What should you do if v2rayNG won’t connect? This guide walks through troubleshooting in order: your network, the client, your browser, DNS, and node connection. It covers issues such as “web pages won’t load after startup” and “only some websites fail.” Start with reversible steps; there’s no need to wipe your phone or reinstall repeatedly. Change one setting at a time and test before moving on.
1. Check that your network and VPN are working
- Stop v2rayNG and open a website you can normally access directly. If it won’t load either, first check for Wi-Fi sign-in requirements, mobile data issues, or router connectivity problems.
- Open v2rayNG again, select the node you want to use, and tap Start. The first time you use it, allow Android’s VPN connection request. Seeing the key icon alone doesn’t mean the node is working.
- Temporarily stop other VPNs, accelerators, and filtering tools that use local VPN mode to avoid connection conflicts. You may need to check work-profile VPNs separately.
- Turn on automatic date and time in your system settings. An incorrect time can cause TLS certificate validation to fail. Don’t bypass the problem by disabling certificate verification.
Keep your existing configuration for now: Take screenshots of your settings before making changes, and don’t delete all your nodes. Before sharing screenshots or logs, hide your subscription URL, UUID, password, and other sensitive information.
2. Tell a browser issue from a proxy issue
Leave v2rayNG running and try opening the same website in another browser, then test a different website. If only one browser fails, try an incognito window and check its extensions, custom proxy, and Secure DNS settings. Incognito mode does not rule out every browser setting issue.
If apps work but your browser doesn’t, temporarily change the browser’s Secure DNS setting from a custom service to Default or Automatic, then test again. Restore it afterward if needed. Don’t start by clearing all browsing data, as this may sign you out of websites.
Also check v2rayNG’s per-app proxy settings: Is your browser excluded, or are only a few apps allowed to use the proxy? Per-app proxy settings and routing rules both affect where traffic goes. If you suspect a routing rule, temporarily switch to a mode that routes the traffic you’re testing through the proxy, then restore your previous setting afterward.
3. Troubleshoot DNS: restore defaults first, then compare
If the logs show a domain name resolution failure, or multiple websites say they can’t find the server, check Android’s “Private DNS” setting. Menu locations vary by phone, but you can usually find it by searching in Settings. If you’ve entered a custom hostname, note it down, then temporarily switch to Automatic and test. You don’t need to turn the setting off permanently.
If you’ve changed the DNS settings in v2rayNG, check the instructions for your version and restore the recommended values first. Don’t change DNS in your system, browser, and client all at once, or it will be difficult to identify the cause. Changing DNS won’t fix a node that’s no longer working; even if DNS resolves successfully, the connection may still time out.
4. Check your subscription and connection, and consider reinstalling only as a last resort
- Update your subscription manually and see whether it succeeds. If the update fails, first check that the subscription URL is valid. Don’t submit links containing keys to unfamiliar testing websites.
- Switch to a node from another trusted source. Use the client’s connection test, then try opening a webpage to verify the result. Treat test results as a guide, not a guarantee.
- Test on both Wi-Fi and mobile data. If only one network fails, the network may be restricting the connection. If only one node fails, the node may be unavailable or its settings may have expired.
- Check the logs for timeouts, connection refusals, or certificate errors. Don’t change ports, transport methods, or TLS settings at random; reimport the complete configuration provided by the source instead.
Free nodes can stop working at any time, and the free nodes provided on this site should be judged by their actual connection results. If the problem persists, note your client version, network type, error message, and the steps you’ve tried, then consult the project documentation or ask for help. Reinstall only after backing up your configuration.