Browser won't reset location after using VPN

February 6, 2016 3:33 AM

I'm working overseas in Country B and sometimes have to VPN back to Country A. When I'm doing that sometimes I'm careless and I open another browser tab for surfing, or forget to disconnect from VPN afterwards. And now google, and other sites insist I'm still in Country A, and not country B. How do I fix this and prevent it from happening again?

I use Firefox, and I have AdBlock and Ghostery enabled if that matters.
Clearing out my cookies hasn't worked. Using 'Precise Location' on Google doesn't work. Telling Google to 'Use Google.com' only works for that tab, open a new tab and it's right back to Country A. And it doesn't seem to 'relearn' to go to the Country B the way it learned to go to Country A in the first place.

posted by Caravantea to Computers & Internet (5 answers total)

This isn't really what you're looking for, but I solve this by using two browsers. Firefox is always in one country, while Chrome is in another. You could do the same by browsing incognito in either.
posted by Trifling at 4:19 AM on February 6, 2016 [2 favorites]

I'd imagine it's cookie based. Clearing cookies and/or closing and re-opening the browser could do the trick.

Trifling's suggestion of using two browsers is an excellent one.
posted by colin_l at 7:27 AM on February 6, 2016

Does the problem go away if you open a Firefox window with private browsing? (Aka "porn mode".) If so, it's almost certainly a cookie or cookie-like thing. One option is to use multiple profiles, one on the VPN and one not. That's quite a nuisance though.
posted by Nelson at 8:22 AM on February 6, 2016

Have you tried flushing the DNS?
posted by bluecore at 10:11 AM on February 6, 2016 [1 favorite]

Have you tried flushing the DNS?

^ This usually works. (How-to.)
posted by 0cm at 12:52 PM on February 6, 2016