Installing an APK is simple and should only take you 5 minutes. This guide will take you step-by-step the process.

What is an APK?

APK stands for Android Package file. As the name suggests, it contains the code of an app that was designed to run on the Android operating system.

How to install an APK

When you download an APK, your Android will automatically recognize it, which means you should be able to open it simply by tapping on the icon. However, just like running an unknown .EXE file can put your computer at risk, installing an unknown APK file can compromise your Android device. You should only install APK files from verified, trusted sources. 

For this reason, most Android devices will not let you install downloaded APKs by default.

Here’s how to bypass this default setting. Note: The titles of these menus and options may vary slightly, depending on your device.

• Go to Settings and tap on Security.
• In the Android Security Settings menu, you will see an option that says Unknown Sources with a checkbox next to it. If it is empty, that means your device will not execute an APK that did not come from the Play Store. Tap the empty box to allow unknown APKs.

• Your device will then show you a disclaimer that you alone are responsible for any damage an APK does to your device. Tap OK.

Once this is done, you are ready to install the Proton VPN APK. Once you download it on your device, you can find the APK file in your Download folder. Once you find the Proton VPN APK, simply tap it to begin the installation process.

The post How to install the Proton VPN APK appeared first on Proton VPN Support.

Proton VPN’s native client app is the simplest way to install Proton VPN on your device. To guarantee the protection of your data we use OpenVPN protocol by default. Once installed you can start using Proton VPN right away. If you don’t yet have a Proton account, you can sign up for a Free plan for Windows. Below we also explain the steps you can take to uninstall Proton VPN.

Installing Proton VPN

To install Proton VPN, please follow these steps:

1. 1. Download the Proton VPN Windows app
   2. Go to your downloads folder and double click the protonvpn.exe installation file
      1. If a new window pops up asking “Do you want to allow this app to make changes to your device?”, click ‘Yes’
      2. If installing for the first time, the OpenVPN TAP adapter installation will appear. In the window, click ‘Next >
      3. During the installation process, installation of Windows .NET might be required as well. If prompted, follow the instructions to install Windows .NET as well.
   3. Click I Agree and then Next>
   4. Finally click Install
   5. Once the installer window is open, click install on the first screen. The installer will proceed with the process automatically
   6. Once installed, the Proton VPN application will start, and appear in a new window. A shortcut to the application will also appear on your desktop for the ease of access.

Uninstalling Proton VPN

You can uninstall Proton VPN by following these steps:

1. Right click the start button and press Programs and Features (located at the very top of the list)
2. Locate the Proton VPN app and press Uninstall
3. When a pop up window appears asking if you are sure you want to uninstall, click Yes

Related questions

How to use Proton VPN on Android?

How to use Proton VPN on Mac?

How to use Proton VPN on Linux?

How to change country/server selection?

The post How do I install and uninstall Proton VPN on Windows? appeared first on Proton VPN Support.

The app allows you to watch content from more than 60 countries if you have a paid plan. Users with free accounts can select from three countries.

To stream content from media platforms including Netflix, Hulu, or Amazon Prime, you need a Proton VPN Plus plan and an account with the service you would like to use. If you are new to using a VPN to access video content, read our guide on streaming.

Android TV is built into some TVs and also comes installed on a selection of streaming sticks and boxes that can plug into any TV with a spare HDMI port.

The Proton VPN app for Android TV works on Chromecast with Google TV stick, and on any TVs that use the (Android-based) Google TV interface. Users of Chromecast-only devices (Chromecast 1st Gen, 2nd Gen, Ultra, and 3rd Gen) will instead need a VPN router to use their device with our VPN service.

Learn how to use our app on Amazon Fire TV / Firestick device

How to set up Proton VPN on Android TV

To install Proton VPN on your Android TV, follow these steps:

1. Download the application from your TV’s app store. Alternatively, you can install the app using your desktop browser from the Google Play Store. Choose your Android TV as the device to install to automatically start the installation on your TV.

Download Proton VPN for Android TV

2. Follow the instructions on your TV screen:

When you open the app for the first time, a code will be displayed.

Go to https://protonvpn.com/tv, enter your Proton VPN username and password at the login screen, then enter the code displayed on your TV when prompted. If you don’t yet have a Proton account, you can sign up for a Free plan for Android.

Once you have verified the code, you can start using Android TV Proton VPN to watch your favorite content.

Use your remote to navigate between countries and connect to a server by selecting Connect. 

To add a country to the Quick connect menu on the main screen, check Favorite.

To select a specific server, click Server list…

… And pick a server from the list.

You can now enjoy watching your favorite content through your Android TV device.

Android TV and Ethernet problems

Some Android TV s and boxes have a bug that causes Ethernet connections to drop when a VPN connection is established. This is a bug known to Google in the Android TV firmware and affects all VPN apps. To resolve the issue, either update your Android TV’s firmware or connect to the internet using WiFi. 

The post How to use Proton VPN on Android TV appeared first on Proton VPN Support.

The early-access version of the Proton VPN Linux CLI is available for many Linux Debian-based distros and Fedora 31+ (but not Archlinux/Manjaro).

The early-access version of Proton VPN’s Linux CLI gives you access to new features before they are released publicly, but it is still in development. By using the early-access version and sharing your feedback, you are helping us find and address bugs. However, if you are new to Linux or concerned about your threat model or, we recommend you download the stable version of our Proton VPN Linux CLI. 

How to install the official Proton VPN Linux CLI

To use the early-access Linux CLI, you must first uninstall the official Proton Linux CLI and/or the official Linux app if they are installed. Similarly, if you wish to switch from the early-access to the stable versions of our apps, you must first uninstall the early-access CLI. You can find instructions on how to uninstall the early-access CLI at the bottom of this page, and instructions on how to uninstall the stable versions of our Linux CLI and Linux apps in the notes section of this guide.

• How to install the CLI in Debian and Ubuntu
• How to install the CLI in Fedora 31+
• How to use the CLI
• How uninstall the CLI
• Notes

How to install the early-access version of Linux CLI

Debian-based distros

Our command line tool officially supports the following Debian and Ubuntu-based distributions:

• Debian 10
• Ubuntu 18.04 (LTS)
• Mint 19.3+
• MX Linux 19
• Kali Linux

It also works with many distros based on these Linux versions (not Ubuntu Server or Raspbian), but we cannot provide support for these at this time.

If you are using an older version of our Linux client, we recommend that you uninstall it before installing the new CLI. Please see Note 1 at the end of this article for instructions. 

1. Get the early-access version of the Proton VPN repo setup DEB package

Download the Proton VPN DEB package

2. Install the Proton VPN repository

Open a terminal and run the following:

sudo apt-get install {/path/to/}protonvpn-beta-release_1.0.3_all.deb

Please don’t try  to check the GPG signature of this release package (dpkg-sig –verify). Our internal release process is split into several part and the release package is signed with a GPG key, and the repo is signed with another GPG key. So the keys don’t match.

If you want to check the repo package integrity, you can check its checksum with the following command:

echo "caba770e3544a4f33b7d5718dedd8bc1d06cfcd2b2f8c4f33b5a42d15a78e74a  protonvpn-beta-release_1.0.3_all.deb" | sha256sum --check -

3. Update the apt-get package list

Enter the command:

sudo apt-get update

4. Install the Proton VPN Linux CLI

Last step! Type this command:

sudo apt-get install protonvpn-cli

Fedora 31+

Please note that our CLI does not work in earlier versions of Fedora. To upgrade your system, run:

dnf upgrade

1. Get the early-access version of the Proton VPN repo setup RPM package

Download the Proton VPN RPM package

2. Install the Proton VPN repository

Open the terminal and run the following:

sudo dnf install {/path/to/}protonvpn-beta-release-1.0.0-1.noarch.rpm

3. Update the dnf package list

Enter the command:

sudo dnf update

4. Install the Proton VPN Linux CLI

Last step! Type this command:

sudo dnf install protonvpn-cli

5. Install required dependencies for the alternative routing feature

Enter:

sudo dnf install python3-pip

Then:

pip3 install --user dnspython>=1.16.0

How to use the early-access version of Linux CLI

1. Log in using your regular Proton/Proton VPN account details using the following command (please note that these are not the OpenVPN/IKEv2 login credentials used by the older community Linux client).

 protonvpn-cli login [Proton VPN username]

You will be prompted to enter your password. If you don’t have a Proton VPN account you can sign up for one here.

The CLI will remember your login details between sessions.

2. Open a list of Proton VPN servers with:

protonvpn-cli connect (or protonvpn-cli c)

3. Select a server location and click OK. Select a server at that server location and click OK.

4. Select udp or tcp (we recommend udp unless you have a reason to choose tcp).

A connection to the VPN server will now be established. To check your connection status, enter:

protonvpn-cli status (or protonvpn-cli s)

To disconnect, enter:

protonvpn-cli disconnect (or protonvpn-cli d)

Alternatively, you can disconnect using NetworkManager.

How to use the kill switch

The Proton VPN official Linux CLI includes a kill switch. The basic kill switch will block all your internet connections when the VPN is running and the connection to one of our servers fails. To enable it, enter:

protonvpn-cli ks --on

The CLI also features a permanent kill switch. This prevents all internet connections unless the VPN is running and connected to one of our servers. To enable it, enter:

protonvpn-cli ks --permanent

You can disable the Kill Switch by entering:

protonvpn-cli ks --off

How to use NetShield Ad-blocker

NetShield Ad-blocker is a DNS filtering feature. You can choose between three levels of NetShield protection:

• Off
• Block malware only (default)
• Block malware, ads, & trackers (only available if you have a paid Proton VPN plan)

To turn NetShield off,  use the command

protonvpn-cli netshield --off

or

protonvpn-cli ns --off

To block malware only:

protonvpn-cli netshield --malware

or

protonvpn-cli ns --malware

To block malware, ads, and trackers, use the command

protonvpn-cli netshield --ads-malware

or

protonvpn-cli ns --ads-malware

How to connect using the command line

To see the full list of connection options, enter:

protonvpn-cli c --help

To connect to the fastest Proton VPN server for your location, for example, enter:

protonvpn-cli c -f

Or to connect to the fastest Tor server (Plus and Visionary users only), enter:

protonvpn-cli c --tor

Additional connection options, including specifying a custom DNS server, can be found by entering:

protonvpn-cli config --help

Entering protonvpn-cli h (or protonvpn-cli –help) will always show the latest commands supported by the command line tool.

How to uninstall the early-access version of Linux CLI 

If you wish to uninstall the Proton VPN early-access Linux CLI, open Terminal and disable the kill switch (if it is running). To do this, enter:

protonvpn-cli ks --off

Then:

Debian distros

1. Uninstall the CLI with:

sudo apt-get autoremove protonvpn

2. Remove the early-access repo and keys:

sudo apt purge protonvpn-beta-release

3. Remove any leftover files:

rm -rf ~/.cache/protonvpn

And

rm -rf ~/.config/protonvpn

Fedora 31+

1. Remove the early-access repo and keys:

sudo dnf remove protonvpn-beta-release

2. Then run:

sudo dnf remove protonvpn -y; sudo dnf autoremove -y; sudo dnf clean packages

3. Check if all Proton VPN packages are uninstalled:

yum list installed | grep proton

or

dns list installed | grep proton

4. Check if any Proton VPN folders remain on your system:

ls -ld /usr/lib/python3.*/site-packages/proton*

If any folders are found then remove them using:

sudo rm -rf /usr/lib/python3.*/site-packages/proton*

5. Check again that all folders are removed (see Step 4 above).

Notes

1. Uninstall the official Proton VPN CLI or Proton VPN app

The instructions to uninstall the official Linux CLI or official Linux app are identical to the instructions for uninstalling the early-access CLI (see above), except that to remove the stable repo and keys, use the following command instead (DEB):

sudo apt purge protonvpn-stable-release

Or (RPM):

sudo dnf remove protonvpn-stable-release

2. Uninstall the older community Proton VPN app

To uninstall the older community Proton VPN app, run:

protonvpn configure

Select option 7) Purge Configuration. Then uninstall through the package manager you used for installation. For Debian, if the package is installed system-wide then use the command:

sudo pip3 uninstall protonvpn-cli

If not, then use:

pip3 uninstall protonvpn-cli

3. Disable the kill switch if you have uninstalled the app

The kill switch can be easily disabled from within the official Linux CLI app, but this will not be possible if you have uninstalled the CLI app first without disabling the kill switch. This may result in your system being unable to access the internet. To remove the kill switch after the CLI app has been uninstalled:

a) Identify Proton VPN connection names by running the command:

nmcli connection show --active

This will display a list of all your system’s active connections.

b) Look for any connections with the pvpn- prefix. This usually includes pvpn-killswitch and pvpn-ipv6leak-protection, and may include pvpn-routed-killswitch. Delete all these connections using the following command:

nmcli connection delete [connection name]

For example:

nmcli connection delete pvpn-killswitch

c) Re-run the following command to verify that Proton VPN connections have been deleted:

nmcli connection show --active

If any Proton VPN connections remain, delete them as described above.

4. Required dependencies

Our Linux CLI needs one of the following dependencies installed in order to work. Installing both of these dependencies is not recommended as it may cause problems:

• KWallet or
• Gnome-keyring

Note that most distros come pre-installed with one of these dependencies, so usually no additional configuration is required. Also required is:

• systems

5. Supported distros

The Proton VPN Linux CLI is currently officially supported on the following distros:

• Debian 10
• Ubuntu 18.04 +
• Mint 19.3+
• MX Linux 19+
• Kali Linux
• Fedora 31+

We are working on adding official support for more distros, but we cannot offer support for unsupported distros and versions. The Debian client should work on many Debian-based distros, and we invite users to test-run our software on their systems. But we cannot provide support if things don’t work on these unsupported systems.

The post How to install early-access Proton VPN Linux CLI appeared first on Proton VPN Support.

Learn more about why use Tor over VPN

Tor over VPN is a premium feature available to everyone on a paid Proton VPN plan. If you are on a free plan and would like to access this feature, you can upgrade.

[Get Proton VPN Plus]

In this article, we explain how to connect to the Tor network with Proton VPN using our Tor over VPN feature on all supported platforms. 

• Windows
• macOS
• Android and Chromebook
• iOS and iPadOS
• Linux
• Linux CLI

In general, however, the instructions are very simple:

1. Connect to one of our Tor servers

2. And you’re done! Your internet traffic will now be automatically routed through the Tor network and you can connect to .onion sites using your regular browser.

Note: Tor only supports TCP traffic. UDP traffic cannot be routed through Tor nodes. This does not affect OpenVPN UDP and WireGuard UDP conections, as its only the contents of the VPN tunnel that are routed throught the Tor network (not the VPN tunnel itself). 

Additionally, ICMP traffic like ping, is also not routed through Tor. However, ICMP traffic does pass through the VPN server, which prevents it from revealing your true IP address.

Firefox

By default, Firefox on most platforms blocks onion connections. However, on desktop versions of Firefox (Windows, macOS, and Linux), it’s easy to change this setting:

1. In the Firefox address bar, type about:config and press <enter>
2. Click Accept the Risk and Continue
3. Type network.dns.blockDotOnion in the search bar
4. Click the Toggle icon to change the value to false

This also works on Firefox Beta for testers on Android, as it allows you to configure the browser using about:config. However, it is not available on the release version of Firefox for Android.

Firefox on iOS and iPadOS connects to onion sites with no issue and without the need for any additional configuration. 

Proton VPN’s Tor servers 

Proton VPN runs a network of Tor servers in many countries around the world. These route connections from the VPN server to the Tor network, and can be easily identified in two ways:

1. Tor server names have the suffix -TOR. For Example, FR#13-TOR in France, and HK#27-TOR in Hong Kong.
2. Tor servers are marked with an onion icon in all our apps except the Linux CLI. (Tor was originally an acronym for The Onion Router, an allusion to its multiple layers of encryption). 

To make it easier to find Tor servers, every country that offers one or more Tor servers is also marked with an onion icon. 

Please be aware that using the Tor network is very slow compared to using a regular VPN server. This is because the Tor network is able to afford the security and anonymity it does by routing connections through at least three random volunteer-run “nodes” that can each be located anywhere in the world.At each node, your connection is re-encrypted.

You should therefore only connect to a Tor server if you require a very high level of anonymity or you wish to connect to an onion site.

How to connect to onion websites

Onion websites are also known as Tor websites or, more properly, as Tor Onion Services. They are also often referred to as “the dark web” (there are other dark webs, but onion sites make up the vast majority of dark web websites).   

Onion websites are simply websites that can only be accessed when you’re connected to the Tor network. Instead of the more familiar top-level domains (TLD), such as .com, .org, or country-specific TLDs (like .co.uk or .fr), Tor websites use the special .onion TLD. 

For example, the Proton Tor website has the URL: https://protonmailrmez3lotccipshtkleegetolb73fuirgj7r4o4vfu7ozyd.onion.

To connect to an onion website using ProtonVPN, connect to a Tor server using our app, then simply visit the .onion URL in your regular browser. If you’re not sure where to start, check out our list of best onion sites on the dark web.

How to connect to Tor using Proton VPN

Windows

1. Open the Proton VPN app and connect to one of our Tor servers.

2. You are now connected to the Tor network. To test this, open your browser and visit any onion website (if using Firefox, please enable access to onion sites). 

macOS

There is an issue on macOS (and iOS/iPadOS) that prevents connections to onion sites unless the kill switch is enabled.

1. . Open the Proton VPN app and go to Kill switch tab → Kill switch On.

2. Switch back to the Countries tab and connect to one of our Tor servers.

3. You are now connected to the Tor network. To test this, open your browser and visit any onion website (if using Firefox, please enable access to onion sites).

Android and Chromebook

1. Open the Proton VPN app and connect to one of our Tor servers.

2. You are now connected to the Tor network. To test this, open your browser and visit any onion website. Please note that Firefox for Android doesn’t resolve onion links correctly, so use another browser, such as Chrome, Brave, or Edge.

iOS and iPadOS

There is an issue on iOS and iPadOS (and also macOS) that prevents connections to onion sites unless the kill switch is enabled.

1. Open the Proton VPN app, go to Settings and toggle the Kill switch button on.

2. Switch back to the Countries tab and connect to one of our Tor servers.

3. You are now connected to the Tor network. To test this, open your browser and visit any onion website. 

Linux

1. Open the Proton VPN app and connect to one of our Tor servers.

2. You are now connected to the Tor network. To test this, open your browser and visit any onion website  (if using Firefox, please enable access to onion sites). 

Linux CLI

1. Open a terminal window and run protonvpn-cli c.

2. Select a Tor server → OK (you can connect using UDP or TCP, although in most cases we recommend using the faster UDP).

3. You are now connected to the Tor network. To test this, open your browser and visit any onion website.

Related Articles

• Proton VPN Windows setup
• Proton VPN Mac setup
• Proton VPN Linux setup
• Proton VPN Server list

The post How to access to Tor network using Proton VPN appeared first on Proton VPN Support.

• Kill switch 
• WireGuard, WireGuard TCP, IKEv2, and Stealth VPN protocols
• Smart protocol
• DNS leak protection
• NetShield Ad-blocker
• Moderate NAT
• VPN Accelerator

Get Proton VPN for macOS

If you use an earlier version of macOS, or you simply prefer to use Tunnelblick, read on…

Tunnelblick is a free, open-source generic VPN app for macOS that allows you to connect to our network via the OpenVPN protocol.

1. Download OpenVPN configuration files

Log into your Proton VPN account at account.protonvpn.com, go to Downloads → OpenVPN configuration files and:

• Select Platform – The correct platform for your device (this is important, as otherwise you may be vulnerable to DNS leaks)
• Select Protocol – UDP (recommended) or TCP if you experience slow VPN speeds (this utilizes port 443)
• Select config file and download – choose whether you want to download a configuration file for a whole country, an individual server, or for a Secure Core server. 
• Select a country or server and click the Download button next to it. 

You can also scroll to the bottom of the section and select Download all configurations. If you do this, you’ll need a program to extract the resultant zip file.

2. Find your OpenVPN login credentials

These are different to your regular Proton Account username and password. To find them, see here.

3. Configure Tunnelblick

Install Tunnelblick by going to https://tunnelblick.net and clicking Download Latest Stable Release.

Once you have downloaded Tunnelblick, click on the downloaded file to install the program. (It will be named Tunnelblick and contain information about what version it is. For example: the downloaded file for version 3.7.8 is named Tunnelblick_3.7.8_build_5180.dmg)

Double-click on the Tunnelblick icon (it looks like a tunnel) to begin installation.

Depending on your security settings, you will be asked to confirm your Mac password to proceed with the installation.

Click I have configuration files when you see the window below.

Navigate to the menu bar and click the Tunnelblick icon that should be present in the right corner. Then select VPN Details…

Drag and drop the configuration files you downloaded into the Configurations section.

The config files use the following naming system:

• A two-letter abbreviation for the destination country.
• A number to specify a server in that country. (For example: de-01 is the first server in Germany; ca-04 is the fourth server in Canada.)
• Files with two country abbreviations are Secure Core servers. (For example: is-us-01 is the Secure Core connection through Iceland to the USA.)

Enter your OpenVPN username and password when prompted. 

Note: This is not your Proton VPN account username or password.

To use our NetShield DNS filtering feature, append the suffix +f1 to your username to block malware, or +f2  to block malware, ads, and trackers (for example 123456789+f2).

Once the configuration is complete, click Connect to connect to Proton VPN.

To add more connections, repeat the steps above with different configuration files for your choice of server or country.

The post How to set up OpenVPN on macOS using Tunnelblick appeared first on Proton VPN Support.

You can download our Android app from the Google Play Store, or you can download our Android app’s APK from the open-source app repository F-Droid and GitHub (Android only).

• Download the Proton VPN Android app
• Learn how to change VPN protocols on our Android app

How to set up Proton VPN as an Android VPN

Download your chosen app

Note: To avoid undesired behavior and bugs, we strongly recommend using one of the following applications:

• OpenVPN for Android (free, open-source software): available on the Google Play Store or on the independent app store F-Droid.
• OpenVPN Connect (free, created by authors of OpenVPN protocol): available on the Google Play Store

Download configuration files to your device

Note: Below we describe how to download config files directly onto your device, though you can also send config files to your device via email or USB transfer.

1. Sign in to your Proton VPN account at account.protonvpn.com/login

2. Go to Downloads → OpenVPN configuration files and choose:

• Select Platform – Android
• Select Protocol – UDP (recommended) or TCP if you experience slow VPN speeds (this utilizes port 443)
• Select config file and download – choose whether you want to download a configuration file for a whole country, an individual server, or for a Secure Core server. 
• Select a country or server and click the Download button next to it. 

You can also scroll to the bottom of the section and select Download all configurations. If you do this, you’ll need a program to extract the resultant zip file.

Note: You can also perform the above steps on your PC and send the OVPN config files as attachments to your email address that you can access on your Android device.

Set up OpenVPN on Android

Note: The instructions below are for OpenVPN for Android. If you’re using another application, you will follow similar steps but there will likely be slightly different user interfaces.

In the OpenVPN for Android app, tap the Import button in the top right corner, then select the OVPN files you downloaded previously.

Tap the Save button to finish importing the config file.

To add more connections simply repeat the above steps with different configuration files. Note: Secure Core servers are marked as xx-xx-01.protonvpn.com.xxxxxxx.ovpn.

Connect to Proton VPN

1. Tap on the newly added profile to connect.

2. Tap OK when you see the below prompt for Connection request.

3. When prompted for the username and password, enter your OpenVPN credentials and hit connect.

4. For more information on your OpenVPN credentials and where to find them, see here.

Note: To use our NetShield DNS filtering feature, append the suffix +f1 to your username to block malware, or +f2  to block malware, ads, and trackers (for example 123456789+f2).  

5. A new screen will appear detailing the connection attempt. When you see Initialization Sequence Completed and a key icon appears in the top status bar, you are successfully connected.

Disconnect from Proton VPN

1. Tap the profile you are currently connected to (Indicated by Connected:SUCCESS […] underneath the profile name).

2. Select Disconnect on the confirmation window.

3. Once you have disconnected, the profile will now show No process running.

The post How to manually set up OpenVPN on Android appeared first on Proton VPN Support.

You’re just a couple steps away from making your online activity secure and private. Let’s get started!

Installation

Android

The majority of non-Apple smartphones and tablets use the Android operating system. If you have a smartphone and it’s not an iPhone, it is likely an Android. You can get the Proton VPN app for free on Android.

Learn how to install the Proton VPN Android app

Android TV

Android TV is built into some TVs and is used by a wide selection of streaming sticks and boxes that can plug into any TV with a spare HDMI port. If you don’t have an Android TV, you can find some examples in this article.

Learn how to install the Proton VPN Android TV app

iOS

If you have a smartphone or tablet from Apple — an iPhone or an iPad — it runs on iOS. You can easily download the Proton VPN app for free on iOS.

Learn how to install the Proton VPN iOS app

Windows

If your laptop or desktop is a PC, then it likely runs Windows. The Proton VPN app is available for free on Windows.

Learn how to install the Proton VPN Windows app

macOS

If you have a laptop or desktop computer from Apple, it runs on macOS. To use Proton VPN on your Mac, sign up for a Free plan for macOS.

Learn how to install the Proton VPN macOS app

Linux

Linux is an open source operating system that has dozens of different distributions. If Linux does not sound familiar to you, it is unlikely you’re using it. Get Proton VPN for free on Linux for the distro of your choice.

Learn how to install the Proton VPN on Linux client

Browser extension

The stand-alone Proton VPN browser extension for Chrome and Firefox is available to anyone with a paid Proton VPN plan and provides a quick and convenient way to protect your privacy while browsing the internet.

Learn how to install the Proton VPN browser extension

Common questions

Q: Does the VPN just protect the Internet through my browser?

A: No. Once you are connected to a Proton VPN server, your whole Internet connection is secured, and your public IP address and geolocation are changed. The applications on your device that connect to the Internet will also have their connections routed through the same secure VPN tunnel. Therefore, the services you access on the Internet cannot see your true IP address and location.

Note: This applies to our full VPN apps. Our browser extension only protects your browser.

Q: Does it matter what Internet browser I use with Proton VPN?

A: Proton VPN works with the latest version of most popular Internet browsers, including Mozilla Firefox, Apple Safari, the Brave browser, and Google Chrome. However, we no longer support Internet Explorer as it is outdated.

Learn more about which browsers you can use with Proton VPN.

Q: What can I do to make my VPN connection faster?

A: The speed of your VPN connection is a function of the speed of your Internet connection. If you have a slow Internet connection with your Internet service provider, using a VPN will not make it faster.

That being said, there are some basic steps you can take to optimize your VPN connection’s speed. You can:

• Connect to a VPN server that is geographically closer to your location;
• Connect to a VPN server that currently has a lower load; or
• Use the UDP transmission protocol instead of TCP for your connection.

Learn more about how to increase the speed of your VPN connection.

Q: I’m having trouble connecting to the Internet with Proton VPN. What can I do?

A: If you are experiencing connection difficulties, it is generally the result of one of the three following situations:

• The server you are trying to connect to is currently down for maintenance, in which case you should try to connect to another server;
• Your system time does not match the time on the SSL certificate, in which case you should reset your device’s clock; or
• There may be restrictions on your network.

Learn more about how to resolve Proton VPN connection issues. If you try these solutions and still cannot connect, or if you have any other questions, please contact our Support team.

The post Setup Guide for new users appeared first on Proton VPN Support.

We strongly recommend using our iOS/iPad app on your iPhone or iPad. It provides the easiest way to connect to our servers and allows you to benefit from many of Proton VPN’s advanced features. For example:

• Kill switch 
• WireGuard, WireGuard TCP, and Stealth VPN protocols
• Smart protocol
• DNS leak protection
• NetShield Ad-blocker
• Moderate NAT
• VPN Accelerator
• iOS widget

Get Proton VPN for iPhone and iPad

At Proton VPN, we recommend using WireGuard over OpenVPN, but it is possible to manually configure OpenVPN on an iPhone or iPad using the OpenVPN Connect app. In this article, we show you how.

Learn more about OpenVPN vs. WireGuard

How to manually configure OpenVPN on iOS and iPadOS

To manually configure OpenVPN on an IPhone or iPad:

• Find out your OpenVPN login credentials
• Download the required OpenVPN configuration files to your device
• Configure OpenVPN Connect using the downloaded config files

Find out your OpenVPN login credentials

Your OpenVPN username and password are different to your Proton VPN account username or password. To find them, log in to  account.protonvpn.com and go to  ≡ (if on an iPhone) → Account → Username → OpenVPN / IKEv2 username.

If you would like to use our NetShield DNS filtering feature, append the suffix +f1 to your username to block malware, or +f2  to block malware, ads, and trackers (for example, 123456789+f2).

Learn more about how to sign in to Proton VPN

Download the required OpenVPN configuration files 

On your iPhone or iPad, log in to account.protonvpn.com and go to  ≡ (if on an iPhone) →  Downloads → OpenVPN configuration files. Then:

1. Select platform (choose iOS)

2. Select protocol. Choose between OpenVPN UDP or OpenVPN TCP. UDP is faster and recommended in most situations, while TCP is more reliable and can bypass some censorship measures. 

Learn more about whether to choose UDP or TCP

3. Select config file and download. Select the type of config file you wish to download. The list of available files will dynamically change based on the type you select. Tap the Action → Download button next to the specific config file you want. 

• Secure core — our special Secure Core VPN servers. Choose the exit location and the Secure Core server (via) that your connection will be routed through.  
• Country —  will automatically connect you to a server in the selected country.
•  Standard server — specify an individual server, sorted by country. In the Status column, Plus servers are marked with a P, P2P servers are marked with a double-arrow icon, and Tor servers are marked with an onion icon. 
•  Free server — servers available to users of our Free plan.

It is also possible to Download all configurations for the selected config type.

Setup Proton VPN using OpenVPN Connect

1. Download OpenVPN Connect from the App Store.

2. Open the iOS Files app → Downloads folder, select the .ovpn config file you just downloaded, and Share it with the OpenVPN app.

3. The OpenVPN Connect will open and tell you that a new OpenVPN profile is available for import. Tap Add to import it.

4. Fill in details for the imported profile:

• Profile Name —  You can leave as is, or rename for something more user friendly (for example, Proton VPN Switzerland)
• Username — Your OpenVPN username (not your account username — see above)
• Save password — Your OpenVPN password (not your account password). Proton VPN OpenVPN passwords are very secure (read long) so we recommend that you check this option and enter your password so you can log in easily each time.
• Connect after import — does what it says (it least in theory)

Tap Add when you’re done, Allow OpenVPN to Add VPN Configurations, and confirm your identity using biometrics.

5. If the app doesn’t automatically connect after import (or at any other time) toggle the profile you have just imported on and tap Yes to Allow OpenVPN to enable VPN connections when prompted. You will only need to do this once.

To disconnect Proton VPN, select the connection you are currently using and toggle the switch off.

Related articles

• How to set up Proton VPN on Android
• Does Proton VPN store user information?
• How to install Proton VPN on Mac?
• Unable to connect

The post How to use Proton VPN with the OpenVPN Connect on iOS appeared first on Proton VPN Support.

1. Our DEB package will install the Proton VPN repository on your system

This package contains the repository configuration and keys that are required to install the Proton VPN app.

Download the Proton VPN DEB package

2. Install the Proton VPN repository

Just double-click the downloaded DEB file and follow the prompts given by your default package manager (or right click →Install Deb files on the Xfce desktop).

Please don’t try to check the GPG signature of this release package (dpkg-sig –verify). Our internal release process is split into several part and the release package is signed with a GPG key, and the repo is signed with another GPG key. So the keys don’t match.

If you want to check the repo package integrity, you can check its checksum with the following command:

echo "c68a0b8dad58ab75080eed7cb989e5634fc88fca051703139c025352a6ee19ad  protonvpn-stable-release_1.0.3-2_all.deb" | sha256sum --check -

3. Update the apt-get package list

The following command updates the list of available packages and their versions. Doing this allows you to install the Proton VPN App.

In a terminal window, enter:

sudo apt-get update

4. Install the app

The final step is to enter this command:

sudo apt-get install proton-vpn-gnome-desktop

Learn how to use the Proton VPN Linux app

Notes

1. How to remove the beta Linux app

To uninstall the new Linux app, open a terminal and enter:

sudo apt autoremove "protonvpn*" proton-vpn-gnome-desktop

2. How to uninstall the old (v3) Linux app

Open a terminal window and enter:

sudo apt-get autoremove protonvpn

Remove any leftover files:

rm -rf ~/.cache/protonvpn

And

rm -rf ~/.config/protonvpn

3. How to disable the kill switch if you have already uninstalled the app

You should disable Kill Switch before uninstalling our official app. Failure to do so may leave your system unable to access the internet. To remove the kill switch after the app has been uninstalled:

a) Discover the Proton VPN connection names by running the command:

nmcli connection show --active

This will display a list of your PC’s active connections.

b) Look for any connections with the prefix pvpn- This usually includes pvpn-killswitch and pvpn-ipv6leak-protection, and may include pvpn-routed-killswitch. Delete all these connections using the following command:

nmcli connection delete [connection name]

For example:

nmcli connection delete pvpn-killswitch

c) Enter the following command again to verify that Proton VPN connections have been deleted:

nmcli connection show --active

If any Proton VPN connections are still left, delete them as described above.

4. Required dependencies

The Proton Linux app needs one of the following dependencies installed on your system to work (most systems have one of them pre-installed, so you probably don’t need to do anything here). Please note that having both of these dependencies on your system can cause conflicts, and so is not recommended. 

• KWallet
• Gnome-keyring

You’ll also need:

• Systemd

(But again, this is probably already pre-installed on your system.)

5. Try out our beta Linux app

The beta version of our Linux app gives you access to new features before they are released publicly, but it is still in development. By using the beta version and sharing your feedback, you can help us find and address bugs. 

Please note that we only officially support the beta app on Debian, Ubuntu, and Fedora. It should work on MX Linux, but support for this distribution may be limited.

Important: You cannot upgrade from the beta version of our Linux app to the stable version. You will need to uninstall the beta app and then install the official app. Similarly, if you are using the stable version of our Linux VPN app, you should uninstall it before installing the early beta version. 

If you would like to install the beta version instead of the stable release of this app, open a terminal window and:

1. Download the beta package. Enter:

wget https://repo.protonvpn.com/debian/dists/unstable/main/binary-all/protonvpn-beta-release_1.0.3-2_all.deb

2. Install the Proton VPN beta repository containing the new app. Run:

sudo dpkg -i ./protonvpn-beta-release_1.0.3-2_all.deb && sudo apt update

3. If you’re running the old (v3) Proton VPN app or CLI (stable or beta versions), simply run:

sudo apt update && apt upgrade

If you don’t have Proton VPN installed, run:

sudo apt install proton-vpn-gnome-desktop

To check for updates and ensure that you’re running the latest version of the app, enter:

sudo apt update && apt upgrade

How to remove the beta Linux app

To uninstall the new Linux app, open a terminal and enter:

sudo apt purge "protonvpn*" proton-vpn-gnome-desktop && sudo apt autoremove

The post How to install a VPN on MX Linux appeared first on Proton VPN Support.