VPN connection profiles
You can customize how you connect to our service. If you regularly use the same custom connection settings, you can save them as a VPN connection profile to make it easy to connect again using those settings. With a connection profile, you can define:
- The country, specific city, or server to connect to.
- The VPN connection type (Standard, Secure Core, P2P, or Gateway)
- The VPN protocol used
- Whether to use our Secure Core double-VPN feature
- Whether to use NetShield Ad-blocker, our DNS filtering feature that can also block trackers and malware
- Whether to use Moderate NAT
- Whether to auto-launch a website upon connection
Note that currently, not all our apps support all these options. VPN connection profiles are currently available on:
Windows
How to create a connection profile
- Open the app and go to the Profiles tab → + New profile.
2. Give your profile a name and (optional) select a suitable icon from the dropdown menu. Click on one of the colored dots to change its color.
3. Select the type of connection you want (Standard, Secure Core, P2P, or Gateway for organization users).
4. For Standard and P2P connections, select a Country, City or State, and Server to use for your custom connection.
To configure a Secure Core connection, first choose your destination country. The app will select a Middle country from Iceland, Switzerland, or Sweden. Just be aware that not all destination countries are compatible with all middle countries.
If you’re part of a Proton VPN organization that has Gateways, you’ll also have the option to select the Gateway type. You can then select from your organization’s gateways and dedicated servers.
5. Add custom settings (optional). Our Windows app supports some advanced configuration settings that you can add to your VPN profile. To do this, go to Add custom settings → Show settings and select your preferred settings from the list of supported options:
6. Connect and Go (optional). If you wish, you can specify a website URL that will automatically open in your default browser when you connect using this profile. To do this, toggle the Connect and Go switch on and enter a URL.
Click Save Profile when you’re done.
How to use connection profiles
On the Home screen, simply go to the Profiles tab and select one of your profiles.
Recently used profiles are also shown on your Recents tab. As with any other connection, you can Pin the profile to your Recents tab for easy access.
Learn more about how to use the Proton VPN Windows app
How to manage connection profiles
To Edit or Delete a connection profile, go to the Profiles tab → the profile you’d like to manage → ⋮.
macOS
How to create a connection profile
1. Open the app and go to the Profiles tab → Create Profile.
2. Give your connection a Name and choose a Color to help identify it. Using the dropdown lists, select your preferred connection options:
Select the type of connection you want (Standard, Secure Core, P2P, or Tor, give it a Name, and choose a Color to help identify it.
- Feature — Standard, Secure Core, P2P, or Tor
- Country — Choice of more than 110 countries.
- Server — Fastest, Random, or a particular server in the chosen country
- Protocol — Smart (protocol), IKEv2, OpenVPN (TCP), OpenVPN (UDP), or WireGuard
For Secure Core, Country selects the location for the exit server, while Server selects the Secure Core server your connection is routed through.
Click Save when you’re done. You can create multiple profiles.
How to use connection profiles
Simply go to the Profiles tab and click on the Connect button next to a profile that you have created. Proton VPN will then connect using the parameters you defined for it.
How to manage connection profiles
To manage your connection profiles, Profiles tab → Manage Profiles.
From here you can Connect, Edit, or Delete profiles you have created. You can also Create Profile from here if you wish.
Simply close the window when you’re done.
Android
How to create a connection profile
1. Open the app and go to the Profiles tab → Create profile.
- Give your profile a Name and choose a Color and Icon to help identify it. Tap Next when you’re done.
- Select the Type of connection you want (Standard, Secure Core, P2P, or Gateway for organization users) and the Country you wish to connect to.
When you select a specific Country, you can also choose a city and server. If you don’t specify a server, you’ll be connected to the fastest server in the country or city you selected.
If you’re part of a Proton VPN organization that has Gateways, you’ll also have the option to select a Gateway and a server within it.
To select a Secure Core connection, first choose your destination country. The app will select a middle country from Iceland, Switzerland, or Sweden. You can change the middle country, but just be aware that some destination countries aren’t compatible with all middle countries.
Tap Next when you’re done.
- Now, decide which settings to enable for your profile. At the moment, these settings can be customized:
- NetShield — Whether or not to use NetShield Ad-blocker
- Protocol — Select Smart (protocol), WireGuard, IKEv2, or OpenVPN
- NAT type — Select Strict NAT (type 3) or Moderate NAT (type 2)
- LAN connections — Whether or not to let your Android device connect to other devices on your local network (such as a printer or NAS).
- Connect and Go — Allows you to specify a Website URL that will automatically open in your device’s default browser when you connect using this profile.
Tap Save to finish creating your new profile.
How to use connection profiles
Simply go to the Profiles tab and select one of your profiles.
Recently used profiles are also shown on your Home tab. Just tap Connect.
As with any other connection, you can pin the profile to your Home tab for easy access.
Learn more about how to use the Proton VPN Android app
How to manage connection profiles
To Edit, Duplicate, or Delete a connection profile:
1. Go to Profiles tab → the profile you’d like to mange → ⋯.
- Edit, Duplicate, or Delete the profile.
How to make a profile your default connection
To make a profile your default connection, first ensure you’ve connected to the profile recently (so its on your Recents list). Now go to the Home screen and disconnect the VPN (if connected), then tap Default connection ⏷.
You can now select a default connection (including a profile) from your your Recent list.
iOS and iPadOS
How to create a connection profile
1. Open the app and go to the Profiles tab → +.
2. Give your connection a Name, choose a Color to identify it, then select your preferred connection options:
- Whether it will be a Secure Core connection
- Country — Choice of more than 110 countries
- Server — Fastest, Random, or a particular server in the chosen country
- Protocol — Smart, WireGuard, WireGuard (TCP), or Stealth
If using Secure Core, select the (exit) Country and a (Secure Core) Server location.
How to use and manage connection profiles
Go to the Profiles tab. From here you can:
- Create new profile
- Launch a profile (tap the power button icon next to a profile)
- Edit a profile (tap Edit, and then select the profile you’d like to edit)
- Delete a profile (swipe left on the profile)
Recently used profiles are also shown in the Recents section of the Home tab. Just tap on the profile to connect.
As with any other connection, you can pin the profile to your Home tab for easy access.
Learn more about how to use the Proton VPN Android app
How to make a profile your default connection
To make a profile your default connection, first ensure you’ve connected to the profile recently (so it’s on your Recents list). Now go to the Home screen and disconnect the VPN (if connected), then tap Default connection ⏷.
You can now select a default connection (including a profile) from your Recent list.
