How to Prevent WebRTC IP Leaks in Browsers

Problem overview

WebRTC (Web Real-Time Communication) is a browser feature that can leak your real, local, and public IP addresses to websites, even if you are actively using a VPN or proxy service.

Common causes

• Default browser behavior designed to prioritize direct peer-to-peer connections
• STUN servers bypassing VPN tunnels to identify your actual IP address
• Lack of built-in WebRTC toggles in Chromium-based browsers

Solution 1: Prevent leaks in Mozilla Firefox

Firefox allows you to disable WebRTC entirely through its advanced configuration menu.

1. Open Firefox, type about:config in the address bar, and press Enter.
2. Click Accept the Risk and Continue.
3. Search for media.peerconnection.enabled.
4. Double-click the preference to change its value to false.
5. WebRTC is now fully disabled in Firefox.

Solution 2: Prevent leaks in Google Chrome

Chrome does not have a native setting to disable WebRTC, so you must use an official extension to control its routing.

1. Open the Chrome Web Store and search for the WebRTC Network Limiter extension (provided by Google).
2. Click Add to Chrome.
3. Click the extension icon in your toolbar and open its Options.
4. Select Use my proxy server (if present) or Only use my proxy server.
5. This prevents Chrome from routing WebRTC traffic outside your VPN tunnel without breaking video calls.

Solution 3: Prevent leaks in Brave Browser

Brave includes built-in privacy shields that can block WebRTC fingerprinting.

1. Open Brave and go to Settings.
2. Click on Shields in the left sidebar.
3. Scroll down to the Fingerprinting blocking option.
4. Select Strict, may break sites to aggressively block WebRTC and other fingerprinting methods.
5. Alternatively, go to Privacy and security > WebRTC IP Handling Policy and select Disable non-proxied UDP.