Best VPNs for Windows 10

By Tamás Ő. — Verified by Sander D. — Last updated: July 24, 2024 — (0)

Windows 10 is the latest addition to the family of Microsoft operating systems. It was meant to be a bridge between the easy to use interface of Windows 7, and the innovative solutions of Windows 8. Most people rejoiced when it brought back popular features like the start menu, but it also put advertisements into Solitaire and Minesweeper. As all freshly baked operating systems, Windows currently lacks proper software support, because it’s not always compatible with existing configurations. VPN clients are not exceptions, and it could happen that you have to rely on your tech skills to manually hone the encryption protocols. A number of providers are on top of things and have their own desktop clients that were built for Windows 10, three of which we’ll present to you in this guide.

Tips for VPN Connections on Windows 10

The lack of Windows 10 supporting VPN clients means that even if you plan to install it, some unexpected errors may occur. This is especially frustrating, as prominent VPN providers tend to create their own applications, which optimize all the necessary details, and allow you to switch between locations with ease. Most of them work with PPTP, l2TP and OpenVPN protocols, and set the matching encryption level for them. Mismatching these options could ruin the web browsing experience for you, as an unnecessarily high coding significantly slows down the connection speed. Still, it’s possible to manually set the VPN for Windows 10. Most of the time you find the necessary configuration files at the provider’s website, all you have to is implement them. PPTP and L2TP come built-in with all Windows operation systems, while OpenVPN can be armed with an open-source client.

Windows 10 background

How to setup a VPN on Windows 10

Tinkering with your system might seem difficult at first, but completing the task is actually easier than you think. You find countless step-by-step instructions online, and we are here to help you as well. You cannot make irreversible changes, and if everything fails, you can still rely on the customer support’s help.

PPTP and L2TP-IPSec

The PPTP and L2TP network protocols are integral parts of every Windows system or smartphone. Configuring it to route your traffic through a proxy server is possible without relying on any other application. Just do the following:

Visit your VPN provider’s website, access your account, and seek out the menu with downloadable content. They either made you download the configuration document, or show you the required data upfront.
You need to add a new VPN connection. To do so, click your Internet Access icon at the toolbar.
Select the Network Settings, navigate to the Network and Internet menu, and choose to create a new VPN connection.
You will be redirected to the VPN creation page, where you can provide the login details you gathered in step one. It includes the username, password and server address from the VPN site, plus the desired protocol type. Don’t forget to name this connection so you can easily identify it later!
Hit Connect, and enjoy the encryption.
hen finished, just click on the Disconnect button in the same menu.

OpenVPN

OpenVPN operates on a different basis, and you need an open-source application to establish your connection.

Download the free OpenVPN source client, and install it to a desired location. Visit your VPN provider’s website, and download the content they recommend for OpenVPN. Usually it’s an archive full of files with locations as their titles.
Opening a config file will automatically activate the OpenVPN clients, which will now display the chosen location. You are able to put more than one server on your list.
It might ask for your account name and password. If so, enter them. If all the steps were right, your connection is now online.
To finish the session, just click on Disconnect.

Windows 10 VPNs

Hopefully we managed to encourage you to give a chance to VPN. To make the first try convenient for you, we listed three VPN services that you may want to check out on your Windows 10 system.

HideMyAss

What makes HideMyAss special? Other than the provocative title, it covers most of the globe with its service. It has servers in 182 countries, and they created their own software that manages all the security related tasks. The scalable encryption rate can go up to 1024-bit, and they have an SSL feature as well.

Ironsocket

IronSocket emphasizes safety above anything else. The service unites VPN and smart DNS services under its banners to provide a high level security. You get access to the three major protocol types (OpenVPN, L2TP and PPTP). They are available for Windows and any other operating system as well. They have servers in 36 countries, and promise not to log your VPN traffic.

Le VPN

Le VPN is a venerable VPN service hailing from Hong Kong. Users can enjoy a greater level of freedom, as they are allowed to change their settings from Le VPN’s own client program. The service also has a great coverage of countries, backed up by a large network of computers. They also support other devices, including smartphones.

Why you can trust us

The Best Reviews team researches and tests all products first-hand. We've been reviewing products and services since 2012 and are proud to only publish human-created content.

New Streaming Service Quibi Is Coming to Mobile

Set Up a Home Network in 5 Easy Steps

8 Dangers of Public Wi-Fi

User Feedback

Leave a reply Cancel reply

Manage Consent

To provide the best experiences, we use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behavior or unique IDs on this site. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions.

Functional Always active

The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.

Preferences

The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.

Statistics

The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.

Marketing

The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.

Up to 74% off NordVPN 2-year plans + 3 free months