How to use a VPN on a Mac

Once you’ve decided which VPN service to use, go to its website and choose the plan that suits you best.

NordVPN, which we use here, currently offers two-year, one-year, and one-month subscriptions. In the image above, the first option is the cheapest, costing $5.29/£4.39 per month for two years. There may be options that look cheaper, but after the first year you could be paying a lot more, at which point you might want to cancel the deal and look for a new deal.

You can find the best deal now on NordVPN. (Nord, like other VPNs, often offer lower price per month deals.)

Create an account and use your preferred payment method to activate your subscription. Be sure to keep your password and username safe as you will need them.

Once you have your account details ready, download the app for your VPN of choice.

On your Mac, you should be able to download through the App Store, which is usually faster and more secure, but some VPNs may offer download links from their websites for newer or more functional versions.

With Nord best deals here. You can download NordVPN from Nord websiteand also from Mac App Store.

If you choose to download a VPN from the App Store, you may be prompted to sign in using your Apple ID after clicking Install the application.

After installation, open the application. You will need to log in using the email address and password you used when creating your account earlier (step 1).

Once you log in, you will see a pop-up asking for permission to allow your VPN to add VPN configurations to your computer. You will need to click Let and may be prompted to enter the password you use to sign in to your Mac.

We’ll explain below how to set up a VPN that requires you to go into your Mac’s settings, but like most services, the Nord app does all the setup for you when you click Allow here.

If you downloaded a reliable VPN app from a trusted source, it should be safe.

To start using the VPN, you will be asked to select a server. This may be in the country where you are located if you want to protect your privacy and are not trying to access blocked content. However, if you are trying to access any service, e.g. American Netflix from inside the UKor BBC iPlayer from outside the UK., or you want to check the website, you need to select the appropriate server location.

If you’re using Nord, you can select a server using the search bar in the top left corner, scrolling through the world map or country list. Other VPNs will have a similar process for selecting the server location through which you will be routed.

You may encounter some warnings when you first try to connect to a new server. For example, you might see a message like the one above: “A non-agent wants to use your sensitive information stored on NordVPN in your keychain.” This will only appear if the protocol used is set to IKEv2, but you’re better off using OpenVPN or NordLynx (powered by WireGuard) if you want a faster connection.

You can enter your Mac administrator password and click Always Allow. This means NordVPN will remember your keychain login password for future use and won’t ask you for it again until you change your password.

Your VPN will offer different settings. For example, with Nord you can access settings in Settings. Click NordVPN in the top menu and then click Settings (Preferences in older versions of macOS).

Here you’ll find options such as “Start an application when your computer starts” and the option to automatically connect to a specific country (see: Settings > Auto connect). This way, the VPN connects to the server of your choice from the moment you launch the application.

You can also access the advanced version of Nord’s Kill Switch here. Kill Switch should stop data leakage in case of connection failure; advanced settings provide an additional level of security. Other VPNs may have a similar feature, which you can find in the app’s settings.

You’ll be able to access your VPN settings and server lists at any time by launching the app itself or using the icon in the navigation bar at the top of your computer, where you’ll usually find the date and time.

Once connected, you can use your Mac as usual, but knowing that no one can spy on your web browsing, and you can access previously blocked content.

Whenever you want to surf the Internet as if you were in another country, or just make sure your data is encrypted, you can turn on the VPN, select the country server you want to use, and take advantage of features that might otherwise be are not available to you. . To use a streaming service from another country, you need to register for that service. Enjoy your holiday!