Here is what the feature does, who can get it, how to turn it on, and how IT administrators can block it on managed machines.
What Firefox's built-in VPN actually does
Mozilla's support documentation says the feature adds privacy by routing your browser traffic through a secure proxy server and masking your IP address. Mozilla's launch post puts it simply: sites you visit see the proxy's IP address instead of yours. Firefox already uses HTTPS, and Mozilla presents IP masking as an extra layer on top of that, not a replacement for it.
Mozilla's Connect community announcement adds some technical detail. Firefox routes your browsing traffic through servers run by Mozilla's service partner Fastly, and Firefox creates an encrypted TLS connection to the proxy. Mozilla also says it receives aggregate data usage from the proxy provider so Firefox can display your monthly usage. Gizmodo reports that the lookups that turn site names into IP addresses also go through the VPN. That matters, because DNS lookups that bypass a proxy are a well-known way for browsing activity to leak.
Mozilla also lists some exceptions. Some essential Mozilla services are excluded from VPN routing to ensure sign-in, VPN reconnection, and screens needed to sign in for public Wi-Fi work properly. All other browsing activity in Firefox remains protected when the VPN is on.
Summary: It's an encrypted proxy built into the browser. It hides your IP address from the sites you visit and from people snooping on public Wi-Fi, but only for traffic that goes through Firefox.
The limitation that matters most: scope
Mozilla says it directly: the built-in VPN only hides your IP address and location while browsing in Firefox. Gizmodo spells out what that means in practice: your email app, games, streaming apps, and torrent client still use your own IP address. The same goes for Edge or Chrome running next to Firefox, Windows Update, OneDrive sync, Teams and anything else on the PC.
In CNET's piece, cybersecurity expert Jacob Kalvo, CEO of Live Proxies, warned that browser-only coverage can give less technical users a false sense of full protection. He called the 50 GB allowance generous for a browser-based VPN, but said he wouldn't recommend it for sensitive data or large-scale operations, describing it as a limited-use product rather than a complete privacy solution. That's his opinion, but Mozilla's own documentation backs up the factual part: other apps are not covered.
If you want whole-device coverage, Mozilla points you to its paid product. The standalone Mozilla VPN subscription protects the entire device, other apps included, with unlimited data across multiple devices.
Summary: Think of it as a privacy upgrade for your browser, not a VPN for your PC.
Timeline and availability
- March 2026, desktop: Mozilla announced the feature as a beta starting in Firefox 149, which was scheduled to begin rolling out March 24. It launched first in the US, UK, Germany and France.
- May 19, 2026, location selection: Users in the US, UK, France, Germany and Canada could start choosing to browse from any country where the VPN had launched. Mozilla notes that browsing is subject to the local laws and content restrictions of the region you pick.
- July 28, 2026, Android: A gradual rollout to Firefox for Android began in every country where the desktop version was available.
Mozilla's troubleshooting page now lists a much longer set of countries: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Malaysia, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Thailand, the United Kingdom and the United States. Mozilla's July blog update also names Japan, Poland and Switzerland, which shows the lists don't always match. Being on the latest Firefox doesn't guarantee you'll see the feature. Mozilla says it is part of an experimental study being rolled out in stages and may not have reached you yet.
How to turn it on (desktop)
- Update Firefox to version 149 or later.
- Look for the prompt. If you're eligible, you'll see a prompt in the Firefox toolbar inviting you to set up the feature.
- Click the VPN icon next to the address bar and select Get started.
- Sign in to your Mozilla account, or create one.
- Choose Turn on VPN in the panel. Mozilla says the toolbar icon turns green while the VPN is active.
- Pick a location if you want. By default Firefox picks a server for you, and eligible users can choose a location from the toolbar panel.
To exclude a site, go to Settings → Privacy & Security → VPN and manage website exceptions there. You can turn the VPN off from the same toolbar panel.
What success looks like: a green toolbar icon, and an IP-checking website showing a location that isn't yours while the VPN is on.
Troubleshooting: "I don't see the VPN button"
Work through these checks in order:
- Remote improvements are off. Gizmodo's guide says to go to Settings, under Privacy & Security, and enable "Allow Firefox to improve features, performance, and stability between updates."
- You're in a holdback group. Enter about:studies in the Firefox address bar to check whether you're part of the VPN - MVP Beta Holdback study that prevents you from seeing or using the built-in VPN.
- A policy is blocking it. Enter about😛olicies in the Firefox address bar to see if the IPProtectionAvailable policy is active, which can prevent availability. On a work PC, that is probably intentional.
- You removed the toolbar button. Firefox's source documentation says once the button has been auto-placed, the widget is not reinserted automatically after manual removal. Add it back through Customize Toolbar.
Some forum answers and how-to sites suggest forcing the feature on by setting browser.ipProtection.enabled to true in about:config. Mozilla's developer documentation warns that these hidden preferences should not be used unless you really know what you are doing. Flipping a switch to skip a staged rollout won't make you eligible if your region or account isn't supported.
The 50 GB cap
Firefox will notify you as you approach the limit. When you reach the limit, your VPN status will change to paused. VPN protection will be unavailable until your data resets. According to Mozilla's launch post, Firefox asks you to confirm before you carry on browsing without the VPN, so you won't silently lose protection. For reading, shopping and banking, 50 GB goes a long way. A few evenings of 4K streaming through the proxy will use it up quickly.
For IT admins: it's off in managed environments
This part matters most for Windows admins. Mozilla's support page says: "This feature is not available in enterprise environments and is not being rolled out to users with enterprise policies." If you want to be explicit about it, there's a policy for that. Organizations can use the BlockAboutConfig policy to prevent manual enablement of this and other unavailable features. To prevent enabling just this feature, use the new IPProtectionAvailable policy, available since Firefox version 149.0.1 released April 7, 2026.
From Mozilla's enterprise admin reference:
| Method | Setting |
|---|---|
| policies.json | "IPProtectionAvailable": false |
| Windows GPO/registry | Software\Policies\Mozilla\Firefox\IPProtectionAvailable = 0x0 (0x1 leaves it available) |
| Intune OMA-URI | IPProtectionAvailable |
| Compatibility | Firefox 149+, Firefox ESR 153+, Firefox Enterprise 149+ |
Setting the value to true has the same effect as not setting the policy at all. Why bother if Mozilla already holds the feature back on managed devices? Because a browser that quietly sends traffic through a third-party egress point can get around web filtering, data loss prevention (DLP) inspection and IP-based conditional access. It's better to have that decision written into policy than to rely on how a rollout happens to behave.
Can you trust it?
Mozilla says the feature doesn't sell your browsing data or inject ads into your traffic. That is a company statement, not an independent audit finding. CNET mentions Cure53 audits and WireGuard as part of Mozilla's VPN track record. Those audits covered Mozilla's standalone VPN client apps, though, not this browser proxy, and the built-in feature uses a TLS connection to Fastly-run servers rather than a WireGuard tunnel. So Mozilla's track record counts for something, but it isn't proof that this particular feature is secure.
CNET also says Proton VPN's free tier is the only free VPN it currently recommends. That's a fair comparison for anyone who needs coverage beyond the browser.
Bottom line: For coffee-shop Wi-Fi and everyday browsing privacy on Windows, Firefox's built-in VPN is one of the easiest free options there is. Just remember it covers the browser and nothing else on your PC.