Have you ever gotten a birthday present that you didn't really want? Well, that's the kind of face I'm pulling right now as Microsoft announces that Windows 365 will include a wannabe contender for the best free VPN.
On paper, that's a great add-on to the Windows 365 toolkit, but looking further into the news, it's clear this VPN isn't going to challenge the best VPNs out there, free or not. Still, though, there are some reasons to be cheerful.
In an FAQ on its website, Microsoft confirmed that its Privacy Defender VPN is now available for no extra cost to all Personal and Family Plan subscribers in the US, UK, Canada and Germany.
Compatible with Windows, Mac, Android and iOS, the Defender VPN will be a handy tool for those looking to browse the internet with increased privacy. VPNs let users spoof their IP address to a different location when browsing the web, and Defender VPN does just that. A monthly allowance of 50 GB should be fine for all but the most demanding, and Microsoft has also promised that it does not store your "browsing data, history, personal details or your device's physical location" (although it will collect some limited anonymized data).
However, we have been spoiled by more established VPN providers, and Defender VPN doesn't quite stand up to the premium competition, or even many other free options.
Falling short
For a start, if you are hoping to use Defender VPN as a streaming VPN then I hate to crush your dreams but that simply isn't going to happen. Microsoft has explicitly stated that its VPN will not route your traffic through the VPN when watching Netflix, Disney+, Amazon Prime Video, YouTube, TikTok or Spotify. It won't even work with WhatsApp and social media. If users visit these sites when on the VPN, they will instead connect with their real connection thanks to "Traffic Exclusion".
This is presumably to make sure users don't use up their monthly data allowance too quickly, but if you're serious about using a VPN, it defats the object somewhat.
Microsoft has also explained that if you're looking to choose a specific server to connect to, you should look elsewhere. Instead, the service "automatically chooses the best and usually the closest Microsoft VPN server." That's a shame, especially when the likes of PrivadoVPN and Windscribe offer a choice of servers on their free versions – and Proton VPN's decision to impose a similar restriction on its free plan has largely been seen as a bad one.
Remember, of course, this isn't a truly free service, but an add-on for Microsoft 365 which costs $69.99 a year.
Ultimately, our advice would be that if you have a subscription and just want a VPN to browse the internet securely, then you could do much worse, and it's a good start for Microsoft. However, if you're after anything more it would be better to install a dedicated VPN on your device – even if it is just a quality free option.
