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How to Use a VPN on a Laptop

Setup built in or third-party VPN on your PC for increased protection

5 min. read

Updated onOctober 4, 2023

updated onOctober 4, 2023

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Do you need to connect your laptop to VPN? Having a good and reliable VPN is important, and in today’s article, we’ll show you how to connect your PC to a VPN network on your device.

Using a VPN surely has its benefits. It protects your online information including real name, location, and online activity, not to mention vital data such as your card info.

The VPN acts like a shield between you and the internet, making sure that no one can track you down and get access to your private information.

When you want to use a VPN on your laptop, there are a few things you need to do to get to that point.

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Why would I use a VPN on my laptop?

Whether it’s for work purposes or your own personal use, a VPN or virtual private network, gives you a more secure connection to your network and the Internet, as if you’re working from a public place.

➡️Protect all your online activity– all traffic is fully encrypted, so no one can spy on you or track you down

➡️Bypass geo-restrictions– with a VPN you can connect to virtual locations across the world and get access to websites and platforms that aren’t available in your area

➡️Stop ISP throttling– if you have an Internet provider that throttles your bandwidth or doesn’t offer unlimited data, you can use a VPN (with unlimited data) to browse the web without limits

Therefore, it is recommended to use a VPN to protect yourself from prying eyes on the internet. Read on to find out how to do this.

How can I connect to a VPN on my laptop?

In order to successfully connect your laptop to VPN, you need to have a VPN profile on your laptop.

You can do this either by creating one by yourself or by setting up an office or work account so as to get a VPN profile from your workplace.

1. How to setup and use the built-in VPN on your laptop

Here are the steps you can take to create a VPN profile on your laptop if you don’t have one:

If you want to edit the VPN connection information, or additional settings specifications like proxy settings, choose the VPN connection then clickAdvanced options

1. Go to the right hand side of the taskbar.

SelecttheNetworkicon (with the Wi-Fi symbol).
Choose theVPN connectionyou want to use.
Based on what happens when you select the VPN, either selectConnect(if the connect button is displayed under the VPN connection) or, ifVPN in Settingsopens, select the VPN connection from there and then clickConnect.
Type your username and password (or other sign-in credentials) if prompted to.
If you want to see whether you’re connected, select Network icon, and then check if the VPN connection displays the wordConnectedunder it.

As long as you downloaded a VPN and created a VPN profile for a work account or personal use, you are all set and ready to connect your laptop to a VPN. You can do this via your device’s built-inNetwork Settings.

Once you’re connected, you will see the VPN connection name displayed with the wordConnectedunder it.

2. How to install & use third-party VPN software on your laptop

That’s how you install the VPN & how you connect with it on a laptop. It’s very simple and straightforward, as you can tell.

The next methods described will seem a bit complicated, in comparison to this one. Here you just download the app, log in with your credential and that’s it.

As far as VPN services go, we highly recommend Express VPN, owned by Kape Technologies.

It provides really good services, with thousands of servers around the world which basically means it can offer good Internet speeds wherever you are.

ExpressVPN

We also compiled a guide on how tofix VPN connection issues, just in case you can’t connect to VPN. If you’re on Windows 11, you should know that it’s just as easy tomanually set up a VPN on Windows 11.

Have you managed to use a VPN on your laptop after following the steps described above? If so, share with us your experience.

If you’re not able, let us know what happens when you try these steps by leaving a comment in the section below.

How to Use a VPN on a Laptop#

Why would I use a VPN on my laptop?#

How can I connect to a VPN on my laptop?#

1. How to setup and use the built-in VPN on your laptop#

2. How to install & use third-party VPN software on your laptop#

ExpressVPN#