WebRTC Leak Test

What Is a WebRTC Leak?

WebRTC (Web Real-Time Communication) is a browser API that enables peer-to-peer audio and video communication. To establish direct connections between peers, WebRTC uses a technique called ICE candidate gathering — your browser asks a STUN server "what's my public IP?" and shares the answer with the peer.

The problem: this works even when you're connected to a VPN. WebRTC can sometimes leak around the VPN tunnel and reveal your real public IP through this discovery process. This is called a WebRTC leak, and it can deanonymize you despite your VPN being properly connected.

How to Fix a WebRTC Leak

• Use a VPN with WebRTC leak protection — The top providers (ExpressVPN, NordVPN, Surfshark) include browser extensions that block WebRTC IP enumeration
• Disable WebRTC in your browser:
  • Firefox: Type about:config in the address bar, search for media.peerconnection.enabled, set to false
  • Chrome / Edge: Install the "WebRTC Network Limiter" or "WebRTC Control" extension
  • Brave: Settings → Shields → Fingerprinting blocking set to "Strict"
• Use a privacy-focused browser like Brave or LibreWolf that ships with WebRTC leak protection enabled

Local IPs vs. Public IPs

The test above categorizes detected IPs as local (private network addresses like 192.168.x.x, 10.x.x.x, or mDNS .local hostnames) and public (internet-routable addresses).

Local IPs being visible is normal and not a privacy concern — they only describe your internal network topology. The privacy risk is when WebRTC exposes a public IP that differs from the one your VPN is advertising.

See also: our DNS leak test and What Is My IP tool. For comprehensive VPN protection that prevents both DNS and WebRTC leaks, see our top-rated VPNs for 2026.