In cases Proton VPN can’t connect, please refer to the following list of solutions. Most of the steps described here can be done without direct support from our support team, but in case you get stuck or don’t know how to handle certain things, we will be there for you.
Server downtimes
If you have connection problems with a single server or country, it’s quite likely a temporary problem or downtime, e.g. for maintenance. We work to ensure maximum server uptime. However once in a while a server may still go down unexpectedly. If the problem persists on all servers, please also check your firewall/ antivirus settings.
System and compatibility issues
Installation
- Make sure Proton VPN is properly installed and that you have granted permission to install the OpenVPN TAP adapter. For detailed instructions on how to install Proton VPN please visit this article.
System time
- If your system time is not set correctly, you might be unable to log into Proton VPN. If your system time is, for example, set to April, 1st, 2005, an SSL certificate from 2007 will be rejected and the connection will fail.
Reinstall Proton VPN
- Sometimes an operating system takes a wrong turn and slows down a program. please uninstall Proton VPN completely and re-install it. The following links have detailed instructions on how to uninstall and install Proton VPN.
Account Problems
Wrong credentials
- Please make sure that you typed your credentials correctly before attempting to connect. Learn more about locating your Proton VPN password.
Expired account
- If your subscription ran out, Proton VPN will not connect to the internet. Please make sure that you have a valid subscription or upgrade your account.
Not connected to the internet while attempting to connect Proton VPN
Please make sure that your internet connection is stable and uninterrupted. If you are using Wi-Fi, please try switching to a cable – Ethernet – connection instead.
Related questions
Does Proton VPN have bandwidth limit?
How to use content streaming services with Proton VPN?
why am i seeing this when i try to login, now?
“your proton app cannot be used until it is upgraded”
W.T.F.?!
i go to it in the App Store to ser its up-to-date (SINCE SEPTEMBER) on my phone.!
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Hello there, please contact our customer support team as we have not seen an issue like this and would like to investigate it further. https://protonvpn.com/support-form
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Whenever I try to connect to any server it tells me connection timed out.. I don’t know how to solve this problem.
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Hello. Please contact our customer support team as we need the connection logs to see what is failing exactly. https://protonvpn.com/support-form
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Thanx guys, you really do a good job for the www. Interface works great and easy. And the ‘unable to connect’ problem was solved in a few clicks….(reinstall did the trick) so your support page works as well :-).
For now i’m using an basic account, so i don’t have secure core.
So i was wondering if the servers in Swiss are your own property (on the hardware level as well) and therefore more secure than hired servers in distant countries
Best regards & keep up the good work
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Hello Arnold. Our servers of course will be more secure since we do have physical access to them ourselfs but the point is that the servers that we rent, we do so from reputable server providers and each server is configured the same way and up to par to our security standards. So if a server is ours or rented, the setup does not differ on the security level.
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Installed ProtonVPN free but it doesn’t connect. Most of the times it just tries to connect and fails without warning, some times it returns the “Maximum connection limit reached”
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Hello, please contact our customer support team as we need the connection logs to see where the issue is exactly.
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Can only connect to CZ#4 since yesterday.
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Hello. Please contact our customer support team as we need the connection logs for the investigation. https://protonvpn.com/support-form
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hello please i cannot connect. i use windows 7. will say connecting but never connects
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Hello. Please contact our customer support team as we need the connection logs for the investigation. https://protonvpn.com/support-form
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I keep getting the message “noconnectivity detected” on my cell phone. I’ve rebooted my ZTE cell phone. How do I fix this problems
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Hello Barbara. Could you please contact our customer support team for the detailed investigation? https://protonvpn.com/support-form
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I have an issue with connecing via the proton vpn. My OS is Kali Linux and I run the vpn through the terminal. But the vpn no longer runs when prompted but instead says “error opening configuration file: (vpn file name). Any suggestions?
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Hello. Please contact our customer support team with your current issue and we are sure we will find a way to help you out. https://protonvpn.com/support-form
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I still have a problem of connecting timed out although I tried all suggested solutions
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Hello Amany, it could be a simple TAP driver issue on your system, please contact our customer support team with connection logs (you can simply use bug report in the application) and we will investigate the issues that you are having. https://protonvpn.com/support-form
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Hello. I can’t connect using ProtonVPN because it keeps showing “gateway unreachable” error and I have mobile data 4g connection. What can I do to fix this? I live in Iran by the way.
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Hello Ali, could you please contact our customer support team and we will do our best to help you out! https://protonvpn.com/support-form
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I am running Slackware 14.2 Stable Linux. I used the linux client tool and installed Protonvpn-cli . The INIT step was successful but when executing the -connect command it errored . I’ve tried UDP and then TCP and both finished with error.
I have the BASIC plan …is that my problem since it appears I can’t access config files without subscribing to the Plus servers. I’ve tried both credential sets to login ( ProtonVPN and OpenVPN) but I’m not familiar with OpenVPN.
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Hello. When using the command pvpn -c, what error message do you get exactly? Is it something about your internet connection? Please contact our customer support team with more detailed information :
https://protonvpn.com/support-form
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in my country openvpn, and vpns at all has been blocked, are you guyz support connect openvpn through obfs proxy ?? like nordvpn btw
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Hello. Currently we do not have any obfuscated servers in our services but we are looking forward on adding some. Sadly, we do not have an ETA on that.
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Just wanted to post this because it was not found in any documentation anywhere on the site. Due to the setup with PFsense and using strict firewall configurations; egress traffic is filtered (i,e,. outbound traffic), you must open the outbound ports below for Proton App which uses IKEv2:
IP Protocol Type= UDP,
UDP Port Number= 500 <- Used by IKEv2
IP Protocol Type= UDP,
UDP Port Number= 4500 <- Used by IKEv2
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Where would these changes be made?
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ProtonVPN unable to connect on my system: Windows 10 Pro (OS Build 16299.248)
I’ve tried ProtonVPN again but still isn’t working for me. I checked my McAfee firewall and ProtonVPN is allowed to use all ports. I also wonder if there should be a virtual network adapter listed under “Network Connections.”
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Hello Liam,
Its most likely that the issue is in the TAP adapter. Could you please go to device manager and uninstall ProtonVPN TAP adapter? After doing so, please uninstall and install the ProtonVPN application again and the driver will be reinstalled.
If no luck after that , feel free to contact our support team here:
https://protonvpn.com/support-form
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Connecting always times out on “Assigning IP” and I can’t connect. Any help?
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Hello Chris,
Could you please contact our support team with all of the detailed information:
https://protonvpn.com/support-form
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Is this problem resolved? I also do not connect at the “Assigning IP” stage. Windows Server 2016 Datacentre.
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Hello Max, it would be the best that you contacted us using this form since we need the connection logs from your computer to see where the connection fails. https://protonvpn.com/support-form
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Followed guide to get OpenVPN for Android on my LG Q6+ device.
Downloaded server settings for Japan and US free.
Unable to connect via UDP settings. Error logs show
===========================================
UDP link local: (not bound)
UDP link remote: [AF_INET] 10.10.34.36:1194
read UDP [ECONNREFUSED]: Connection refused (code=111)
read UDP [ECONNREFUSED]: Connection refused (code=111)
read UDP [ECONNREFUSED]: Connection refused (code=111)
read UDP [ECONNREFUSED]: Connection refused (code=111)
TLS Error: TLS key negotiation failed to occur within 60 seconds (check your network connectivity)
=================================
ProtonVPN works on my Windows computer. What gives?
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Hello, please contact our customer support team through the following link, so we can troubleshoot the issue easier:
https://protonvpn.com/support-form
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I have a Google Pixel XL, I’ve followed all instructions and imported the config files into the OpenVPN for Android app, however when I select the profile I get a quick split-second message saying “Connecting To VPN” with what looks like the start of a connecting or download progress circle, but then it goes away and nothing further occurs, I’ve downloaded multiple configs and they all act in the same way, I’ve deleted and re-installed the app, etc…what else can I try?
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Hi!!! How to convert a “OVPN file” to a “ONC file” for Chromebook???
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hey there,
ive been unable to log into any server (both normal and secure core) I have a plus account and ive changed my openvpn password and downloaded latest .ovpn configs to no avail. happens on android and windows.
issue is also present with the ProtonVPN program
Cheers
John
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Hi johnaziz, sorry for the inconvenience. If this issue persist, can you please drop us a line via the support form and attach the logs (from either the Windows application or the Android log screen) and we’ll be happy to look into this issue.
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Wait, so, as of right now, today, this wont work on an Android? The whole reason I purchased the plan was to run it on my Galaxy, .. is this true?
Thanks
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Yes, it does work on Android: https://protonvpn.com/support/android-vpn-setup/
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On my Android phone it works fine but I have the following questions:
1) I changed the autogenerated login/pwd for openvpn to simpler one because they were a pain to digit for each profile. Does this weaken my traffic privacy FROM A NETWORK point of view?
2) I have a certificate error and I have to say “Continue without certificate”. How this weakens my privacy/security? What does this mean?
3) ipleak.net report WEB RTC leaks and DNS leaks from my connection (country profile, ch). Should I worry about that?
Thanks
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1 and 2 are fine. For the third one, please consult our Linux VPN guide for details on how to eliminate DNS leaks: https://protonvpn.com/support/linux-vpn-setup/
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Hi there,
I just created a ProtonVPN free (for now) account with my ProtonMail account and then I downloaded and installed (with admin rights) on my win10 desktop the package “ProtonVPN_win_v1.0.3.exe” without problems. In the ProtonVPN login window I inserted my credentials as indicated in the relative account page (“Use the following credentials to log into the ProtonVPN Applications”), but I just receive all the way the following message: “Your account has no VPN access.”
Of course, credentials are surely correct, because if I insert a wrong name or password then I receive an “Incorrect credentials” message instead.
I carefully checked all pages of the ProtonVPN account, but I have not seen anything stating that the account (or the free plan) is not yet active. So I don’t understand where is the problem.
Thanks in advance!
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In the ProtonMail webapp, if you go to Settings –> VPN, you can see your current VPN status. It is likely not active yet as we have a waiting list still for free accounts.
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Hi,
I’ve not been able to connect to the Australian server for 24 hours now, but US is fine. Is there a prob with the Aussie server?
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I’m successfully using your Basic service on Ubuntu 16.04 LTS. However, I have not been able to get the openvpn service to work on my Android Nexus 6. The UDP connections quit with a SIGTERM, and the TCP connection quits with a SIGINT.
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For this issue, please submit a support request here:
https://protonvpn.com/support-form
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Have combo Mail/VPN Plus account. Been enjoying the service. On iOS today have been unable to connect on any of the servers. Downloaded all of them (again) one by one since I was unable to save .Zip file directly to ProtonMail acct. Still unable to connect. Things were fine yesterday.
Whenever a server might be down due to whatever, could we receive some sort of broadcast advisory? Thanks.
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For the last week or so when trying to connect on my Android device (BlackBerry Priv) I keep receiving the Auth_Fail message and cannot connect. I have changed OpenVPN login info, uninstalled and reinstalled the OpenVPN app to no avail. I am traveling this next two weeks and could really use my VPN back, it was working great and then all the sudden just stopped and throws the auth_fail on every server file I try. Any assistance would be greatly appreciated.
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I installed ProtonVPN with the basic account on my iMac OS 10.12.5 and worked fine for couple of days, now any server I pick says Authentication Failed – The username and password were not accepted by the remote VPN server. I went to my dashboard and changed the user name and password and nothing works. It was very promising but I decided to uninstall it, maybe in the future I will try again, for now.. I am out.
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Hi, when will the android app be available?
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Android app is under development right now with no fixed release date. WE’ll have more info in q4 this year
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Hello,
It looks like that all connections to e,g. se-hk, ch-uk, is-es, etc. give a “Authentication fails message.
All “normal” connections seem to work.
IOS 10.3.2, OpenVPN 1.1.1 build 212, iPad pro.
Is there any solution?
Thank you.
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to double check, do you have a plus subscription, as secure core servers are Plus only
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Signed up for basic service today, can’t connect; the ovpn server config files/credentials don’t work (Windows 7). Nothing happens, the OpenVPN-GUI stays blank until ‘connection attempt failed’ message appears, nothing logged so can’t dignose issue.
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should you send your vpnfiles to my protonmail?it’s impossible todownload your file rather than to email them to my protonmail
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with the new configuration downloader it is now possibel to direct download: got to account.protonvpn.com/ and after logging in go to the download section on the left
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Trying to set up free account….email verification is supposedly unavailable, sms doesn’t send message….now says to wait as there have been too many attempts?!? please help
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we’ve had hickups during launch where the validation codes did not get sent due to high load. please try again. If the issue persists please drop us a line via protonvpn.com/support-form
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Hello.
I was beta tester for ProtonVPN. It was working fine. However, after subscription to ProtonVPN basic it is not connecting anymore. asking for valid credentials. I changed password but no help.
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hi yogesh, please drop us a line via the support form, we’re happy to help out there with more details
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Can’t connect on Windows 7 with message “Failed to connect. Exception status : response :”
I tried all the solutions above. I tried many times with the same failure. I installed the last version downloaded from your site 0.9.7, it’s no better. I succeeded in connecting in the begining and one day it stopped working, don’t know why.
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Sorry to hear of the troubles. If the problem persists, please drop us a line via the support form and we’ll be sure to respond. https://protonvpn.com/support-form
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Hi I have a BlackBerry Q10. It is asking me for:
Profile Name:
Server Address:
Group Username:
Group Password:
Hardware Token (???)
It gives me the choice between Gateway types:
Cisco ASA
Checkpoint Tech VPN-1
Juniper
Microsoft IKE
Generic
Then:
XAUTH-PKI
XAUTH-PSK
Any help would be appreciated :)
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Is it or will it be possible to use port 443 or some kind of built-in obfuscation to avoid VPN blocking?
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we support TCP 443 and its built into the Windows native app. If you need it on a non Windows plattform, contact support and we’d be happy to help
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Thanks. Does the Windows native app use TCP 443 by default? If not, how can the user change the port? I’m unable to connect: both quick connect or any other connect just cycles with busy trying to connect. I’m using Win10 64bits at my work’s desktop. Thanks again.
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Hi Anon, yes the Windows app supports TCP 443 by default. Go to the Settings menu and switch Default Protocol to TCP and you’re all set.
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Thanks! Yes, I can now connect, switching the protocol to TCP, it worked (though only when setting Secure Core OFF, otherwise the connection keeps on timing out at my work’s desktop).
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I’m having the same problem on Ubuntu 16.04(Windows 10 VPN client worked perfectly!).
AFAIK,same as posted above,I completed all 4 steps,have tried importing 3 connections,entered my OpenVPN ID and password correctly – and yet,each time I get “connection failed”,as in “timed out.”
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Any further troubleshooting tips if connection fails?
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Hi Ziggy, if the problems persists, please drop us a line via the support form at https://protonvpn.com/support-form
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Any further troubleshooting tips if connection fails? Using Elementary OS 0.4 (based Ubuntu 16.04 LTS), openVPN configuration files import successfully, login and password credentials were updated within my Protonmail account (typed carefully, multiple times), have tried various .ovpn config files. Receive no specific error messages (maybe logs I could check somewhere?), the connection just instantly fails. Any suggestions would be appreciated. I would really like to check out this service.
Thanks!
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Hi el jefe, please contact our support team through the support form and we’ll be happy to take a look at your issue.
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