Do you need a VPN on Windows 11?

Windows 11 is good at protecting your PC itself, and several protections are on from the start. What it doesn't cover is your privacy on the networks you connect to:

Microsoft is clear that the built-in VPN option is only a connector: "Before you can connect to a VPN, you must have a VPN profile on your device."[6]Encrypted DNS isn't switched on by itself either; Microsoft says "By default, Windows 11 will defer to the local administrator on which resolvers should use encrypted DNS."[4]

Privacy from every network you use. A VPN encrypts everything between your PC and the VPN service, including the lookups for site names. The café's Wi-Fi, a fake hotspot made to look like the real one, or your internet provider then only see that you're connected to a VPN, not which sites you visit.

That's why Microsoft's own advice for public networks is: "If you have to use a public Wi-Fi network you should consider using a Virtual Private Network (VPN)."[7]

Yes, if you'd rather your internet provider didn't see which sites you visit. Your home network isn't shared with strangers, so at home the gain is privacy from your provider. And with a VPN that connects as soon as it starts, your laptop is already protected the moment you take it to a café, a hotel or an airport.

Where a VPN comes from matters more than its price, because a VPN sees what the network no longer can. As the US Federal Trade Commission puts it: "It just shifts trust from those networks to the VPN app provider."[8]

Bad ones exist. In 2024 the FBI described how "Free, illegitimate VPNs were packaged within pirated video games and software" and "installed silently on victims' devices without their consent", turning them into part of a criminal proxy network with over 19 million compromised IP addresses in more than 190 countries.[9]A 2026 study of 281 popular Android VPN apps found that 61 sent some data without encryption,[10] and Germany's Federal Office for Information Security warns: "Often, users of free VPNs end up 'paying' for the service with their personal data, which can be used for purposes such as marketing."[11]

These are the signs of one you can trust, and how WiFi Protect meets them:

Windows 11 itself doesn't include one. The VPN that came with Microsoft Defender for Microsoft 365 subscribers was retired: "The privacy protection (VPN) feature within Defender is going away February 28, 2025."[12]Microsoft Edge has a Secure Network option, but it protects browsing in Edge only, not your other apps. Microsoft says "You get 5GB of free data per month with your personal Microsoft Account", and that it is not available for managed devices or in certain regions.[13]

A VPN protects your connection, not the PC itself: keep Windows Security and SmartScreen on against malware and phishing. It also doesn't hide who you are from the sites and accounts you sign in to.