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Cisco AnyConnect Authentication Failed: How to Fix it

7 min. read

Updated onMarch 1, 2024

updated onMarch 1, 2024

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Key notes

Using aVPNis one of the best ways to protect your privacy online, however, manyusersreceived aCisco AnyConnect authentication failedmessage.

As a result, they are denied access to theVPN tool. However undesirable this situation is, tweaking a few settings should restore everything.

It’s worth mentioning that the same error was reported by the users of the following VPN clients:

The causes are, in most cases, similar and refer to either some antivirus settings, VPN settings, or even a corrupt VPN installation. Whatever the cause, take each solution presented below in turn.

Hopefully, you’ll get back access to your VPN tool before reaching the end of this article. So, let’s dig in.

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How do I fix a Cisco AnyConnect login failed?

1. Check your antivirus and firewall

One of the most common causes when getting aVPNauthentication failedmessage is your antivirus or firewall.

The antivirus sometimes blocksVPNclients, detecting them as false positives.

To fix the problem, it’s advised that you check your antivirus settings and make sure to whitelist yourVPNclient. Additionally, you can try disabling certain antivirus features or disable your antivirus altogether.

If that doesn’t solve the problem, try uninstalling your antivirus. If you’re on Windows 10, you’ll be protected byWindows Defendereven if you remove your third-party antivirus, so there’s no need to worry about your safety.

Once you remove your antivirus, check if the problem is still there. If the issue doesn’t appear anymore, it may be time to consider a different antivirus software.

You can find many goodWindows 10 compatible antivirus softwarethat won’t interfere with your VPN. Moreover, many worthwhile tools come with integrated VPNs, so you won’t have to invest in two apps.

2. Disable your firewall

According tousers, sometimesVPNauthentication failedmessage can appear if your firewall is blocking theVPNclient. To fix this problem,userssuggest to temporarily disabling your firewall and checking if that solves your problem.

To disable your third-party firewall, you’ll have to open its settings page and find the disable option.

However, Windows also has its own firewall, and you might need to disable it as well in order to troubleshoot this issue.

After doing that, your firewall will be completely disabled. Bear in mind that disabling the firewall isn’t advised since it can leave your PC at risk.

However, if disabling the firewall fixes the problem with theVPN, the issue is most likely related to your firewall settings, so you’ll need to adjust them accordingly.

3. Try switching to a different VPN client

If other solutions couldn’t fix theVPNauthentication failederror message, perhaps the problem is related to yourVPNclient. If that’s so, it’s advised to switch to a differentVPNclient.

Consider a VPN provider with a large number of servers across the whole globe, because these can generally ensure a good connection at all times, regardless of the specific online activity you engage in.

Another feature to look for when picking your VPN client is the privacy policy. Get a VPN that has transparent rules and is compliant with the regulations applicable in your area.

Thebest VPNs for Windows 10should ensure that there’s no data leakage even if the connection drops, so make sure to look for the kill switch feature as well.

If your firewall orVPNisn’t the problem, perhaps you should check your logincredentials.

It’s possible that you mistyped yourusernameor password, and that might be causing your problem. To fix the issue, be sure todouble-checkyour login information and make sure that it’s completely correct.

Be sure to check for uppercase and lowercase letters since they can be the common problem for login issues.

5. Check the number of connections

ManyVPNclients allow you to have a limited number ofVPNconnections at a time, and if you exceed the number of these connections, you might get theVPNauthentication failedmessage.

To fix the problem, be sure to check all the devices that are using yourVPN.

If you have multiple PCs and phones using the sameVPNservice, try disabling theapp oncertain some of them and check if that solves your problem.

6. Make sure that your service is paid for

If you’re unable to use yourVPNdue to theVPNauthentication failederror message, it’s possible that the problem is caused by unpaid service.

Sometimes, you might forget paying for theVPNservice, and that can lead to this and many other problems. So log in to yourVPNaccountand make sure that your service is paid for.

If everything is in order in terms of payment, you can proceed to the next solution.

7. Change your username and password

If you’re having issues with yourVPNcredentials, try to change them. Even if you’re certain that these are correct, you can try changing them to refresh the connection.

It’s possible that there’s a glitch with yourVPNclient, but you might be able to fix it this way.

8. Reinstall your VPN client

According tousers, sometimes you can encounter aVPNauthentication failedmessage simply because theVPNinstallation is corrupted. So the only workaround is to reinstall the client.

This is fairly simple to do, and the best way to do it is to use uninstaller software first. You can also remove it with Windows Settings, but many users reported that the Windows uninstaller utility leaves behind leftover files.

Uninstaller softwareare specifically configured to find and remove everything related to the app you want to delete. This will ensure that you will be able to seamlessly reinstall your VPN.

Once you remove yourVPNclient completely, install it again and check if the problem is still there.

9. Perform a Clean boot

A clean boot should stop any interference of other applications or processes upon theVPN. So once your PC restarts check if the problem is still there.

If the issue doesn’t reappear, it’s possible that one of the startup applications or services was causing it. To find the cause, you need to enable all disabled applications and services one by one until you manage to recreate the issue.

Bear in mind that you’ll need to restart your PC or at least log out and log back in to apply the changes. Once you find the problematic application or a service, disable it or remove it from your PC.

Although theVPNauthentication failederrorcan be quite problematic, we hope that you managed to solve it by using some of our solutions. In some cases, it might be necessary todownload Cisco AnyConnect on Windows 11again to fix this issue.

We’d like to hear if this article helped. Feel free to drop us a line in the comments below.

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Cisco AnyConnect Authentication Failed: How to Fix it#

How do I fix a Cisco AnyConnect login failed?#

1. Check your antivirus and firewall#

2. Disable your firewall#

3. Try switching to a different VPN client#

4. Check your login credentials#

5. Check the number of connections#

6. Make sure that your service is paid for#

7. Change your username and password#

8. Reinstall your VPN client#

9. Perform a Clean boot#