Netflix says I'm using a VPN or proxy, but I'm not

What does Netflix error E106 mean?

E106 is Netflix's code for “You seem to be using a VPN or proxy. Please turn off any of these services and try again.” Netflix's help page says VPN apps and services make a device or network look like it is connecting from somewhere else, and that is what trips the error.

Two cases get no leeway at all. Netflix says VPNs aren't supported on the ad-supported experience or for live events, so on those a VPN that Netflix detects triggers the error even if you chose it on purpose. On other plans Netflix warns that a VPN can change which TV shows and films you can see, and tells you to turn it off for your region's full catalogue.

Netflix does not publish how it decides that a connection is a VPN. What it does publish is its troubleshooting order, and that order tells you what it looks at: VPN software on the device, network settings on the device and router, the country your connection appears to come from, and the DNS server you use.

Why does Netflix think I'm using a VPN when I'm not?

Because something between your screen and Netflix makes your traffic look like it comes from a VPN or proxy server. It is usually one of the following, and the first two are the quickest to check.

1. A VPN you forgot about. Netflix itself points out that some antivirus suites ship with a VPN that may be switched on. Browser extensions, a VPN profile left on a phone, and VPN clients built into routers do the same thing quietly, and so does Cloudflare's free 1.1.1.1 app with WARP switched on, which routes your traffic through Cloudflare.
2. A DNS service that isn't your ISP's. Smart DNS and “unblocker” DNS services exist to make streaming services think you are elsewhere. Netflix's own steps ask your ISP to confirm your connection uses the ISP's DNS server, which suggests DNS is part of what it looks at.
3. A relay built into the browser. iCloud Private Relay sends Safari traffic through two relays and gives sites a temporary IP address. Watching in Safari with Private Relay on means Netflix sees a relay address, not your home one. The Netflix app on a TV or phone is not affected, because Private Relay covers Safari browsing.
4. Your home IP address is classed as a VPN or hosting address. ISPs reuse addresses. If your address, or the block it sits in, was used by a VPN or hosting company before, or is shared by many customers behind carrier-grade NAT, a streaming service's records can be wrong about it. Netflix's help page covers this case: if the IP and country match your home, the ISP has to contact Netflix directly.
5. A device on your network is being used as a proxy. Some free VPN apps, “earn money from your bandwidth” apps, TV streaming boxes sold with malware already on them, and other malware quietly rent your connection out to strangers, according to an FBI alert from March 2026. Their traffic then leaves through your IP, and services that notice it may flag the address.

The general version of this problem, where any website says you are on a VPN, is covered in why your IP is flagged as a VPN. The rest of this page sticks to what works for Netflix.

How do I check whether my connection looks like a VPN?

Use Netflix's own test first: open fast.com on a device on the same network, wait for the speed test to finish, click Show more info and read the country next to Client. If that country is not where you are, Netflix says a VPN is probably on somewhere in the device or network.

If the country is right but the error persists, look at who your IP address belongs to. Our IP check gives the network that owns your address (ASN and organisation) along with its VPN and proxy verdict, and the organisation should be your ISP. If it says a hosting company, a VPN brand, Cloudflare WARP or iCloud Private Relay, you have found the problem. When you have both IPv4 and IPv6 the check shows both, and Netflix can reach you over either, so both should belong to your ISP.

For comparison, this is a real VPN server: a published Mullvad WireGuard relay, checked through the iplogs API on 27 October 2026 (output trimmed to the fields that matter here):

curl -s -X POST https://iplogs.com/v1/check \
  -H 'content-type: application/json' \
  -d '{"ip":"45.142.26.2"}'

{
  "score": 1,
  "verdict": "vpn_detected",
  "is_vpn": true,
  "is_proxy": false,
  "ip_info": {
    "ip": "45.142.26.2",
    "asn": "AS197706",
    "org": "Keminet SHPK",
    "country": "Albania",
    "city": "Tirana",
    "vpn_provider": "Mullvad"
  }
}

A normal home connection should come back clean with your ISP as the organisation. If yours comes back suspicious or worse while every VPN is off, the address itself is the issue, and the fixes below that change your IP or involve your ISP are the ones to try.

How do I fix the Netflix VPN or proxy error?

Work through these in order and try Netflix after each one. The first four only take a few minutes.

1. Turn off every VPN: on the device (VPN apps and phone VPN profiles), in your antivirus suite, in browser extensions, and on the router if it has a VPN client. Quit the VPN app rather than just disconnecting it, since some reconnect on their own.
2. Put DNS back to automatic. If you ever typed DNS servers into the device or router, or signed up for a Smart DNS service, switch back to the ISP default. On a router this is usually under WAN or Internet settings.
3. If you watch in Safari, switch off iCloud Private Relay for the test. On iPhone: Settings, your name, iCloud, Private Relay, then Turn Off Until Tomorrow, which switches it back on by itself within 24 hours.
4. Power the router or modem off for a few minutes and back on. Many ISPs with dynamic addressing hand out a different address afterwards, which can move you off a misclassified one. This won't help if your ISP gives you a static IP.
5. Test on mobile data. If Netflix works over your phone's mobile connection but not on Wi-Fi, the problem is your home connection or its IP, not the device or your account.
6. Netflix suggests resetting the network settings on the device, then restoring the modem or router to its defaults. Write down your Wi-Fi name and password first.
7. Remove any app that pays you for sharing bandwidth, and be suspicious of unbranded Android TV boxes that promise free channels. The FBI says some of these devices come with malware installed that can survive a factory reset.
8. If none of that worked, contact your ISP with the details below.

What should I tell my ISP about the Netflix proxy error?

Give them the IP address and country that fast.com shows next to Client, and say which steps you have already tried. Netflix's help page then splits the problem in two.

• If the IP and country match the address and location the ISP assigned to your home, the ISP has to work with Netflix to correct how that address is classified. Ask them to contact Netflix's customer service team, as Netflix's page instructs.
• If they don't match, ask the ISP to confirm that your connection uses its DNS server, and to help you switch to it if not. Then restart the Netflix app.

This step feels slow, but it is the only one that fixes a genuinely misclassified address. You cannot remove your IP from Netflix's records yourself, and neither can any third-party tool.

Why does Netflix work on my phone's data but not on Wi-Fi?

Because the two connections use different public IP addresses. Your phone on mobile data leaves through the carrier's network, while on Wi-Fi it shares your home router's address. If only Wi-Fi fails, the cause lives in your home network: the router (a VPN client or custom DNS on it), a device on the network acting as a proxy, or the home IP address itself.

The reverse also happens. Mobile carriers put many customers behind a small pool of shared addresses (see CGNAT), so a phone can be flagged on mobile data while it works fine at home.

Should I just switch to a VPN that works with Netflix?

No. That treats a false flag as if it were a real one, and it doesn't fix anything. On the ad-supported plan and for live events Netflix doesn't support VPNs at all, and on other plans it says a VPN can limit which titles you can see. If you are not trying to change your region, the goal is to make your own connection look like what it is: a home connection in your country.

If Netflix also shows the wrong country's catalogue or language, the same steps apply. Netflix's separate help page for “Netflix thinks I'm in a different country” uses the identical fast.com, network reset and ISP checks. For why IP locations go wrong in the first place, see IP geolocation.