This article covers solutions to common bugs encountered while using the Proton VPN app for macOS. If the issue you’re facing is not listed here, please contact our support team for further assistance.
General issues
This category includes interface bugs you might encounter while using the app. The first thing to do is to reset the app to its default settings.
1. Open the Proton VPN app and go to the macOS menu bar → Help → Clear Application Data.
2. On the warning screen, click Delete to continue.
The app has now been reset to its default settings.
Connection issues when signing in
If the app cannot connect to our servers when you try to sign in, you will see the following notification.
Click Troubleshoot to see a list of possible reasons for the problem, together with suggested solutions.
As this message suggests, there are a number of possible reasons for the problem.
Your connection is blocked by your ISP or government
If you live in a restrictive country then your connection may be blocked by your government. To bypass this, you can try using our alternative routing feature.
There is a problem with your WiFi connection
Try getting closer to your router. If that fails, try resetting your router (turn it off, wait at least 10 seconds, then turn it on again). Restarting your Mac can also fix many connection problems.
Use the Tor network
If access to the Proton VPN website is blocked by your ISP or government, you can try using Tor to reach it. From here, you can download OpenVPN TCP configuration files that may help overcome the block (see below).
There is a problem with your internet service provider (ISP)
This may be due to maintenance being performed in your area, poor reception (if using a mobile connection), a technical problem, or a problem with your account. You can identify if the problem lies with your ISP by connecting over a different network (for example, using your phone as a mobile hotspot rather than WiFi).
If the issue lies with your ISP, you can wait to see if it resolves itself (maintenance is completed, the technical issue is fixed, etc.) or you can contact your ISP.
Your antivirus software is interfering with the VPN connection
If running antivirus software on your Mac, it may incorrectly interpret the connection to our VPN server as suspicious. Temporarily disable or remove your virus software to help identify the problem.
If the connection works when your antivirus software is removed or disabled, try adjusting its settings or adding an exclusion for the Proton VPN app.
A proxy or firewall is interfering with the VPN connection
To disable system-wide proxy settings in macOS, go to Settings → Network → Proxies and ensure no protocols in the Select a protocol to configure list are enabled.
Either Proton itself or the Proton VPN server you are trying to connect to is down
This may be due to routine server maintenance or a technical fault. You can check the status of Proton here, and the status of our server network here. If it’s an issue with an individual server, just connect to a server that is operational.
Proton VPN keychain issue
If you enter the wrong login details several times, you might encounter an error message. If this appears, please verify that you are using the correct Proton username and password. If you do not yet have an account, you can sign up for a Free plan for macOS.
The Network Extension Agent, also known as neagent, enables your Mac to receive VPN authentication data from the keychain system. To allow your Mac to establish a VPN connection, you will need to enter your system password. Select Allow or Always Allow to continue.
To resolve a persistent keychain error, log out of your Mac user account and log back in, or restart your Mac.
Advanced troubleshooting
You can learn additional information about the problem by opening Terminal from the Other folder in Launchpad or the Utilities folder in your Applications folder.
1. Ping Proton VPN using the following command:
ping api.protonmail.ch
2. Run a traceroute using:
traceroute api.protonmail.ch
If neither command gets a response, there may be something wrong with your device or network. Please contact our support team with this data, along with your device and ISP information.
Try manually configuring OpenVPN using Tunnelblick
Our macOS app now fully supports OpenVPN, and our Smart Protocol feature will automatically switch between different VPN protocols to find one that works.
Learn more about changing VPN protocols in macOS
However, to change VPN protocols, you must sign in to the app. If the connection fails at the sign-in page you can manually configure an OpenVPN connection to our servers using the open-source Tunnelblick app .
Learn how to set up OpenVPN on macOS using Tunnelblick
OpenVPN in TCP mode, in particular, offers increased resistance to censorship measures.
Learn more about the difference between OpenVPN UDP and OpenVPN TCP
If none of the solutions above works, please contact our support team for further assistance.
this requires 12.2 but my OS X only goes up to 12.1, do you have an older version that will work on my computer?
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Hello Blake. There seems to be something wrong here. Our software is supported from 10.12 and above. Did you mean 10.12.2? Please contact our customer support team for detailed troubleshooting. https://protonvpn.com/support-form
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Hi,
I am getting an “internal API error” (in red) when opening ProtonVPN for the first time on MacOS High Sierra.
Am I missing something?
Grt
EM
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Hello, Please restart the mac device and if that does not help please contact our customer support team here and we will do our best to help you out! https://protonvpn.com/support-form
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Why it kept on asking for password? When i’m connecting to united states?
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Hello, please contact our customer support team as we need additional information. https://protonvpn.com/support-form
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I have the same dreaded “Keychain error”.
It seems ridiculous to have to logout and reboot my machine anytime I want to connect to the VPN. If I wanted to do retarded windoze type reboots every time I do something I wouldn’t be using a UNIX based OS. Please fix this issue, it’s obviously not user error, but something within the scope of your vpn application.
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Hello Henry. Please press CMD+ Space (search bar will appear)> type Keychain Access> press on the lock in the corner (in order to have administrator privileges)> in the same window search bar type- “VPN”.
Right click and choose Delete all the files related to ProtonVPN, OpenVPN or Tunnelblick. This will delete remembered passwords for connections that you had with our servers.
After all of this try connecting again, it should prompt you for your credentials, keep in mind that it may also ask for your Mac’s user account info too.
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No joy from here either, I was being asked for OpenVPN Password originally, however don’t believe i have that info. Now i just get Keychain error
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Hello Garry, the time you install our application and log in with your protonvpn account, you make a connection and then you are asked for keychain password – that is your mac user password that you use to log in to your mac when you wake it up. If you face any issues we would suggest contacting the support https://protonvpn.com/support-form
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OSX 10.12.6 app v1.2.3 is not working at all, same issues as js above. Had to dig into the os logs since pv logs don´t show either. Works from windows pc app in the same network. I have restarted the Mac, this is the only active session, etc. Logs seem to include PI so I’m only pasting this bit here:
11:40:11.527433 -0500 secd ProtonVPN[1040] copy_matching Error Domain=NSOSStatusErrorDomain Code=-50 “query missing class name” (paramErr: error in user parameter list) UserInfo={NSDescription=query missing class name}
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Hello Osox. This is a quite strange error that we don’t recall if we have seen it. It would be the best if you contacted our tech support via email form for detailed investigation. https://protonvpn.com/support-form
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Regarding the “Keychain error” message I can say that it is not occuring in non-root users on macOS X High Sierra (version 10.13.6 Beta (17G39b)) with ProtonVPN on version 1.2.3.
However, if logged into the root user I will always get this error message. I think it’s due to the right management in macOS but it may be worth including that in the article.
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Sent an email to support but having the same problems. I live in China. I have the most up to date software and installed TunnelBlick and the new ProtonVPN software. I am not able to connect with either software, followed all of the instructions from the site
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Hello Brian, our customer support team will keep you in contact and troubleshoot you further on. :)
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I get a sad face over the message “Connecting Failed” and the options [Cancel] and [Try again].
Running macOS 10.13.5.
Using ProtonVPN on Win 7 works fine using my ISP, Bredbandsbolaget/Sweden.
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Hello, please contact our customer support team and we will surely help you out! https://protonvpn.com/support-form
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Any chance that this will come to older but still supported versions of macOS (thinking 10.12)? I have some older machines which I can’t upgrade to 10.12 that I still use and would love the convenience of the ProtonVPN app.
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Hello Chris. Sadly, for now there are no plans to support older macOS versions that are below 10.12. We`ll let our customers know on social media if any changes will come.
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Hi,
I often travel to China, UAE, Qatar, Turkey, … May I use MacOS beta from there or only tunnelblick and securecore ?
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Hello. Currnetly macOS application will most likely not work due to its used IKEv2 protocol, but it can work, it only depends on ISP most of the times. The best working solution is Tunnelblick as it uses openvpn which is working most of the times in restricted countries.
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I have downloaded the MAC beta client and followed the tutorial to copy it to applications, when i click on it to open it it doesn’t do anything (i get no error messages and i don’t get the logon screen). Eventually i get a message that says that the application has closed unexpectedly. The error report states : Exception Type: EXC_CRASH (Code Signature Invalid), Reason: Namespace CODESIGNING, Code 0x1
I have tried restarting my MAC and starting again from scratch – i get the same issue. Am I missing something?
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Hello, May we ask, what application version do you have installed?
Try using this application which has it fixed, then update to the latest one.
https://we.tl/0dZFJ6JucK
Checksum:
11a40a64db96c48d66f486fee89143b4
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Hi – i downloaded the client from the protonvpn site at the time that i tried this originally. Unfortunately I didn’t have a chance to try this again until today and your download link has expired. Is the fix that you mention in the beta software generally downloadable from the protonvpn site now?
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Hello JS, yes, the updated software version is stored on our website and you can download it from here – https://account.protonvpn.com/mac-beta
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I’ve tried downloading this and following the instructions again. I still cannot get the application to run. It installs and i can double-click on the icon but it does nothing at all until i get an error message that states that the application closed unexpectedly. The log has the same error message as before “Termination Reason: Namespace CODESIGNING, Code 0x1”. Any idea if there is anything else i can try or should i give up?
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Hello Js, have you tried restarting the mac and performing the installation again? Also, is this the first time installing the ProtonVPN mac application? Please dont hesitate to contact our customer support team here – https://protonvpn.com/support-form
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Hello,
I have tried my correct password for OpenVPN.
I tried the correct password for ProtonVPN.
I tried the correct keychain password for my computer.
Nothing.
I restarted my application. Still nothing.
I have been at this for over an hour.
What exactly is keychain password for OpenVPN if it is not the same as the OpenVPN password?
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Hello,
May we ask, have you tried restarting your mac?
When keychain access comes up, you have to enter your Mac User password that you use to log in to your laptop.
If you still face issues with our application, we recommend contact our support via this form:
https://protonvpn.com/support-form
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I have the same issue CN has described. I’ve been trying over several days and have ZERO luck. I have no issues using the VPN via Tunnelblick but when trying with ProtonVPN client, none of the keychain passwords work. Like CN, I have used the protonmail password, the previousy used mailbox password, the original password used for tunnelblick and the apple ID. Needless to say, since I have been attempting to get this to work over several days, I have logged out, rebooted, etc. I’ve even uninstalled and reinstalled. Help. (Note: I also updated to MacOS X10.13.6 since my earlier OS was not compatible.)
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Hello! Harder issues should be discussed with our support team hear for more fluid and convenient conversation since we will need some files. Would you mind contacting us here : https://protonvpn.com/support-form
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