There are various reasons why you’d need to set up a VPN connection in Windows 10. However, the most important one is probably security-related. A VPN will ensure all sent and received data is encrypted, making it safe again malware, hackers, and other unauthorized third-parties that might try to access it.
When you use a VPN connection, your computer will connect to a VPN server using tunneling protocols and once both machines have verified each other, all sent and received online data is encrypted and secured.
How to set up a VPN connection in Windows 10
Windows 10 has built-in VPN capabilities so even if you’re not a very tech-savvy person, you can easily set up a VPN connection by following the instructions below.
Before we get started you should know that you will need a Windows 10 PC that’s connected to the Internet, and login credentials as offered by your VPN provider.
To set up a VPN connection in Windows 10, you will first need to open the Settings app. Then, navigate to Network & Internet -> VPN. In the right pane, click the “+” button next to the “Add a VPN connection” option.
This will open the New VPN Connection Wizard. First, select a VPN provider from the drop-down list. If your provider is not in the list, select “Windows (built-in)”. To continue, enter your VPN connection’s name in the Connection name box.
In the “Server name or address” field, enter the value or address if your provider requires it. If you’re trying to set up a manual connection, this step is mandatory. You can set the VPN type to “Automatic” (it works in most cases) unless otherwise specified by your provider. For the second case, press the down arrow next to the VPN type field and select it from the drop-down list.
If your VPN provider requires it, you might also need to enter a username and password. Once you’ve finished configuring the settings hit the Save button.
Once you’ve saved the VPN connection you just created you can return to Settings -> Network & Internet -> VPN, and it should be listed there.
To connect to it, click on its name and press the “Connect” button. That’s it!
