Set Up vpn.now on macOS

VPN Setup help

Pick the easy path or the manual one

There are two ways to connect a Mac, and you only need one.

• The vpn.now app (easiest). Get it from the macOS download page, sign in, and press connect. The app creates and manages the config for you. This is the right choice for most people.
• Manual tunnel setup (more control). You add a device, download a config file, and import it into the official tunnel app from the Mac App Store. The steps below cover this path, and the full reference is in the manual tunnel setup guide.

Both paths reach the same servers with the same VPN protocol. The difference is only how much you do by hand.

What you need for manual setup

Register a Mac device on the devices page in your dashboard and download its config file. Each device gets its own .conf file, usually under 5 KB. New here? Start with what you need to get started.

Connect with the tunnel app, step by step

1. Install the official tunnel app from the Mac App Store.
2. Open the tunnel app and choose "Import tunnel(s) from file" from the File menu.
3. Pick your .conf file.
4. macOS asks permission to add a VPN configuration. Click "Allow" and confirm with Touch ID or your password.
5. Click "Activate" to connect. The tunnel turns on and shows a recent handshake.

To turn the VPN off later, click "Deactivate" in the app or use the menu bar icon. The tunnel stays saved, so reconnecting is one click.

Tip: download the config file in Safari on the Mac itself. Then the file lands on the right machine and never has to travel between devices.

Tips for Mac users

• The VPN status icon appears in the menu bar. Use it to connect and disconnect quickly.
• Enable "Connect on demand" in the tunnel app if you want the VPN to come back automatically after restarts.
• To confirm the tunnel works, follow verifying your IP changed.

If it does not work

Most Mac problems fall into a few buckets. Try them in order:

• The "Allow" prompt never appears or you declined it. macOS will not enable a VPN without permission. Deactivate the tunnel, activate it again, and approve the prompt this time. You can also check System Settings under VPN.
• It connects but no websites load. This is usually DNS. Work through fixing DNS issues.
• It will not activate at all. A truncated config or a blocked network port is the usual cause. Re-download the config and, if it still fails, follow cannot connect to the VPN.
• Speeds feel slow. Switch to a closer or less busy server using fixing slow VPN speeds.

Why these happen: macOS keeps VPN configuration behind a permission prompt for safety, so a tunnel cannot carry traffic until you approve it. The other failures come from an incomplete config file or a network that blocks the tunnel's UDP port. Checking each in turn isolates the cause fast.