How to install a VPN on Ubuntu

Our app officially supports Ubuntu 20.04+ (LTS and non-LTS versions). It should work on most distros based on these versions of Ubuntu, but we haven’t tested them and therefore do not officially support them.

1. Download the setup package for the Proton VPN repository

This package contains the repository configuration and keys that are required to install the Proton VPN app. It is not the app itself.

Download the Proton VPN DEB package

2. Install the Proton VPN repository

Double-click the downloaded DEB package to install the repository using your default package manager.

3. Update the apt-get package list

The following command updates the list of available packages and their versions. Doing this allows you to install the Proton VPN App. Open Terminal and enter:

sudo apt-get update

4. Install the app

Final step! Enter:

sudo apt-get install protonvpn

Linux system tray icon (optional)

If you want a system tray icon that stays active when you close the main Proton VPN window and allows you to easily Quick Connect or Disconnect, open Terminal and run:

sudo apt install gnome-shell-extension-appindicator gir1.2-appindicator3-0.1

If asked to choose your default displays manager, enter the correct option. If you’re not sure which it is, use the following command to find out:

grep '/usr/s\?bin' /etc/systemd/system/display-manager.service

Restart your system and log in with your Proton account credentials. If you do not yet have an account, you can sign up for a Free Proton VPN plan.

You can now connect to the internet privately and securely using Proton VPN.

Learn how to use the Proton VPN Linux app

Notes

1. Uninstall the Proton VPN app

Use the following commands to uninstall our official app for Linux:

sudo apt-get autoremove protonvpn

Remove any leftover files:

rm -rf ~/.cache/protonvpn

And

rm -rf ~/.config/protonvpn

2. How to disable the kill switch if you have uninstalled the app

You can easily turn off the kill switch inside our Linux app, but this isn’t possible if you have already uninstalled it. In this case, you can remove the kill switch and restore access to the internet as follows:

a) Identify the Proton VPN connection name with the command:

nmcli connection show --active

This will show a list of your system’s active connections.

b) Look for any connections that begin with prefix pvpn- This usually includes pvpn-killswitch and pvpn-ipv6leak-protection, and may include pvpn-routed-killswitch. Delete all these connections using the following command:

nmcli connection delete [connection name]

For example:

nmcli connection delete pvpn-killswitch

c) Re-run the following command to check that all Proton VPN connections have been removed:

nmcli connection show --active

If you see any Proton VPN connections left, delete them as described above.

3. Required dependencies

Most distros have one of these dependencies installed, so usually no further action is needed. If neither dependency is installed on your system, you will need to install one of them for the Proton VPN app to work: 

• KWallet
• Gnome-keyring

Note that we do not recommend installing both of them, as conflicts may occur. 

You will also need:  

• Systemd

(Again, this is pre-installed on most Linux distributions):

4. Try out the early release version of this app

If you wish to help Proton by finding and reporting bugs in our software, you can download the early-access version of our Linux app. Doing this gives you access to new features before they are released publicly, but you may encounter stability and other issues while using the app. 

To try out the early-access version of our Linux app, you must first uninstall the release version of the app (as described above). 

Then download the following package instead of the one linked to in step 1 of the guide above.

Download the early access version of the Proton VPN DEB package

You can then install and set up Proton VPN, as described above. If you wish to revert to using the release version of our app, uninstall the early access version first.

Warning: We do not recommend using our early access app if your threat model calls for high security or if you’re not experienced using Linux.