which offers 200mb/day/device to handle essential tasks. As such, the VPN is automatically installed with each installation of a Bitdefender security product. On the other hand, if the customer chooses to remove it, it should stay removed. We do know there are isolated cases when a product update for the security suite can install the VPN again and the product teams are actively investigating the cause of the issue and they should find a resolution soon.

As such, it's not mandatory to use the included VPN when purchasing a Bitdefender security solution and all Bitdefender apps are easily removable via standard platform specific mechanisms (eg for Windows, go to Programs & Features). So, the VPN can be easily removed, if not required or if you are already using this service from another provider. I think the approach is to offer Bitdefender customers something extra when purchasing an antivirus and I personally see nothing wrong with that, on the contrary, it's nice to have.

Bottom line is, use what you need, delete what you don't.

Regards

Mark_Twain

Hello @Alexandru_BD,

Actually, the bottom line is: Many customers are complaining about Bitdefender, but Bitdefender is not listening.

Bitdefender security 'suites' are designed to coerce more users to subscribe to Bitdefender VPN.

With my iOS device connected via NordVPN, a Bitdefender Armor scan will throw up a big red exclamation mark and messages saying, "Web Protection isn't active" and "Browsing isn't secure". Then it offers a single solution: "Activate Web Protection - Included in your subscription". Pressing the attractive blue "Activate" button activates Bitdefender VPN. When the 200MB limit is reached, all traffic gets blocked and Bitdefender requires a subscription upgrade to continue. How many of us are comfortable with a 200MB/day limit?

Furthermore, the term "Web Protection" would sound desirable to all users - even those who already have a VPN connection. I strongly suspect that this obfuscation is deliberate. I must admit, it did fool me once.

Yes, there are workarounds, but only tech-savvy users would have the confidence to ignore the barrage of scary warnings. Others are likely to cave in and go with the Bitdefender subscription upgrade.

Bitdefender's tricks are likely to contravene the consumer protection laws of at least some jurisdictions.

Regards,

Alexandru_BD

Hi @Mark_Twain and thanks for sharing your thoughts here. 👍️

Subscribing to a Premium VPN is, of course, optional. I think it's nice to have a VPN included with the antivirus, even if it comes with limited traffic. Obviously, the standard VPN is not intended for streaming purposes or other activities that require more traffic, but surely it could prove useful, especially when traveling, whenever you connect to unsecured Wi-Fi in airports, shopping malls, cafés, or hotels, etc. But it won't last for long if you are watching Netflix, that's for sure. 🙂

The upgrade option comes naturally, and for users that require a fast and secure VPN app with unlimited traffic and the option to connect to any available server, there's the Premium VPN. As a vendor, if you do provide upgraded versions of your software, then you need to let your customers know about it, don't you think? Then again, if someone is not interested in these offerings, the VPN notifications can be silenced or the app can be deleted altogether.

If I go to a coffee shop to get an espresso and it comes with a free croissant, that shouldn't be upsetting, right? If I don't like the croissant, I'll just have my coffee and be on my way. If it's a plain croissant and the barista asks me to pay for the one with pistacchio filling, then I'm faced with a choice and I can accept or decline. In the same way, you can accept or decline to upgrade to a Premium VPN.

There is no trick here. It's a matter of choice and there are users that are happy with the basic VPN, users that don't use it at all and users that demand more from their VPN. As you can see, there's something for everyone and I would very much like to find out what consumer protection laws prohibit this. 🙂

Regards,

Alex