Norton Security has some reliable products, but its VPN isn’t one of them. In my Norton VPN review, I argued that it’s only really worthwhile if you can get a discount on it as part of a Norton 360 package — and even in that case, you should only use it for non-sensitive activities due to some holes in Norton’s comprehensive privacy policy.
That’s a lot of conditions, so I’d understand if you’re here because you’ve decided Norton VPN isn’t for you. Read on to learn your options for cancelling this VPN, getting a refund and replacing it with a better provider.
How to turn off Norton VPN auto-renewal
The simplest way to cancel Norton VPN is to stop your subscription from automatically renewing. That way, you’ll have until your plan expires to look for a new VPN. Note that the steps below are the same no matter how you got Norton VPN, whether on its own or as part of Norton 360 — though they only apply if you subscribed through the Norton website, not an app store.
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Sign into your account at my.norton.com. You’ll be taken to your account dashboard with your subscriptions tab visible. If it’s not, click on My Subscriptions.
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On your subscriptions hub, find the plan you get Norton VPN through. Click the words Manage Renewal or Cancel Subscription Renewal.
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In the window that appears, click Unsubscribe. Select a reason for cancellation (no need to be truthful) and click Next.
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At this point, you’ll have to wade through several pleas for you to stay. Stand firm and keep clicking through until you can click No thanks, cancel my subscription.
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Continue clicking Next until you see a confirmation that auto-renewal has been turned off. Wait 24 hours for the change to take effect.
Sam Chapman for Engadget
If you change your mind after turning auto-renewal off, you can turn it back on again anytime before the subscription expires. For those who bought through an app store, there’s no way to turn off auto-renewal; you can only cancel the subscription altogether. See the end of the next section to learn how to do that.
How to cancel Norton VPN and get a refund
You can request a refund on any annual subscription for 60 days after paying. Monthly subscriptions can only be refunded once, within 14 days of paying — if you renew a monthly plan then decide to cancel, you’re out of luck.
The only way to get a refund is to contact Norton directly. If you’re ready to go cold turkey, follow these steps.
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In a browser, open support.norton.com.
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Scroll down until you see nine buttons arranged in a 3×3 grid. Find the second button down in the left-hand column, Contact us, and click on it.
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Enter the email address for your Norton account. Check that inbox for a verification code, then enter it in the next box and click Verify.
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When the live chat asks you what you need help with, select Purchase & Billing, then Request refund. Give a reason in the dropdown menu.
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As usual, be persistent until you get a message in writing that your refund will be processed. Wait at least three days for the money to appear.
Sam Chapman for Engadget
If you subscribed through the Apple App Store or Google Play Store, you’ll have to cancel through the same platform where you started. Just go into the subscriptions page of the store’s mobile app, find your Norton VPN subscription and click the Cancel button beside it. After that, just follow the prompts, then request a refund using the steps above.
How to uninstall Norton VPN
To get your money back from Norton, you can’t just shut off auto-renewal. You’ll have to cancel your plan immediately and delete all Norton apps from your devices. I recommend following these steps even if you aren’t eligible for a refund, since Norton software is notoriously hard to uninstall and will crop back up if you don’t completely root it out.
On Android and iOS, uninstalling Norton VPN is relatively easy — after cancelling your subscription, delete it like you would any other app. Things are a bit trickier on the desktop OSes. On Windows, hold the Windows key and press R to make a black box appear. Type appwiz.cpl and hit Enter. A list of programs should appear; click on Norton VPN, then click Uninstall/Change and follow the instructions.
On a Mac, open your Applications folder and find Norton VPN. Click the app icon and drag it to the trash. This should start a separate program called Norton Uninstaller. Click OK, enter your password if asked, then click Uninstall. Finally, you’ll need to restart your computer to finish uninstalling.
Norton VPN alternatives
Once you’ve dispensed with Norton VPN, you can get started with a provider that fits your needs better. Proton VPN, my current top pick in our guide to the best VPNs, takes privacy more seriously than Norton and has superior app design and speeds. Surfshark is the fastest VPN, NordVPN has the best features and ExpressVPN is the friendliest for beginners.
