Microsoft Defender had a built-in VPN - but not anymore as little-known feature has been canned

Those who subscribed to Microsoft 365 in the US (and UK) got a basic VPN with Microsoft Defender, but it appears to have been unpopular.

Microsoft Defender had a built-in VPN - but not anymore as little-known feature has been canned
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Tech Reporter
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TL;DR: Microsoft is discontinuing the VPN functionality in Microsoft Defender, which was available only to Microsoft 365 subscribers in the US and UK. The feature offered basic VPN coverage, and will be removed by February 28 across all platforms. Android users should delete the VPN profile from their devices, and Microsoft has provided instructions to that end.

Microsoft Defender has a VPN, and if this is the first you're hearing of this - and you wouldn't be alone in that - well, the discovery comes a bit late, as the news here is that the software giant is ditching this feature.

The 'privacy protection' feature which provides very basic VPN coverage

The 'privacy protection' feature which provides very basic VPN coverage

Microsoft Defender is a solid enough option for security that's left in place as default coverage in Windows for less tech-savvy people who don't know much, or indeed care much, about antivirus apps.

It has a built-in VPN feature called 'privacy protection' which rolled out last year (actually from late 2023). Microsoft implemented it as a basic service, as you might imagine, with no server choice, so it's just a simple switch to hook you up to the nearest server and provide encryption for your data being sent online (and anonymity for your IP address).

Note, however, that the VPN was only given to Microsoft 365 subscribers, and only ever rolled out in the US and UK.

A wider rollout was anticipated at some point, but seemingly the VPN hasn't seen much use in those countries, given that Windows Latest spotted Microsoft announcing that it's dropping the feature in a support document.

Microsoft wrote that:

"Our goal is to ensure you, and your family remain safer online. We routinely evaluate the usage and effectiveness of our features. As such, we are removing the privacy protection feature and will invest in new areas that will better align to customer needs."

So, it's the end of the line for Defender's VPN come February 28, the end of this month, across all platforms, meaning desktop (Windows and Mac) and mobile (Android and iOS).

This won't affect you other than not being able to use the feature anymore, although Android users may want to remove the VPN profile that'll be left on their device (this doesn't apply to other operating systems).

To do this on an Android smartphone, Microsoft provides the following instructions:

  1. Go to the Settings app in Android
  2. Search for 'VPN' in settings
  3. If you've onboarded to privacy protection, you should see a 'Microsoft Defender' VPN profile in the list of VPN profiles
  4. Use the info icon to tap on it and remove it
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Darren has written for numerous magazines and websites in the technology world for almost 30 years, including TechRadar, PC Gamer, Eurogamer, Computeractive, and many more. He worked on his first magazine (PC Home) long before Google and most of the rest of the web existed. In his spare time, he can be found gaming, going to the gym, and writing books (his debut novel – ‘I Know What You Did Last Supper’ – was published by Hachette UK in 2013).

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