Setup guide for new users

Welcome to the Proton VPN community. This guide will help you download and install the proper Proton VPN app for your device. It will also address some of the more common questions we get from our new users.

You’re just a couple steps away from making your online activity secure and private. Let’s get started!

How to install Proton VPN

You can install Proton VPN on all major popular platforms:

Android

The majority of non-Apple smartphones and tablets use the Android operating system. If you have a smartphone or tablet that’s not an iPhone or iPad, it will run Android.

Learn how to install the Proton VPN Android app

iOS and iPadOS

If you have an Apple iPhone, it runs iOS. If you have an Apple iPad, it runs iPadOS (which is very similar to iOS, but is optimized for a larger screen and the additional use cases this allows for).

Learn how to install the Proton VPN iOS app

Windows

If your laptop or desktop is a PC, then it likely runs Microsoft Windows.

Learn how to install the Proton VPN Windows app

macOS

If you have a laptop or desktop computer from Apple (such as a MacBook, iMac, Mac Mini, or Mac Studio), it runs macOS.

Learn how to install the Proton VPN macOS app

Linux

Linux is an open source operating system that has dozens of different distributions. If Linux doesn’t sound familiar to you, it’s unlikely you’re using it.

Proton VPN is officially supported on Ubuntu GNOME and Debian GNOME. It may work on other Linux distributions, but support for these may be limited.

Learn how to install the Proton VPN on Linux client

Browser extensions

The stand-alone Proton VPN browser extensions for Chrome and Firefox provide a quick and convenient way to protect your privacy while browsing the internet.

Learn how to install the Proton VPN browser extension

Android TV

Android TV is built into some TVs and is used by a wide selection of streaming sticks and boxes that can plug into any TV with a spare HDMI port. If you don’t have an Android TV, you can find some examples in this article(nueva ventana).

Learn how to install the Proton VPN Android TV app

Fire TV and Fire TV Stick

Fire TV is an operating system from Amazon that runs on its own TVs and streaming devices, and on some third-party devices. The best-known such device is the Fire TV Stick (also known as the firestick).

Learn how to install Proton VPN on an Amazon Fire TV or Fire TV Stick

Apple TV

If the streaming device plugged into your TV is made by Apple, its an Apple TV(nueva ventana).

Learn how to install the Proton VPN Apple TV app

Routers

You can set up Proton VPN on your router. Doing this means every device that connects to the router is automatically protected by Proton VPN. Another benefit is that a router counts as just one VPN connection, no matter how many devices are connected to the router.

Learn more about why you should set up a VPN on your router

Learn how to install Proton VPN on your your router

Frequently asked questions

Does the VPN just protect the Internet through my browser?

No. Once you are connected to a Proton VPN server, your whole Internet connection is secured, and your public IP address and geolocation are changed. The applications on your device that connect to the internet will also have their connections routed through the same secure VPN tunnel. Therefore, the services you access on the internet can’t see your true IP address and location.

Note: This applies to our full VPN apps. Our browser extension only protects your browser.

Does it matter what internet browser I use with Proton VPN?

Proton VPN works with the latest version of most popular Internet browsers, including Mozilla Firefox, Apple Safari, the Brave browser, and Google Chrome. However, we no longer support Internet Explorer as it is outdated.

Learn more about which browsers you can use with Proton VPN.

What can I do to make my VPN connection faster?

The speed of your VPN connection is a function of the speed of your Internet connection. If you have a slow Internet connection with your Internet service provider, using a VPN will not make it faster.

That being said, there are some basic steps you can take to optimize your VPN connection’s speed. You can:

• Connect to a VPN server that is geographically closer to your location
• Connect to a VPN server that currently has a lower load

Learn more about how to increase the speed of your VPN connection.

I’m having trouble connecting to the Internet with Proton VPN. What can I do?

If you are experiencing connection difficulties, it is generally the result of one of the three following situations:

• The server you are trying to connect to is currently down for maintenance, in which case you should try to connect to another server;
• Your system time does not match the time on the SSL certificate, in which case you should reset your device’s clock; or
• There may be restrictions on your network.

Learn more about how to resolve Proton VPN connection issues. If you try these solutions and still cannot connect, or if you have any other questions, please contact our support team(nueva ventana).