How to install Proton VPN on Debian

Reading: 4 mins
Category: Linux

Our app officially supports the latest stable Debian version running the GNOME desktop environment. It should also work with most distributions based on Debian (not Ubuntu Server or Raspbian), but they are not officially supported.

To install the app, open a terminal window and:

1. Download the repository configuration and keys required to install the Proton VPN app. Enter:

wget https://repo.protonvpn.com/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-all/protonvpn-stable-release_1.0.6_all.deb

2. Install the Proton VPN repository containing the new app. Enter:

sudo dpkg -i ./protonvpn-stable-release_1.0.6_all.deb && sudo apt update

Please don’t try to check the GPG signature of this release package (dpkg-sig –verify). Our internal release process is split into several part and the release package is signed with a GPG key, and the repo is signed with another GPG key. So the keys don’t match.

If you want to check the repo package integrity, you can check its checksum with the following command:

echo "e5e03976d0980bafdf07da2f71b14fbc883c091e72b16772199742c98473002f protonvpn-stable-release_1.0.6_all.deb" | sha256sum --check -

3. Run:

sudo apt install proton-vpn-gnome-desktop

Linux system tray icon (optional)

By default, the GNOME desktop doesn’t support tray icons. To enable this functionality on Debian-based distributions, run:

sudo apt install libayatana-appindicator3-1 gir1.2-ayatanaappindicator3-0.1 gnome-shell-extension-appindicator

On Debian 11, you’ll need to restart your computer. Once you’ve done this, open the Extensions app and ensure that Ubuntu AppIndicators is toggled on before launching the app.

A warning about using pip and PyPI(new window)

Notes

1. How to remove the official Linux app

To uninstall the Linux app, open a terminal and enter:

sudo apt purge "protonvpn*" proton-vpn-gnome-desktop && sudo apt autoremove

2. How to remove the old (v3) Proton VPN app

To uninstall our old (v3) Linux app, open a terminal and enter:

sudo apt autoremove protonvpn

Remove any leftover files:

rm -rf ~/.cache/protonvpn

And

rm -rf ~/.config/protonvpn

3. 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”ve 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.

4. Try out our beta Linux app

The beta version of our Linux app gives you access to new features before they are released publicly, but it is still in development. By using the beta version and sharing your feedback, you can help us find and address bugs.

If you already have the Linux app installed, to enable beta access, simply open the app and go to Settings and toggle the Beta access switch on.

If you haven’t installed the Linux app yet, you can either install the app and then enable beta access (as above), or you can install the beta app directly by opening a terminal window and:

1. Download the beta package. Enter:

wget https://repo2.protonvpn.com/debian/dists/unstable/main/binary-all/protonvpn-beta-release_1.0.6_all.deb

2. Install the Proton VPN beta repository containing the new app. Run:

sudo dpkg -i ./protonvpn-beta-release_1.0.6_all.deb && sudo apt update