Microsoft 365 Now Includes a VPN

 Microsoft has quietly updated its Microsoft 365 Personal and Family subscriptions with a free perk. There's now a built-in VPN service available in the Microsoft Defender app on Windows PCs, Macs, iPhones, Android phones, and iPads.

The VPN includes 50 GB of bandwidth per user for secure and anonymous browsing, which resets each month but is only available in four countries. A splash screen in the Microsoft Defender app pitches the VPN as a privacy protection feature. But unless you live in the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, or Canada, you will not see the new Privacy Protection tile in the Defender app. Don't sweat; Microsoft has confirmed in an updated Defender FAQ that it will bring the VPN to other countries over time.

There are legitimate VPNs and so-called VPNs that exist purely to snoop on your internet traffic and steal your data. Thankfully, this debate is unnecessary here because Microsoft is a trusted vendor. It's worth noting that Microsoft's VPN primarily protects your web browsing, given the 50 GB/month bandwidth quota. "If you exceed your data limit, you'll still be able to use privacy protection, however, at a reduced speed of 256 Kbps," Microsoft acknowledges. "On the first day of every calendar month, the usage limit is reset to 50 GB for that month."

A VPN, or a virtual private network, is a special tunnel using encryption and secure protocols to protect your internet traffic from eavesdropping. You'd want to use a VPN to bypass regional restrictions on streaming services, access features unavailable in your country, mask your IP address, and so on. Microsoft's feature is similar to the now-defunct Google One VPN, as something mostly intended for secure browsing on sketchy or locked-down networks.

Microsoft's VPN routes internet traffic through the company's servers in different countries worldwide instead of those from third-party vendors. On the downside, you cannot choose a specific country because the VPN automatically selects the fastest and closest Microsoft server. But most importantly, it cannot bypass geographic and regional-restricted content. To do so, you'll need to use third-party VPNs such as NordVPN or ClearVPN from Readdle.

Actually, Defender's VPN doesn't protect traffic to and from streaming and social media apps. YouTube, TikTok, Netflix, Disney+, Amazon Prime, Facebook Video, Instagram, Snapchat, Spotify, YouTube Music, and WhatsApp all automatically excluded.

The VPN was first released on Android in the United States in September 2021 on the Microsoft Community forum, and another post confirms Microsoft 365 subscriptions came with an Android-only VPN months ago. Microsoft officially announced the feature's expansion in an April 22 follow-up post. It seems like the Windows maker first debuted VPN functionality in a limited fashion, but has only recently begun expanding the feature to all platforms via a staggered rollout.

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