Active internet users who value their privacy should invest in using a VPN. A good VPN can help protect your connection and keep all online activity anonymous for shady websites looking to sell your personal information to the highest bidder. They may also allow you to bypass certain region-specific websites and services, if that interests you.
As good as VPNs are, they are not perfect. There are times when the connection is not established, which leads to the message “Connection failed with error 800”. What does this error mean?
If you see this error, it means that the VPN application installed on your Windows PC cannot connect to the VPN service. The reason for all of this can be traced back to some of the common suspects, which include the configuration of the VPN application, firewall difficulties, your internet connection, or the availability of the VPN server.
How to Fix 800 VPN Errors
To fix this error, be sure to follow these methods to re-establish the VPN connection.
Restart the application
Chances are you’ve already tried this step. Most people already understand the principle of “off and on”. All you have to do is restart the VPN app to see if it fixes the problem.
But since you are going to follow all the methods listed here in the order in which they were written, you need to repeat this step. Instead of just pressing “x” on the app to close it, you also need to go to Task Manager to close it.
– /
Right click on the taskbar and select Task Manager. Scroll down the Processes tab and find any instance of your VPN application. If you find it, just right-click it and select End Task to make sure all processes related to your VPN application are complete.
Restart the application again to try to establish a connection.
Check VPN settings
If this is your first time using the app, please make sure you have entered your username and password credentials correctly. They must match the same username and password that the VPN administrator has set up for you.
Check the VPN application settings, in particular the network settings, and make sure they match the settings required by the service. You can find this information on the website of the VPN provider.
VPN services are configured differently from service to service. To ensure that the application is configured correctly, consult with your VPN provider for any necessary configuration details to avoid further complications.
The endpoint server may not be running
Before the reboot step, you should check if your chosen destination server is running. Most VPN apps allow you to manually select the endpoint server, while others can automatically choose the fastest route for your internet speed.
Select an endpoint server other than the one you currently selected. If you can connect after the change, then the problem is with a different destination server.
Still no connection? Keep reading.
Reboot device
This means that restarting the application did not help, perhaps restarting the device will help. A hard reboot can fix many network and connectivity issues. This is very true of the Windows network problems for which they are notorious.
Just restart your device, be it a computer, tablet, or phone, and see if the VPN app can connect.
Internet connection problems
Checking your connection status seems like a more logical step at this stage. Have you noticed any intermittent connections while browsing the web? Are you using an Ethernet or Wi-Fi connection?
You can start checking the status by right-clicking the Windows Start button (located in the lower left corner of the desktop) and choosing Network Connections from the menu.
From here, you’ll want to select Ethernet or Wi-Fi from the left menu, depending on which one you’re using. The rest of the steps in this method will be the same no matter which one you choose, but for consistency I’ll be using Ethernet.
After selecting the connection in the main window on the right, select “Change adapter settings”.
Right-click the connection and select Properties.
Highlight Internet Protocol Version 4 and click the Properties button. Set both options to get addresses automatically and click OK. Close all remaining windows.
The manually set IP address may conflict with your VPN’s DNS or IP settings. Try to establish the VPN connection again.
Quick Firewall Check
Temporarily disable your firewall and try again. Failures associated with a firewall usually means that additional settings specific to VPN port numbers may be required to configure it. If your VPN connects, define an executable for the VPN application and let it pass through your firewall unhindered.
If you still see Connection Failure with error 800, re-enable your firewall. At this point, the problem might be on the server side. Sometimes the server may freeze due to too many clients already connected.
This is rare, but the limits may vary depending on how the server is configured. It would be better if you either wait to use the VPN later, or contact the VPN administrator to check things out on their side.
–