What Is a WebRTC Leak?
WebRTC (Web Real-Time Communication) is the browser API that powers Google Meet, Zoom in the browser, Discord voice, WhatsApp Web calls, and most screen-sharing tools. To negotiate a peer-to-peer connection, WebRTC needs to know every IP your device has. It does that by asking a STUN server over UDP — and critically, the STUN request can bypass your VPN tunnel unless the VPN is specifically built to catch it. That is the leak: a website with a few lines of WebRTC JavaScript can see your real public and local IP addresses, even when your VPN says you are protected.
This tool runs a STUN query inside your browser (no data leaves your machine) and reports every IP WebRTC exposes — so you know exactly how much privacy your setup is really giving you.
Why WebRTC Leaks Even With a VPN On
A regular VPN reroutes your browser's HTTP and DNS traffic through an encrypted tunnel. WebRTC uses a different channel: direct UDP to a STUN server. Unless the VPN intercepts that UDP traffic specifically, your real IPs slip through. This is why not every VPN is equal — the good ones (Mullvad, ProtonVPN, NordVPN, ExpressVPN) catch WebRTC; many cheap or free VPNs do not.
The practical fix is either (a) pick a VPN that blocks WebRTC at the app or tunnel level, or (b) disable WebRTC in the browser. Disabling is a bigger trade-off than most guides admit: it also breaks every browser-based video call.
Seeing a .local Address? That Is Not a Leak
Since Chrome 76 (mid-2019) and on recent versions of Safari, your local IP is replaced by a hashed string like a1b2c3d4-e5f6-7890-abcd-ef1234567890.local. This mDNS ICE candidate is a privacy feature, not a leak — the hash rotates and cannot be resolved outside your local network. If that is the only thing in the Local IPs field, your browser is doing the right thing.
Read the Full Guide
For a deeper walkthrough with screenshots, a fix video, and browser-by-browser troubleshooting, see our full article: What Is a WebRTC Leak and How to Fix It.