How to set up and use OpenVPN Connect
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The easiest way to connect to any VPN is to use its own apps. There’s no hard setup required, or complicated setups to think about – you can usually just install and go.
But custom apps may also have problems. Clumsy interfaces, annoying notifications, missing key features, and hardly any settings – there are some terrible products out there.
You may not have to live with this, as applying a VPN provider is not necessarily your only option. If your VPN supports the OpenVPN protocol, there’s a good chance you can also use the service with OpenVPN’s free OpenVPN Connect client.
Most VPNs already use OpenVPN to make and manage connections (in Windows, search client folders for OpenVPN.exe), so you’re unlikely to have any compatibility issues; Set it up and you’ll be ready to use the service in minutes.
This will not work for everyone. Switching to OpenVPN will likely mean that you will lose access to any advanced service add-ons. If your provider supports ad blocking, Tor over VPN or a multi-step VPN (connect to one VPN server, log out of another), for example, these features may disappear if you switch to another client.
But on the plus side, you get a solid set of basic features. On Windows, for example, there’s a “Seamless Tunnel” (which attempts to keep the VPN tunnel active when it pauses, resumes, or reconnects), automatic reconnection when your machine starts up, IPv6 control, TCP or UDP connections, and a backup option for DNS, and more.
Since OpenVPN Connect is not tied to a specific VPN provider, you can import server profiles from anywhere. If you sign up with two VPNs, or want to use one commercial service and one that’s free, no problem – your server list can include sites from anywhere you want.
Not sure? You can generally install OpenVPN Connect and your provider’s client on the same system, without conflicts. Try your provider’s client for one session, OpenVPN for the next, and see which one you prefer.
However, you will still need a VPN provider, so users in the market for a VPN service should check out our list of the best VPNs.
It won’t take long to get started. Most users should have OpenVPN up and running within 30 minutes, and it often takes less time than this.
Image credit: ExpressVPN (Image credit: ExpressVPN)
configuration files
OpenVPN Connect is a powerful package, but it won’t be able to connect to your VPN until it contains all the necessary configuration files, the settings that define how each connection works. Some providers make it hard to find, others require you to create it manually, and some don’t give you anything at all, so we recommend checking your VPN’s location before you do anything else.
The best VPN providers have OpenVPN setup tutorials that not only mention the configuration files but also show you how to use them. Good examples include ExpressVPN, IPVanish, IVPN, NordVPN, and VyprVPN.
Others may not have any setup guides, but still provide files for those who need to use them. Look on the support pages for references to OpenVPN or OVPN files.
Some services hide files away in the Web Management Console. If you created an account with a VPN provider, log in and browse the pages for OpenVPN setup files or tools to create them.
When done, check the downloaded files and decompress any archives. You are looking for multiple OVPN files, one for each server you wish to access. There may be other files as well, but as long as you have the OVPN data, you should be ready for the next step.
Image credit: OpenVPN (Image credit: OpenVPN)
first steps
The latest version of OpenVPN Connect is always available on the official website. Go to the VPN server resource page, click Connect, and you will find links that explain how to connect on Windows, macOS, Android, iOS, and Linux.
The Windows page contains links to OpenVPN Connect, the older OpenVPN GUI and a few other alternative clients.
At the time of writing, the page has links to the current version of OpenVPN Connect 2.7, and the beta version of OpenVPN Connect 3. We’re covering the beta here, so get the 32-bit or 64-bit version, depending on your Windows build. If you are not sure which version you need, try 64-bit first. If I am wrong, it will not harm your system, and the installer will not work.
Although we will be discussing Windows, the application works the same way with other operating systems. Check out the Android version and the iOS version for more.
Starting the installer displays a very standard setup wizard. Agree to the license, accept the default settings unless you need to do otherwise, and click “Install” to complete the process.
Image credit: OpenVPN (Image credit: OpenVPN)
Import VPN Profiles
Launch OpenVPN Connect and it will prompt you to import a profile containing information on the server you want to use (server name, username, password, and possibly port).
The opening screen asks if you want to import data directly from OpenVPN Access Server. This is something a company might use to simplify managing their server, for example, but it’s not relevant to the average user.
Click “Import from file” instead, then click “Browse” and choose one of the OVPN configuration files you downloaded earlier. If everything is OK, OpenVPN Connect displays a message telling you that the profile was imported successfully.
OpenVPN Connect gives the profile a title based on your IP address and profile name. This is often under-read – our first address was ‘198.50.134.146 [vpnbook-ovh-udp53-Canada]— but you can freely edit this to make it simpler (“Canada,” “Montreal,” “VPNBook: Montreal,” whatever you like.)
At a minimum, you must also enter the username that you will need to log into this server. Some VPN providers generate a random username when you sign up, others accept your email address, but your provider’s support pages should tell you more.
Check the “Save Password” box and you can optionally enter the password and save it to the profile. This means that you won’t have to enter it every time you log in, but of course it’s also less secure, as anyone with access to the device will be able to use your VPN.
Once you have entered all the details you need, click on Add to import the profile.
If your provider profiles have a certificate attached to them, you can import them as well, by clicking the menu button at the top left and selecting Import Certificates.
And that’s it, your first profile is imported and hopefully it’s ready to go. But you probably want to add more, so click the orange “+” button (or Menu > Import Profile) to import several other profiles you intend to use.
Image credit: OpenVPN (Image credit: OpenVPN)
Connection
When you add profiles, they appear in a simple list on the OpenVPN Server Access Profiles page. Click on the profile name, you will be prompted for your password (unless you saved it in the profile), and the customer should be connected within a few seconds.
OpenVPN Connect’s simple but good-looking interface plots incoming and outgoing data on a real-time connection stats graph. It’s not the main component you need from a VPN client, but it at least assures that the system is working as it should.
To check connectivity, point your browser to IPLocation.net as well. The site will display your new IP address and tell you where it thinks it is.
When you have finished testing the profile, click on the name of the profile to disconnect. By default, OpenVPN displays the message “Are you sure?” To reduce the chance of an accidental disconnect, but if that sounds like a hassle, checking the Don’t Show Again box ensures that you won’t see them in the future.
If you want to switch to another profile, click on that profile name instead, and OpenVPN will automatically close the first connection, then start a new one.
Usually, this all works fine, the first time, without you having to do anything else. But if you run into problems – the server won’t connect, for example – clicking the log icon at the top right of the screen brings up a log of all recent connection events.
This is very technical and even experienced users won’t necessarily understand much of it, but take a look anyway. Errors are flagged, so if there’s an authentication issue or other major issue, it’s generally easy to spot.
Image credit: OpenVPN (Image credit: OpenVPN)
Settings
OpenVPN Connect generally works well out of the box, but it also has some useful settings (Menu > Settings) that you may want to explore.
The client usually waits 1 minute to connect to the server, for example. If you know the server is connecting normally within a few seconds, or not at all, this is probably a bad idea. The Connection Timeout setting allows you to drop the wait for just 10 seconds, or you can go the other way and increase it to two minutes, or tell the client to try again forever (you can still cancel the connection if you get bored).
Enable “reconnect on restart”, for example, and if the VPN connection was active when your device was last active, the client will try to connect. This is smarter than competing apps, which often connect you to a specific server every time you boot. Instead, it allows you to pick up where you left off, either offline or connected to the last server you were on. easy.
The “Seamless Tunnel” option attempts to reduce packet leaks when the VPN is paused or reconnected, perhaps when switching from Wi-Fi to cellular.
By default, OpenVPN Connect sets its VPN protocol setting to adaptive, which means it tries UDP first, and then TCP if that fails. If this does not work for you, it is also possible to force the use of UDP or TCP for all connections.
This is just scratching the surface, and the settings box also contains tweaks to handle IPv6, compression, minimum TLS version, and more. This is useful if you know what you’re doing, but if you don’t, beware – you could be putting your security at risk. If you’re not sure what effect a setting will have, leave it alone: the defaults are well-chosen, and generally work fine.
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