How to install a VPN on Windows

(Image credit: ExpressVPN)

A VPN (virtual private network) service tin can be used to keep your spider web browsing anonymous, secure, and private. Yous might think that installing a Windows 10 VPN would be hard, simply it'south really a simple process. In this article, nosotros'll show yous how to install a VPN on Windows and help you decide what might be the best VPN for your needs.

In our instance, we use ExpressVPN, but the process to install a VPN is largely the same for every software provider. Head to the ExpressVPN website, and click on Go ExpressVPN to get started.

Choose your plan

ExpressVPN requires you lot to sign up for a plan before yous can use the service – there's no free VPN version available. You can choose a one-calendar month, six-month, or 12-calendar month programme, all of which have a xxx-day money-back guarantee.

Yous'll find that signing upwardly for longer offers significant discounts, and Tom's Guide readers tin can get an extra iii months gratuitous on a 12-month plan.

Select the plan y'all want, enter your email accost, and make full in your preferred method of payment – ExpressVPN accepts credit cards, PayPal, Bitcoin, and a whole host of other options. Complete payment through your gateway of choice.

ExpressVPN payment options — (Image credit: ExpressVPN)

After buying your VPN programme, you're asked to set your ExpressVPN password. It needs to be at least viii characters long and contain at least 1 number and one symbol. You lot'll employ this password to access all your ExpressVPN apps.

Download the VPN application for Windows

The next screen offers you downloads for all your devices, including Windows. Annotation that there's an activation code that you lot can use to speed up the setup of your VPN software – merely many competitors don't utilise this organization and you can often download the software without a code, and in some instances, without even signing up to a programme.

In this case, copy the code past clicking on the copy push, and click Download to transfer the software to your PC.

ExpressVPN activation — (Image credit: ExpressVPN)

How to install a VPN on Windows

To showtime the installation, click on the file that you've only downloaded. You lot can either do this from inside your browser or navigate to the file in your file system. If a security warning pops up asking whether you desire to run this file, click Run.

The installation procedure volition accept most thirty seconds, and so you'll exist asked to sign in. Click on the Sign In button to go along.

Enter the activation code that you lot copied from the ExpressVPN website. It should still be in your figurer'southward clipboard, and then y'all tin printing Control-V to paste it in. Click Continue.

You'll then exist asked whether you desire ExpressVPN to launch automatically with Windows. Choose OK if you lot want this to happen or No Thank you if you want to manually start ExpressVPN yourself every time you lot need it.

You'll besides exist asked if you lot want to send diagnostics and crash information to ExpressVPN to aid it improve its service. Choose OK or No Thanks. Your installation is at present consummate, and you're free to connect to ExpressVPN'due south service by clicking on the big Connect button.

Richard brings over 20 years of website development, SEO, and marketing to the table. A graduate in Computer Science, Richard has lectured in Java programming and has built software for companies including Samsung and ASDA. Now, he writes for TechRadar, Tom'due south Guide, PC Gamer, and Creative Bloq.