How to set up a VPN on Windows and check the connection

Choose a provider app or Windows settings

The provider app is usually the simpler choice for a personal PC. It creates the connection and normally selects suitable settings. Download it only from the provider's official website or its verified Microsoft Store link. Avoid installers from adverts, chat attachments and unfamiliar download sites.

The built-in Windows VPN is useful when your provider supports this setup method and gives you connection details. An employer, school or VPN provider may supply them. The Windows setup screen does not give you a server or account by itself.

Connect through a provider app

1. Get the app link from your VPN provider's official instructions.
2. Install the app, open it and sign in using the method documented by the provider.
3. Start the connection and wait until the app says it is connected.
4. Open a familiar HTTPS website and confirm that ordinary pages load.

If the app requests an unusual permission, do not approve it automatically. Check the publisher's name and the provider's explanation first.

Add a profile in Windows settings

1. Open Settings → Network & internet → VPN.
2. Select Add VPN.
3. Under VPN provider, select Windows (built-in). Give the connection a name you will recognise. Enter the server address, VPN type and sign-in method supplied by your provider or organisation.
4. Select Save, then Connect next to your new profile. Enter your sign-in details if prompted.

If a required value is missing, stop and ask the provider for it. Do not try random server addresses or protocol types. Our guide to what a VPN protocol means explains the terminology.

Check the connection

Once Windows shows Connected, compare the public IP address before and after connecting. Follow our simple VPN connection check to understand the result. Check in the same browser each time; other apps may use a different route.

If websites stop loading, disconnect and reconnect once. Then test the internet without the VPN and save the exact error message. Avoid deleting network adapters or resetting Windows at random. Start with VPN not working: what to check.