How to Set Up a VPN on a Mac
Connecting to a Virtual Private Network (VPN) in macOS is easy, although the process is different depending on your provider. If your admin or service sent you a VPN settings file, you can usually just double-click it to set up the...
Method 1 of 3:
Entering VPN Settings Manually
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Picture 1 of How to Set Up a VPN on a Mac Click the Apple menu. Once you enter the VPN settings into the Network panel of System Preferences, it'll be easy to connect to the VPN. These settings are provided by your admin or service provider.- As of macOS Sierra, the native VPN app no longer supports PPTP VPN.[1] If you have Sierra and your service requires PPTP, see Using Shimo on macOS Sierra.
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Picture 2 of How to Set Up a VPN on a Mac Select 'System Preferences.' -
Picture 3 of How to Set Up a VPN on a Mac Click the 'Network' icon. -
Picture 4 of How to Set Up a VPN on a Mac Click the + beneath the left panel. -
Picture 5 of How to Set Up a VPN on a Mac Click the button next to the 'Interface' menu. The button is blue and has two arrows, and will expand a brief menu. -
Picture 6 of How to Set Up a VPN on a Mac Select 'VPN.' -
Picture 7 of How to Set Up a VPN on a Mac Click the button next to the 'VPN Type' menu. -
Picture 8 of How to Set Up a VPN on a Mac Select the type of VPN. Your VPN provider should specify this in their instructions.[2]- If you haven't yet signed up for VPN service, see Getting a VPN for tips on selecting a provider.
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Picture 9 of How to Set Up a VPN on a Mac Type a name for this VPN. Type it into the 'Service Name' field. This will be the nickname for this connection. -
Picture 10 of How to Set Up a VPN on a Mac Click Create. Now you'll see the VPN settings for this new connection in the right panel. -
Picture 11 of How to Set Up a VPN on a Mac Enter the IP address for the server. Type this into the 'Server Address' field. -
Picture 12 of How to Set Up a VPN on a Mac Enter your VPN account user name. This goes into the 'Account Name' field. -
Picture 13 of How to Set Up a VPN on a Mac Place a check next to 'Show VPN status in the menu bar'. -
Picture 14 of How to Set Up a VPN on a Mac Click Authentication Settings. -
Picture 15 of How to Set Up a VPN on a Mac Select an authentication method. Use the instructions from your VPN provider to determine the correct choice.[3]- If you connect with a regular username and password, try selecting 'Password' and then enter your password into the blank.
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Picture 16 of How to Set Up a VPN on a Mac Click OK. -
Picture 17 of How to Set Up a VPN on a Mac Click Advanced. -
Picture 18 of How to Set Up a VPN on a Mac Make sure there's a check next to 'Send all traffic over VPN connection'. -
Picture 19 of How to Set Up a VPN on a Mac Click OK. -
Picture 20 of How to Set Up a VPN on a Mac Click Apply. Now you should see a new icon in the menu bar at the top of the screen (near the clock). This is the VPN status icon, and you can use it to connect and disconnect from the VPN. -
Picture 21 of How to Set Up a VPN on a Mac Click the VPN status icon. -
Picture 22 of How to Set Up a VPN on a Mac Select 'Connect [your VPN name]'. The system will now connect and authenticate to the VPN server.
Method 2 of 3:
Using a VPN Settings File
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Picture 23 of How to Set Up a VPN on a Mac Save the VPN settings file to your computer. If your VPN provider supplied its own VPN settings file, make sure you've downloaded it to your computer. -
Picture 24 of How to Set Up a VPN on a Mac Double-click the VPN settings file.- In some cases, this action will open the Network panel with the correct information already filled in. If you see this panel, skip to step 10.
- If the Network panel did not appear, continue with this method.
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Picture 25 of How to Set Up a VPN on a Mac Click the Apple menu. -
Picture 26 of How to Set Up a VPN on a Mac Select 'System Preferences.' -
Picture 27 of How to Set Up a VPN on a Mac Click the 'Network' icon. -
Picture 28 of How to Set Up a VPN on a Mac Click the gear icon. It's at the bottom of the white panel on the left. -
Picture 29 of How to Set Up a VPN on a Mac Select 'Import Configurations.' -
Picture 30 of How to Set Up a VPN on a Mac Select your VPN settings file. -
Picture 31 of How to Set Up a VPN on a Mac Click Open or Import. The VPN settings will load.[4] -
Picture 32 of How to Set Up a VPN on a Mac Make sure 'Show VPN status in menu bar' is checked. You'll see this in the right panel of the current screen.[5]- When the checkmark is present, you'll be able to click an icon in the menu bar to connect and disconnect from the VPN.
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Picture 33 of How to Set Up a VPN on a Mac Click the VPN status icon. It's in the menu bar, at the top right corner of the screen near the clock. It's a rectangle with several vertical lines inside. -
Picture 34 of How to Set Up a VPN on a Mac Click 'Connect [your VPN network]'. The computer will now connect to the VPN using the server and login information in the VPN settings file.- To disconnect, click the VPN status icon and select 'Disconnect.'
Method 3 of 3:
Using Shimo on macOS Sierra
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Picture 35 of How to Set Up a VPN on a Mac Open a web browser. If you must connect to a PPTP VPN on macOS Sierra, you'll need a VPN app that still supports the protocol. Shimo is one app that is highly recommended across the internet.[6]- Shimo is not free, but it does have a fully-functional 30 day free trial.
- Apple recommends no one use PPTP due to security vulnerabilities.[7]
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Picture 36 of How to Set Up a VPN on a Mac Navigate to https://www.shimovpn.com/download. A pop-up will appear.[8] -
Picture 37 of How to Set Up a VPN on a Mac Follow the prompts to download Shimo. The app will download. -
Picture 38 of How to Set Up a VPN on a Mac Open the Downloads folder. -
Picture 39 of How to Set Up a VPN on a Mac Double-click the downloaded file. It will be called something like Shimo_4.1.2_8433.zip. -
Picture 40 of How to Set Up a VPN on a Mac Double-click Shimo. -
Picture 41 of How to Set Up a VPN on a Mac Click Open. You may see this button on a pop-up window that asks you to confirm you want to run the program. If you don't see it, just skip to the next step. -
Picture 42 of How to Set Up a VPN on a Mac Click Move to Applications Folder. You should see a new icon appear in your menu bar. It's the outline of a square with rounded edges at its top. This is the Shimo icon.[9] -
Picture 43 of How to Set Up a VPN on a Mac Click the Shimo icon. A menu will appear. -
Picture 44 of How to Set Up a VPN on a Mac Select 'Preferences.' -
Picture 45 of How to Set Up a VPN on a Mac Click the 'Accounts' icon. It's the blue icon at the top left corner of the Preferences panel.[10] -
Picture 46 of How to Set Up a VPN on a Mac Click + below the left panel. -
Picture 47 of How to Set Up a VPN on a Mac Select your VPN account type.- If you're using this method, it's likely because you're required to use PPTP on macOS Sierra. If this is the case, select 'PPTP/L2TP.'
- If you're not sure, check the documentation for your VPN provider.
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Picture 48 of How to Set Up a VPN on a Mac Click Create. -
Picture 49 of How to Set Up a VPN on a Mac Enter your VPN connection information. This information is also supplied by your VPN provider.[11]- The hostname or IP address of the VPN server goes into the 'Remote Host' box.
- The username and password you enter are the ones you use for the VPN server, not the one you use to log into macOS.
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Picture 50 of How to Set Up a VPN on a Mac Click Create. The connection is now saved. -
Picture 51 of How to Set Up a VPN on a Mac Click the Shimo icon. Remember, it's in the menu bar. -
Picture 52 of How to Set Up a VPN on a Mac Select your VPN. Shimo will now connect your computer to the VPN.
Update 04 March 2020