Arch Linux

SapientiaeStudiosus

Member

Registered: 2026-01-09

Posts: 2

[SOLVED] VPN connection drops

Hello everyone, this is my first post to the forum.

I have noticed an issue with some VPNs not installed via pacman, either downloaded via the AUR or installed manually. To be specific, I am talking about MullvadVPN and ExpressVPN. They work fine but only for some time, before requiring to be disconnected and reconnect again, due to DNS issues. After some investigations, I have concluded that they both edit /etc/resolv.conf, which on my system is also handled by NetworkManager (which I use along with systemd-resolved). After some time, NetworkManager updates the file with a dns that differs from the one used by the VPN, and this causes the connection loss. I am pretty sure this is what happens because: 1) I have watched happening; 2) if I use the wireguard/openvpn file provided by the VPN provider, there are no issues; 3) another VPN (ProtonVPN) installed via pacman (either cli or gui) has no issue whatsoever.

My question is. Am I doing something wrong with my settings? Or is the problem with the VPN provider/app? So far, the only solution I managed to find online was to edit the network configuration to essentially stop NetworkManager from editing /etc/resolv.conf, but I don't think this is the best way, because ProtonVPN works without issues.

Any idea? If a solution was already posted somewhere, can you point me to it?

Thank you.

Last edited by SapientiaeStudiosus (2026-02-15 10:00:12)

d_fajardo

Member

Registered: 2017-07-28

Posts: 1,686

Re: [SOLVED] VPN connection drops

Have you had a look at the Mullvad page? Might have ponts there that can help.
https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Mullvad

SapientiaeStudiosus

Member

Registered: 2026-01-09

Posts: 2

Re: [SOLVED] VPN connection drops

It turns out the solution was easier than I thought. The point is apparently that the by default /etc/resolv.conf is a file rather than a symlink, which will work every time except when using a third-party VPN, apparently. So, as per the Arch Wiki, it suffices to set it to a symlink, which apparently solves the issue with MullvadVPN, and I expect also with other VPNs, although I cannot verify this claim at the moment.. I just wonder why the recommended operating configuration is not the default one, but that's another story.