NetShield Ad-blocker is a feature that protects your device and speeds up your browsing by blocking ads, trackers, and malware. When enabled, it offers you two levels of protection:
- The first level prevents your browser from loading resources from domains that host malware, spyware, or other malicious software.
- The second level blocks ads and the online trackers that adtech companies use to target you, in addition to blocking malware. This advanced level of protection is on by default when you first enable NetShield.
NetShield Ad-blocker is available to everyone on a paid Proton VPN plan and can be enabled on any device:
How NetShield Ad-blocker protects you
Proton VPN has dedicated DNS servers that are active on each Proton VPN server you connect to and is responsible for resolving all the domain requests for every resource (image, scripts, ads, etc.) for every website you visit and app you use. When you are connected to Proton VPN, your DNS requests are encrypted to prevent DNS leaks from exposing your browsing history.
When you enable NetShield Ad-blocker, the DNS server will check these domains against databases of domains known to host malware, ads, or trackers. If any of the domains match, our DNS server will automatically block that resource from loading, keeping your device clean and speeding up your browsing.
NetShield Ad-blocker offers three levels of protection:
- Don’t block
This means that NetShield is not active. - Block malware only
This prevents your browser from loading resources from domains that host malware, spyware, or other malicious software. - Block malware, ads, & trackers
This blocks ads and the online trackers that adtech companies use to target you, in addition to blocking malware. This advanced level of protection is on by default when you first enable NetShield.
The NetShield Privacy Panel allows you to see how NetShield is protecting your privacy using easy-to-understand statistics that measure how many ads and trackers have been blocked, and how much data has been saved for the current session.
How to use NetShield Ad-blocker on Windows, macOS, and Linux devices
You can control your NetShield protection level by clicking on the shield icon on the Proton VPN app home screen.
You can select the level of protection you like by clicking
- Don’t block
- Block malware only
- Block malware, ads, & trackers (default)
NetShield Privacy Panel
The NetShield Privacy Panel shows stats for your current session on the NetShield tab.
- The number of ads blocked
- The number of trackers blocked
- The total amount of data saved
These statistics show, at a glance, how NetShield Ad-blocker is protecting you. Netshield Privacy Panel statistics are reset each time you end a VPN session (manually disconnect from a VPN server). NetShield Privacy Panel doesn’t reset if you suffer an accidental disconnection, change your kill switch settings, or change VPN protocols.
Note: NetShield Privacy Panel isn’t currently available on the Linux app.
How to use NetShield Ad-blocker on Android
To set your NetShield Ad-blocker preferences:
1. Tap ☰ → Settings → Security and toggle the NetShield switch on.
2. Select the level of protection you prefer:
- Block malware only
- Block malware, ads, & trackers (default)
Note: If you have enabled the Android Private DNS feature in Android 10+, this takes precedence over Proton VPN NetShield. If you want to use NetShield, please ensure Private DNS is set to Off or Automatic.
NetShield Privacy Panel
The NetShield Privacy Panel shows stats for your current session.
- The number of ads blocked
- The number of trackers blocked
- The total amount of data saved
These statistics show, at a glance, how NetShield Ad-blocker is protecting you. NetShield Privacy Panel statistics are reset each time you end a VPN session (manually disconnect from a VPN server). NetShield Privacy Panel doesn’t reset if you suffer an accidental disconnection, change your kill switch settings, or change VPN protocols.
How to use NetShield Ad-Blocker on iOS and iPadOS
To set your NetShield Ad-blocker preferences:
1. Tap Settings → NetShield.
2. Select the level of protection you prefer:
- Off
- Block malware only
- Block malware, ads, & trackers (default)
You can also adjust NetShield Ad-blocker once you have set up your VPN connection. Once you have connected to a VPN server, the NetShield switch will be the first option below the Connected to [your VPN server here] line.
If you toggle the switch on, you’ll see a drop-down menu that lets you choose the level of protection for your current VPN connection.
NetShield Privacy Panel
The NetShield Privacy Panel will show you statistics for your current session.
- The number of ads blocked
- The number of trackers blocked
- The total amount of data saved
These statistics show, at a glance, how NetShield Ad-blocker is protecting you. NetShield Privacy Panel statistics are reset each time you end a VPN session (manually disconnect from a VPN server). NetShield Privacy Panel doesn’t reset if you suffer an accidental disconnection, change your kill switch settings, or change VPN protocols.
How to use NetShield Ad-blocker on Linux CLI
If you are using our Linux app with graphical user interface, the instructions are identical to other desktop platforms, as described above. Linux CLI users can choose between three levels of NetShield protection:
- Off
- Block malware only
- Block malware, ads, & trackers ((default)
To turn NetShield off, you can use the command
protonvpn-cli netshield --off
or
protonvpn-cli ns --off
To block malware only, use the command
protonvpn-cli netshield --malware
or
protonvpn-cli ns --malware
To block malware, ads, and trackers, use the command
protonvpn-cli netshield --ads-malware
or
protonvpn-cli ns --ads-malware
Frequently asked questions
Does NetShield Ad-blocker work with Tor over VPN?
No. When using Tor over VPN, your DNS queries are handled by whatever DNS services the individual Tor nodes use, not by Proton. This means we can’t implement NetShield Ad-blocker.
What happens if my VPN connection is interrupted?
If you suffer an accidental disconnection, change your kill switch settings, or change VPN protocols, your Proton VPN app will automatically re-establish your VPN connection. During this reconnection, Proton VPN will automatically enable the kill switch (even if you had turned it off previously) to prevent DNS leaks.
NetShield Privacy Panel stats are retained if your connection is interrupted in this way.
NetShield Privacy Panel stats aren’t showing for me when I use IKEv2. But when I switch protocols, it works. Why?
A limitation on macOS and iOS devices prevents our app from collecting statistics on the volume of ad and trackers blocked when running IKEv2. If you wish to see your NetShield Privacy Panel stats on an Apple device, please use the WireGuard, OpenVPN, or Stealth protocols.
What is the number shown over the NetShield badge?
This is the number of ads and trackers blocked during your current session.
