FAQ
Introduction to BrightVPN
How can BrightVPN be free? Who is paying?
Bright Data (Bright VPN’s parent company) is paying. Bright Data collects publicly available web data (e.g. product prices, flight information, online ads). Bright Data’s customers are major banks, universities, social networks, e-commerce websites, and many brands you know. Your Internet connection is used only occasionally, not all the time!
Why does Bright Data agree to sponsor my VPN?
Companies need publicly available information (e.g. product prices) for detailed research and financial analysis. But when they use their own IP address to browse the Internet, they can get inaccurate data.
When you install Bright VPN, you allow Bright Data to get this public web data from your IP address, and this ensures complete and accurate data.
Here are some examples of how Bright Data helps companies:
- To protect their brand: Are websites selling fake versions of my product?
- To protect their users: Are advertisers showing ads for products they don’t allow (e.g. firearms)?
- To offer the best prices: What are the real prices?
Bright Data collects this publicly available web information, which helps companies expand their databases and improve their products, services, and prices.
What is BrightVPN?
It’s a VPN that is just as good as the best paid, subscription based VPNs – but it is completely free to you because Bright Data pays for it.
Why should I use BrightVPN?
- You get the best VPN that lets you access any website in any country, on any device
- You save at least $100 per year because Bright VPN is free for you
- You help major companies fight Internet fraud
- You help consumers like you get the best prices online
- You help universities and researchers get high quality data
Who owns BrightVPN?
Bright VPN is owned by Bright Data. For more information, see the Bright Data site.
Bright Data is owned by EMK – a leading, regulated private equity fund based in the UK.
What kind of web data does Bright Data collect?
Bright Data collects the same web content that a normal user would see when visiting a website in anonymous mode (i.e. without logging in). For example:
- The average rating score of a product on an e-commerce website
- The price of an airline ticket from London to New York on an airline’s website
- The text of an ad on a social network
- Search results for a specific query (e.g. “best pizza in town”)
- More use cases
Can I see and control which sites are accessed from my PC?
Yes! You can see exactly which sites are accessed. Most of these are sites that you know and use for online shopping, travel, search etc.
You can block specific sites if you want.
To see which sites are accessed and/or block access to them:
- Open Bright VPN app, then click the menu
- Select ‘Data usage rules’
- Then select ‘Sites’
Can I choose which kind of data may be collected using my IP?
Almost. Bright Data can’t tell you exactly the type of data, but can display the type of company that would be interested in it (e.g. Bank, University). You can disable web data collection for specific types in the app’s settings menu.
Note that you need to allow at least 3 types – after all, this is what pays for your VPN!
To see which type of web data may be collected and/or block:
- Open Bright VPN app
- Click the menu
- Select ‘Data usage rules’
- Then select ‘Use cases’
Can I control when my device will be used?
Yes! You can control time frames, resource usage limits, and more from the app’s settings menu.
To control when the device will be used:
- Open Bright VPN app
- Click the menu
- Select ‘Data usage rules’
- Then select ‘Scheduling’
What if I don’t want to allow Bright Data to use my network?
- You can control when your device will be used
- You can exit Bright VPN by right-clicking Bright VPN icon in Windows System Tray
- To exit the Bright Data task, right-click Bright Data task icon in Windows System Tray. Note: This background service is what lets you use Bright VPN for free. You cannot use Bright VPN when it’s off.
- To completely opt out, simply uninstall Bright VPN.
Is there a paid version of BrightVPN that does not include Bright Data?
No. Bright VPN was designed from the ground up to be as good as the best paid VPNs on the market, but 100% free while protecting your privacy. If you prefer a traditional paid VPN, we recommend subscribing to another VPN.
Can I only use the browser extension?
No, you need to have the Bright VPN desktop app installed on your computer as well. The app is required to create a secure, encrypted VPN tunnel. The extension is just a ‘remote control’ that lets you configure the desktop app from your browser.
Will Bright VPN slow down my Internet?
No. The Internet connection may only be used when the device is not busy with other tasks. Bright VPN carefully protects device resources and ensures that traffic is only sent by using the device’s available resources without significantly impacting the device’s operation.
How much traffic will Bright Data use?
It depends on your Internet connection speed, your country, and other factors – but in general, BrightData only downloads traffic that is equivalent to a few minutes of Netflix or YouTube viewing per day. In any case, remember that any data access will take place only when the computer is not loaded, so it will never slow anything down.
Does Bright Data use any space on my hard drive?
No, except for the actual Bright VPN application that you installed (about 170 MB).
How much CPU does Bright Data use on my PC?
Very little. And even that happens only when your PC is not loaded. In fact, you will never feel it running. You will never see 100% CPU or experience any slowdown in your apps!
Can I use BrightVPN for my business?
Bright VPN is for private, non-commercial use. If you are looking for a robust business proxy service please check Bright Data service and receive a free trial. Your subscription to Bright Data will grant you with:
- Automation: a developer API that allows controlling the routing of your HTTP/S requests via software
- Allow many concurrent sessions
- High bandwidth/high request rate with multiple IPs
- More precise IP resolution
- Access to 70+ million IPs all around the world
- Geo-targeting options – country, city, ASN, carrier
- Faster changing of IP
- Engineering technical support
Do I have to use a browser extension?
No. The browser (Chrome, Microsoft Edge, Firefox, and Opera) extensions are optional tools that provides an easy way to change your location from the browser. It is kind of a “remote control” for the desktop app.
You can enjoy Bright VPN using only the desktop application.
Which security protocols does BrightVPN support?
Protect PC mode IKEv2:AES256/SHA1/MODP2048.
My antivirus software is marking some files related to BrightVPN as unsafe, are they?
This is a false positive report. The file it’s catching is part of the Bright VPN smart cache (you can mark it as safe, don’t delete them). We are working with the top antivirus vendors to get Bright VPN completely whitelisted, so that these types of false positives don’t disturb our users. You can also report it to our Support team.
We take great care to make sure Bright VPN is secure, Bright VPN code is audited every 3 months by external auditors and tested daily on multiple anti-virus platforms in order to ensure there are no false-positive detections.
Please see the attached document to see how Bright VPN complies with multiple security company requirements.
Is Bright VPN safe?
Bright VPN is safe and 100% free to install and use software. Bright VPN is owned by Bright Data, a leading company in the Data and Proxy industry, Bright Data was established in 2014.
We take great care to make sure Bright VPN is secure, Bright VPN code is audited every 3 months by external auditors and tested daily on multiple anti-virus platforms in order to ensure there are no false-positive detections.
Please see the attached document to see how Bright VPN complies with multiple security company requirements.
Why does Kaspersky list a warning?
Proxy
technology.
Kaspersky lists this as Not-a-virus
and that it does not pose a threat.
“If a user has installed such a program on his/her computer, or if it was installed by a system administrator, then it does not pose any threat.”
Find more info on Kaspersky siteIs BitTorrent supported?
The use of BitTorrent on our network is not allowed, and we are blocking BitTorrent traffic.
Bright VPN prohibits its users from violating copyright laws. This is
clearly stated to our users in our end user license agreement (EULA).
Could the BrightVPN network be used by criminals to hide their identity?
Like other commercial networks, Bright VPN is a managed and supervised network and thus any illegal activity such as CP would be reported to the authorities with the user’s real IP. Criminals will typically not use a commercial service, because their identities are at the hands of that commercial entity.
Reporting vulnerability
I have feedback or an idea for BrightVPN
We love to hear your feedback and ideas. Email our Support team.
What platforms are supported?
Currently, Bright VPN works on Windows. Mac and mobile versions will be released soon.
What is perr.brightvpn.com permission?
perr.brightvpn.com permission is used for the browser’s extension, it collects install and user-experience statistics, e.g button click or country selected.
We use this anonymous information to improve the service provided and extension usability.
We remove those statistics after 6 days.
Something went wrong
Handle VPN connection error 31
- Open Device Manager
- Find Network Adapters
- Uninstall WAN Miniport drivers (IKEv2, L2TP, IP, IPv6, etc)
- Click Scan for hardware changes icon
- The adapters you uninstalled will be installed again
Handle VPN connection error 87
- Open Device Manager
- Find Network Adapters
- Uninstall WAN Miniport drivers (IKEv2, L2TP, IP, IPv6, etc)
- Click Scan for hardware changes icon
- The adapters you uninstalled will be installed again
Handle VPN connection error 633
- Open command prompt (cmd)
- Type: rasdial /disconnect
- Click Enter
- Open Task manager and end those processes:
- Bright VPN
- rasdial
- Try to connect, if it does not work restart your computer
Handle VPN connection error 628
To fix ‘Something went wrong’ VPN error 628, try the following steps:
- Open command prompt (cmd)
- Type: rasdial /disconnect
- Click Enter
- Open Task manager and end those processes:
- Bright VPN
- rasdial
- Try to connect, if it does not work restart your
computer
Return to Bright VPN and try to connect.
Need help? Email [email protected]
Handle VPN connection error 638
Handle VPN connection error 711
- Click Start
- Type Services and click it
- In the Services window search for Telephony
- Make sure it’s Enabled, Running and set to Automatic
- Do the same for Remote Access Connection Manager and Remote Access Auto Connection Manager
- Look for Network Location Awareness
- Make sure it’s Enabled, Running and set to Automatic
- Return to Bright VPN app and try to connect, if it does not work proceed with the following services, make sure they are Enabled, Running and set to Automatic
Handle VPN connection error 720
- Open Device Manager
- Find Network Adapters
- Uninstall WAN Miniport drivers (IKEv2, L2TP, IP, IPv6, etc)
- Click Scan for hardware changes icon
- The adapters you uninstalled will be installed again
Handle VPN connection error 756
- Open command prompt (cmd)
- Type: rasdial /disconnect
- Click Enter
- Open Task manager and end those processes:
- Bright VPN
- rasdial
- Try to connect, if it does not work restart your computer
Handle VPN connection error 809
- Whitelist Bright VPN on your antivirus or firewall. Then try to connect
- Connect to a regular WiFi or lan network, mobile hotspot sometimes block VPN traffic
- Some programs like PeerBlock and PeerGuardian may cause troubles to the connection, make sure they are not active while connecting
- Update Firewall settings:
- Enable parameters: IPsec/VPN/PPTP/L2TP
- Disable IP Packet Fragmentation related settings
- Make sure you are using the latest Microsoft .NET Framework
Handle VPN connection error 868
- Open command prompt (cmd)
- Type: ipconfig /flushdns
Handle VPN connection error 1058
This error occurs because IPSec services are disabled or not running.
To fix ‘Something went wrong’ VPN error 1058, try the following steps:
- Click Start
- Type services and hit Enter
- In the Services window search for IKE and Authip IPsec keying modules
- Make sure it’s Enabled, Running and set to Automatic start
- Do the same for IPsec Policy Agent service
Return to Bright VPN and try to connect.
Need help? Email [email protected]
Handle VPN connection error 1062
- Click Start
- Type services and hit Enter
- In the Services, look for the following for those service, make sure they are Enabled, Running and set to Automatic:
- CNG Key Isolation
- Remote Access Connection Manager
- Secure Socket Tunneling Protocol Service
- Network Store Interface Service
- DHCP Client
- Make sure it’s start
Handle VPN connection error 1068
- Click Start
- Type Services and click it
- In the Services window search for Telephony
- Make sure it’s Enabled, Running and set to Automatic
- Do the same for Remote Access Connection Manager
- Look for Network Location Awareness
- Make sure it’s Enabled, Running and set to Automatic
- Return to Bright VPN app and try to connect, if it does not work proceed with the following services, make sure they are Enabled, Running and set to Automatic:
- Remote Procedure Call
- Network Connections
Handle VPN connection error 1931
- Click Start
- Type services and hit Enter
- In the Services window search for IKE and Authip IPsec keying modules
- Make sure it’s Enabled, Running and set to Automatic start
- Do the same for IPsec Policy Agent service
Handle VPN connection error 13801
- Go to Sectigo Certificates page
- Scroll down to Root Certificates section
- Click on Download link next to SHA-2 Root : USERTrust RSA Certificate Authority
- Download the certificate
- Open the downloaded certificate
- Tap on Install Certificate button
- On the Welcome window, select Store Location: Local Machine and click Next
- Choose Automatically select the certificate store and click Next
- Click Finish
Handle VPN connection error 13843
Similar to VPN error 13843, to fix ‘Something went wrong’ VPN error 13843, try the following steps:
- Open Device Manager
- Find Network Adapters
- Uninstall WAN Miniport drivers (IKEv2, L2TP, IP, IPv6, etc)
- Click Scan for hardware changes icon
- The adapters you uninstalled will be installed again
Return to Bright VPN and try to connect.
Need help? Email [email protected]
Handle VPN connection error 13849
- Go to Sectigo Certificates page
- Scroll down to Root Certificates section
- Click on Download link next to SHA-2 Root : USERTrust RSA Certificate Authority
- Download the certificate
- Open the downloaded certificate
- Tap on Install Certificate button
- On the Welcome window, select Store Location: Local Machine and click Next
- Choose Automatically select the certificate store and click Next
- Click Finish
Handle VPN connection error 0
If none of the above solutions recovered the connection, contact us at [email protected]
Bright VPN is not available in your country
This message means Bright VPN service is currently not offered in your region.
If you believe this message is wrong, contact [email protected]
Uninstall instructions.
General Troubleshooting
I can’t install the BrightVPN Desktop app on my PC
Try the following:
- Your antivirus or firewall might be blocking Bright VPN installation. You can try to temporarily disable them (at your risk) and re-try to install Bright VPN, to see if that fixes the problem.
- On WinXP: Verify that you have service pack 3 installed
- Ensure that your browser is up to date
- Restart your computer
- Make sure Bright VPN is not already installed on your PC
If nothing is the above step work, contact us.
BrightVPN is on, but I still can’t access the webpage I want to access. What should I do? | VPN troubleshooting
Try each of these methods separately:
- On Bright VPN app or Browser extension, select the country you need
- Go to the website you want to access
- If the website does not work, turn Bright VPN off and then on again
- Try forcing the website to reload by pressing the CTRL and F5 (or click SHIFT + refresh button on your Web Browser)
- Clear your browser’s cache, including the cookies (typically under ‘Settings’ > ‘Privacy’ or keyboard shortcut CTRL + SHIFT + DELETE)
- Close the browser, reopen it, and try again to load the site
- Disable other extensions to check if any of them is causing the problem
- Uninstall Bright VPN from the browser. Then, go to Bright VPN’s site and click ‘Get BrightVPN’
- Disable other VPS (Virtual Private Server), proxy software, or other software that might conflict with Bright VPN, such as IE tab, Avast WebRep, Flash Blocker, and NoScript.
- Test your Bright VPN by going to brightvpn.com/whats-my-ip. It should show the country from which you are browsing. Open Bright VPN app (or control it from the browser extension
- Under ‘Select Country’ select United States, or any other country.
- The whatsmyip page will refresh and should show that the country from which you are browsing is United States, or the country you selected. If it does not, proceed with the steps below.
- Ensure that you have the latest version of your browser
- Disable your antivirus or firewall (at your risk) to see if they are causing the problem
- If you still have problems email us with screenshots and a short description of the problem
I get this message: ‘There seems to be an error – Reload BrightVPN’. What should I do? | Reload BrightVPN
You could be receiving this message either because you are behind a corporate firewall through which Bright VPN cannot pass, or because the Bright VPN system is down. Alternatively, this message can result from some other problem that we are not able to reach. If you are behind a firewall (e.g. at work), try connecting to a different network (different WiFi for example), or outside work. Otherwise, try the following:
- Disable and enable the Bright VPN, and try again
- If that does not work, clear your browser’s cache, including the cookies (typically under ‘Settings’ > ‘Privacy’ or keyboard shortcut CTRL + SHIFT + DELETE)
- Close all of your browsers, re-open, and try again to use Bright VPN
- Uninstall Bright VPN (remove software), and re-install Bright VPN from BrightVPN’s site
How do I keep BrightVPN’s version updated to the latest version?
We update Bright VPN often with bug fixes and new features. We keep your version of Bright VPN automatically updated. You can reinstall Bright VPN from Bright VPN’s site.
Which information should I provide to BrightVPN when reporting a problem?
If you have gone through the above ‘Something went wrong‘ VPN error code and still facing problems, contact our support team, and include as much of the following information as you can:
- The Operating System: e.g. Windows (XP, Vista, 7, 8, 10), Android, Mac (OS X version
- Screenshots of the problem of the app with the error code
- A brief description of the problem
- Name of the Antivirus or Firewall you are using
- The type of network your computer is on: Personal (like your Home) or Corporate (like your work or University)
Other VPN or Proxy applications you are using/running - Which website(s) are you having problems with?
Note: Many times resetting your computer and ensuring that you have internet connectivity will solve your problem.
How to access sites in Incognito?
Bright VPN is a full VPN services, meaning all your Internet traffic is secure and encrypted regardless of the browser.
You can allow Bright VPN browser extension in incognito as follows:
- Open Bright VPN extension from the browser’s extension page
- Enable “Allow in incognito”
How to I uninstall BrightVPN?
- Go to Control Panel
- Select Programs and Features
- Select Bright VPN, and hit uninstall
How can I fix ‘Failed to connect’ in BrightVPN?
- Press WIN + R and type
services.msc
in the opened dialog, then click ‘OK’ - ‘Services’ control panel should be started.
- Locate and right-click ‘Remote Access Auto Connection Manager’ in the right pane of ‘Services’
- Click on ‘Properties’
- Select ‘Manual’ from ‘Startup type’ and click ‘OK’
- Next, locate and right-click ‘Remote Access Connection Manager’ in the right pane of ‘Services’
- Click on ‘Properties’
- Select ‘Manual’ from ‘Startup type’ and click ‘OK’
- Next, locate and right-click ‘Telephony’ in the right pane of ‘Services’
- Click on ‘Properties’
- Select ‘Manual’ from ‘Startup type’ and click ‘OK’
I think my BrightVPN connection is slow. What can I do?
Here are a few tips to improve your Bright VPN speed:
- If you don’t need a specific country, connect to the country that is closest to you
- Connect with wired LAN – it is always faster than WiFi
- Reboot your device to clear networking settings that were maybe cached
When I connect to some sites, they warn me of suspicious activity. Why?
Many websites keep track of their visitor’s IP addresses. When you connect to Bright VPN, your public IP address changes from your regular IP address to a different IP address. Some sites may display a message or send you an email saying that an unusual login was detected.
The reason for these warnings are usually the rapid change in IP address that happens when you use a VPN. For example, if your home country is India, you usually connect to the website (without VPN) from an India IP address. If you visit the same site after connecting to a USA VPN server, the site will suddenly see you connecting from the USA and consider it suspicious.
Can I use BrightVPN together with another VPN service?
Using two VPN services at the same time can cause unexpected behavior. If you’d like to use two VPN services, simply quit one of them while using the other.
When I’m using BrightVPN, do I still need to register as a user or pay the website I’m watching?
Yes, you still need to register and pay for sites that require registration and payment, even when using Bright VPN. In addition, you must always comply with the site’s terms of use.
Can I run BrightVPN on a virtual machine? Can I run it on both the host and guest systems simultaneously?
Yes, Bright VPN works on Windows, even if running under a Virtual Machine such as VMWare. However, you should close the Bright VPN client on the host system before you open the virtual machine, and never try to run Bright VPN on both the host and guest operating systems at once.
How can I get technical support?
To contact our support team, email us.
Privacy
Do you know who I am?
No.
We don’t know your name and you don’t even need an email address to use Bright VPN!
Can BrightVPN see my personal data?
NO. We don’t need or want your data.
Bright Data only uses only the Internet connection. We don’t see, collect or send any personal data, ever. Bright Data is compliant with GDPR and CCPA.
Can Bright Data see my browsing data?
No!
Bright Data does not rely on your browsing data at all, and doesn’t see it.
When Bright Data collects public web data from a website, it sends its own request. The request to the website looks like a completely new, anonymous, not logged in user visiting the website for the first time from your internet-connected device.
Do companies know who I am?
No!
Bright Data customers just send a request to Bright Data’s Secure Cloud. The request is then sent via your PC and goes back to the customer via Secure Cloud. The customer does not know anything about who or where the response came from – not even your IP address. They only know that it came from somewhere in your country.
Is BrightVPN GDPR/CCPA compliant?
Bright Data is fully committed to complying with all relevant data protection legal requirements, including the new EU data protection regulatory framework – the General Data Protection Regulation (“GDPR”) and the California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018 (“CCPA”).
As an enthusiastic advocate of internet security and privacy, Bright Data understands the importance of providing data subjects with greater control on their privacy and data. Therefore, we have taken considerable efforts to ensure that our privacy practices comply with data protection laws, including the GDPR and CCPA, and the industry’s best practices regarding, among other things, respecting data subjects’ requests to exercise their rights.
We are constantly reviewing applicable legal developments as well as the relevant provisions of the GDPR and CCPA, to develop tools for our customers’ privacy-compliant use of our services.