WebRTC Leak Test to Check If Your IP Address Is Exposed

A VPN hides your traffic by routing it through its own servers, but your browser has a side channel that can quietly give the game away. WebRTC, the technology behind browser voice and video calls, needs to discover how your device can be reached, and in doing so it can reveal your real public IP address to any website that asks, VPN or no VPN. The WebRTC Leak Test shows you exactly which addresses your browser is exposing right now.

How WebRTC Can Leak Your Address

For two browsers to talk directly, for a call or a file transfer, each must learn the other's reachable addresses. WebRTC gathers these through a process involving STUN servers, which report back the public address your connection appears from, plus local addresses on your home or office network, such as ones beginning 192.168. These candidate addresses are readable by the web page running the session. That design is useful for calls and harmless on a bare connection, but under a VPN it can become a leak: the VPN tunnel carries your browsing, while WebRTC may still surface the address your internet provider assigned you.

What This Leak Test Shows

• The public IP address or addresses your browser exposes through WebRTC.
• Local network addresses your browser reveals, which identify your device inside your own network.
• A result you can compare directly against the address your VPN claims you have.
• A one-click check with the Run Leak Test button, so you can repeat it after changing any setting.

How to Run the WebRTC Leak Test

1. Connect to your VPN first, if you use one, so the test reflects your real browsing setup.
2. Note the IP address your VPN says you have; the What's My IP tool shows the address ordinary requests see.
3. Click Run Leak Test on this page.
4. Read the addresses the test reports, separating public addresses from local ones like 192.168.x.x.
5. Compare: if the public address matches your VPN, WebRTC is behaving. If it matches your provider's real address, you have a leak.
6. Adjust your browser or VPN settings as described below, then run the test again to confirm the fix.

Reading the Results Sensibly

Not every address on the list is a problem. A local address exposes nothing to the open internet by itself, though it adds a fingerprint detail. The serious finding is your provider's public IP appearing while the VPN is on, because that is the address that identifies your connection and approximate location to any site that asks WebRTC for it. Seeing only the VPN's address, or no public address at all, is the result you want. The companion DNS Leak Tester checks the other classic side channel, since VPN privacy fails through DNS requests almost as often as through WebRTC.

How People End Up Leaking

The typical story is a careful user undone by a default: the VPN is installed and connected, the browser is left exactly as it came, and a site quietly collects the real address through WebRTC. Different browsers and VPN apps handle this differently; some VPNs block the exposure, others leave it to the browser, and browser updates occasionally reset relevant settings. That is why a periodic test is worth more than a one-time fix, and why testing in every browser you actually use matters: the result belongs to the browser, not the computer.

Tips for Closing a Leak

• Check your VPN app first: many include a WebRTC or leak-protection setting that handles this for you.
• Browser settings and extensions: some browsers let you restrict WebRTC's use of non-proxied addresses, and privacy extensions can limit it, at the cost of possibly breaking browser calls.
• Expect trade-offs: disabling WebRTC entirely stops the leak and also stops browser-based voice and video calling, so prefer a restriction over a sledgehammer where possible.
• Retest after every change, including VPN or browser updates, because defaults have a habit of returning.
• Local addresses alone are low risk; focus your worry on a public address that is not your VPN's.

For the wider picture of what your browser reveals, the Browser Fingerprint Audit shows the other signals sites can combine to recognise you.

WebRTC Leak Questions Answered

What exactly is a WebRTC leak?

It is when a website learns your real public IP address through the browser's WebRTC features, despite your traffic otherwise being routed through a VPN or proxy. The leak is a browser behaviour, not a broken VPN tunnel.

Does a leak mean my VPN is faulty?

Not necessarily. The VPN may be encrypting and routing your traffic perfectly while the browser independently reveals the address through WebRTC. It does mean your setup as a whole is not giving you the privacy you expected, so it is worth fixing.

Can websites see my local IP address?

Through WebRTC, a site can learn addresses your device uses on its local network, such as 192.168.1.10. That alone does not locate or identify you on the internet, but it contributes to a browser fingerprint.

Should I just disable WebRTC?

Only if you do not use browser calls. Disabling it completely is effective but breaks legitimate WebRTC services. Most people are better served by a VPN or browser setting that prevents non-VPN addresses from being exposed.

How often should I run this test?

After setting up a VPN, after switching browsers or VPN providers, and occasionally after major browser updates. The test takes seconds, and settings drift is the main enemy.

A Last Look at the WebRTC Leak Test

The WebRTC Leak Test answers a question your VPN's connected indicator cannot: whether your browser is quietly handing your real address to websites anyway. Run it, compare the addresses with your VPN's, and fix the setting if they disagree.