Have you ever received a birthday present that you didn't really want, and now that Microsoft has announced that they are adding the best free VPN to Windows 365, I have that look on my face.

On paper, it's a great add-on to the Windows 365 toolkit, but a closer look at the news makes it clear that this VPN, free or not, is no challenge to the best VPNs. However, there are still several reasons to rejoice.

In a FAQ on its website, Microsoft confirmed that Privacy Defender VPN is now available at no additional charge to all personal and family plan subscribers in the US, UK, Canada, and Germany.

Compatible with Windows, Mac, Android, and iOS, Defender VPN will be a useful tool for those who want to browse the Internet with increased privacy, although VPNs let users spoof their IP address elsewhere when browsing the web, Defender VPN does just that. Microsoft also promises that it will not store "browsing data, history, personal information, or the physical location of the device" (although limited anonymized data will be collected).

However, we are spoiled by more established VPN providers, and Defender VPN is completely outclassed by premium competitors or even many other free options.

First, if you want to use Defender VPN as a streaming VPN, I'm sorry to shatter your dreams, but it's not going to happen. Microsoft has made it clear that when you watch Netflix, Disney+, Amazon Prime Video, YouTube, TikTok, Spotify, the VPN will not route your traffic through the VPN, even WhatsApp and social media. It doesn't work; if you access these sites while using the VPN, the "traffic exclusion" will connect you with the actual connection.

This is presumably to prevent users from using up their monthly data allowance too quickly, which somewhat defeats the purpose if they are serious about using a VPN.

Microsoft also explains that if you want to pick a particular server to connect to, you should look elsewhere. Instead, the service "automatically selects the best and usually closest Microsoft VPN server." This is especially unfortunate when services like PrivadoVPN and Windscribe allow you to choose a server even for the free version - and Proton VPN's decision to impose similar restrictions on free plans is largely viewed as a bad one.

Of course, one must remember that this is not really a free service, but an add-on to Microsoft 365 for $69.99 per year.

After all, if you have a subscription and just want a VPN to browse the Internet securely, you could do worse. But if you want more than that, you're better off installing a dedicated VPN on your device - even if it's a quality free option.