Opera is the only web browser that offers a VPN feature built inside the browser itself. This way you do not have to install any VPN software in your computer and use access the internet from behind a VPN server without making any extra effort. The only drawback of this is that the VPN is available only for the Opera web browser and the rest of applications still access the internet directly.
Until now the Opera web browser had been providing the VPN services using SurfEasy VPN. But after the recent purchase of SurfEasy VPN company by Symantec Corporation, Opera has decided to stop using SurfEasy and instead use their own VPN servers. Another change in the newer versions of the Opera web browser is that it bypasses the default search engines when you enable the VPN. This means that all the search engines are accessed without using the VPN even when the VPN is enabled.
You can disable VPN from bypassing the search engines in Opera web browser easily. Here is how:
- Press the Alt+P hotkey in Opera web browser to open the settings.
- In the settings, select the Privacy and Security section.
- Enable the VPN by selecting the Enable VPN checkbox.
- Now uncheck the checkbox labeled Bypass VPN for default search engines.
After this when you access any of the search engines in the Opera web browser they will be accessed via the VPN server. You can tell by looking at the blue colored VPN tag in the address bar of the Opera tab. If they are not being accessed through the VPN servers, then you will see a greyed out VPN tag instead.
Remember to: “Uncheck the checkbox labeled Bypass VPN for default search engines”
Otherwise, the other VPN settings are almost pointless by choosing this option.
VPN = YES
VPN Override search engine = NO NO
Thats all fairly obvious. We want to know WHY someone would choose to split off VPN for search engines?
Because search engines give location specific results. For example, if you search for “best pizza” it will display best pizza places based on your location determined from your IP address.