VPN for macOS
Protect your Mac on coffee shop Wi-Fi, hotel networks, and anywhere else. Set up vpn.now with the official app for Mac.
Get the vpn.now app for macOS
The fastest way to get started is our app: install it, sign in, and press connect. The manual steps below are here if you would rather set things up by hand.
Set up vpn.now on macOS
The whole process takes about five minutes. You will need a free vpn.now account before you start.
Step 1: Create your free account
Sign up for vpn.now with just an email address. No card needed, and the free plan does not expire.
Step 2: Download the vpn.now app for Mac
Get the vpn.now app from the download page. It is a universal build for Apple Silicon and Intel Macs.
Step 3: Sign in or paste your activation code
Launch the app, then sign in with your email or paste an activation code. Nothing else to set up.
Step 4: Press connect
Click the power button. macOS asks permission to add a VPN configuration the first time, so click Allow. The status turns green when you are protected.
Prefer to configure things by hand? See the manual setup guide.
What your Mac protects on its own, and what it does not
Apple builds real privacy features into macOS. Safari limits cross-site tracking, Mail can hide your IP address from senders, and apps must ask before reading your location. Those features are good, and a VPN does not replace them. They work on a different layer than a VPN does.
What macOS does not hide is the network path itself. Your internet provider, or the owner of any Wi-Fi network you join, can still see which sites you connect to through DNS lookups and connection records. A VPN closes that gap by encrypting everything between your Mac and the VPN server. If you are new to the idea, start with what a VPN is and what it can honestly do.
iCloud Private Relay and a VPN, compared honestly
iCloud Private Relay comes with paid iCloud plans, and it is a well designed system. It routes Safari browsing through two separate relays, so no single party sees both who you are and where you are going. If all you want is more private Safari browsing, Private Relay may be enough for you. We would rather say that plainly than pretend otherwise.
A VPN does a broader job. It covers every app on your Mac, not mostly Safari. It lets you choose the server location, which Private Relay does not. And it works the same in every app, on every network. The two can even run side by side for different tasks.
Under the hood, both rely on strong encryption to protect data in transit. If you want to understand what that encryption actually does, our guide to VPN encryption walks through it without the jargon.
Private browsing windows are a different tool
Safari's private windows stop your Mac from saving history, cookies, and form data. That is useful on a shared computer. But private browsing changes nothing on the network. Websites still see your IP address, and your internet provider still sees which sites you visit.
A VPN and private browsing solve different problems, and they work well together. The private window keeps your local history clean, while the VPN hides your IP and encrypts your traffic. Our article on VPNs and incognito mode covers exactly where each tool helps and where it does not.
What you need
- macOS 13 Ventura or newer
- A free vpn.now account
- Apple Silicon or Intel Mac
Having trouble? Our setup help section covers the most common issues, or you can contact support.
macOS VPN questions
Does vpn.now work on Apple Silicon Macs?
Yes. The vpn.now app is a universal build that runs natively on both Apple Silicon and Intel Macs, so performance is excellent on M series machines.
Why does macOS ask for permission to add a VPN?
macOS requires your approval before any app can manage VPN connections. This is a normal security prompt and you only see it the first time you activate a tunnel.
Can I use the same account on my Mac and iPhone?
Yes. Add each device separately on the Devices page in your account. Each one gets its own config and its own keys, which is better for security.
Protect your macOS device today
Set up takes minutes. vpn.now is free, with unlimited data and no card needed.
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