Support Center / Troubleshooting / Unable to connect

Unable to connect

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

 

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 change VPN protocols?

How to use content streaming services with Proton VPN?

 

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74 comments

  1. blockedout

    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.!

  2. ProtonVPN Team

    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

  3. Sherif Alhussiny

    Whenever I try to connect to any server it tells me connection timed out.. I don’t know how to solve this problem.

  4. ProtonVPN Team

    Hello. Please contact our customer support team as we need the connection logs to see what is failing exactly. https://protonvpn.com/support-form

  5. Arnold

    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

  6. ProtonVPN Team

    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.

  7. Blazefp

    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”

  8. ProtonVPN Team

    Hello, please contact our customer support team as we need the connection logs to see where the issue is exactly.

  9. U. r

    Can only connect to CZ#4 since yesterday.

  10. ProtonVPN Team

    Hello. Please contact our customer support team as we need the connection logs for the investigation. https://protonvpn.com/support-form

  11. camonfc

    hello please i cannot connect. i use windows 7. will say connecting but never connects

  12. ProtonVPN Team

    Hello. Please contact our customer support team as we need the connection logs for the investigation. https://protonvpn.com/support-form

  13. Barbara Leinweber

    I keep getting the message “noconnectivity detected” on my cell phone. I’ve rebooted my ZTE cell phone. How do I fix this problems

  14. ProtonVPN Team

    Hello Barbara. Could you please contact our customer support team for the detailed investigation? https://protonvpn.com/support-form

  15. Dre

    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?

  16. ProtonVPN Team

    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

  17. amany

    I still have a problem of connecting timed out although I tried all suggested solutions

  18. ProtonVPN Team

    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

  19. Ali Moradi

    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.

  20. ProtonVPN Team

    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

  21. Ty

    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.

  22. ProtonVPN Team

    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

  23. Islam Mu

    in my country openvpn, and vpns at all has been blocked, are you guyz support connect openvpn through obfs proxy ?? like nordvpn btw

  24. ProtonVPN Team

    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.

  25. PacketPusher

    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

  26. Eric

    Where would these changes be made?

  27. Liam

    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.”

  28. ProtonVPN Team

    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

  29. Chris

    Connecting always times out on “Assigning IP” and I can’t connect. Any help?

  30. ProtonVPN Team

    Hello Chris,

    Could you please contact our support team with all of the detailed information:
    https://protonvpn.com/support-form

  31. Max

    Is this problem resolved? I also do not connect at the “Assigning IP” stage. Windows Server 2016 Datacentre.

  32. ProtonVPN Team

    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

  33. BDL

    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?

  34. ProtonVPN

    Hello, please contact our customer support team through the following link, so we can troubleshoot the issue easier:

    https://protonvpn.com/support-form

  35. Randy Porter

    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?

  36. Edgar

    Hi!!! How to convert a “OVPN file” to a “ONC file” for Chromebook???

  37. johnaziz

    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

  38. ProtonVPN

    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.

  39. Nick

    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

  40. ProtonVPN

    Yes, it does work on Android: https://protonvpn.com/support/android-vpn-setup/

  41. Paolo

    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

  42. ProtonVPN

    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/

  43. AntoScar

    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!

  44. ProtonVPN

    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.

  45. rachelmw

    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?

  46. JimW

    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.

  47. ProtonVPN

    For this issue, please submit a support request here:

    https://protonvpn.com/support-form

  48. Parisien

    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.

  49. Shaun

    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.

  50. Chris

    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.

  51. Manuel

    Hi, when will the android app be available?

  52. ProtonVPN

    Android app is under development right now with no fixed release date. WE’ll have more info in q4 this year

  53. Edgar Birker

    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.

  54. ProtonVPN

    to double check, do you have a plus subscription, as secure core servers are Plus only

  55. Adrian Kentleton

    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.

  56. chuxia wan

    should you send your vpnfiles to my protonmail?it’s impossible todownload your file rather than to email them to my protonmail

  57. ProtonVPN

    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

  58. fearghus

    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

  59. ProtonVPN

    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

  60. yogesh

    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.

  61. ProtonVPN

    hi yogesh, please drop us a line via the support form, we’re happy to help out there with more details

  62. Gilles

    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.

  63. ProtonVPN

    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

  64. adrian

    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 :)

  65. Anonymous

    Is it or will it be possible to use port 443 or some kind of built-in obfuscation to avoid VPN blocking?

  66. ProtonVPN

    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

  67. Anonymous

    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.

  68. ProtonVPN

    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.

  69. Anonymous

    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).

  70. Richard

    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.”

  71. Ziggy

    Any further troubleshooting tips if connection fails?

  72. ProtonVPN

    Hi Ziggy, if the problems persists, please drop us a line via the support form at https://protonvpn.com/support-form

  73. el jefe

    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!

  74. ProtonVPN

    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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