How to use a VPN on a Mac

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

NordVPN, which we’re using 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 the two years. There might 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 and look for a new deal.

You can find the best deal right now on NordVPN’s website. (Nord, as well as other VPNs, often offer deals that offer a lower price per month.)

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

With your account details ready, download the app for your chosen VPN.

On your Mac, you should be able to download via the App Store, which is usually faster and safe, but some VPNs might offer download links from their websites for newer or better-featured versions.

This isn’t the case with Nord: the App Store is the place to get NordVPN for macOS U.S. or NordVPN for macOS U.K.

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

Once installed, open the app. You’ll need to sign in using the email address and password from when you created your account earlier (step 1).

Once logged in, you’ll see a popup that asks you for permission to allow your VPN to add VPN configurations on your machine. You’ll need to press Allow and may be asked to enter the password you use to log in to your Mac.

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

As long as you have downloaded a trusted VPN app from a trusted source, this should be safe.

To begin using the VPN, you’ll be asked to choose a server. This could be within the country you are located if you are looking to protect your privacy and aren’t trying to access blocked content. If, however, you are trying to access a service, such as U.S. Netflix from inside the U.K., or BBC iPlayer from outside the U.K., or you want to check a website, you need to choose the relevant server location.

If you are using Nord, you can pick a server using the search bar in the top left corner, or scroll around the world map, or through the country list. Other VPNs will have a similar process for selecting the location of the server you will be routed via.

You may encounter some alerts when you try to connect to a new server for the first time. For example, you may see a message like the one above: “neagent wants to use your confidential information stored in NordVPN in your keychain.” This will only appear if IKEv2 is set as the protocol to use, but you’re better off using OpenVPN or NordLynx (based on WireGuard) if you want a faster connection.

You can type in your Mac administrator password and click Always Allow, which means NordVPN will remember the login password within your keychain for future use, and won’t ask you for it again unless you change the password.

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

Here you will find options like “Launch the app on computer startup” and an option to auto-connect to a particular country (see: Settings > Auto-connect). That way the VPN connects to a server of your choice from the moment you launch the application.

You can also access an advanced version of Nord’s Kill Switch here. Kill Switch should stop data leaks if your connection drops; the advanced settings give an additional layer of security. Other VPNs may have a similar feature you can find in the app’s preferences.

You’ll be able to access the 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’d usually find the date and time.

Once connected, you can use your Mac as normal, but in the knowledge that no one can spy on your web browsing, and you should be able to access previously blocked content.

Whenever you want to surf the internet as if you are in another country, or just ensure that your data is encrypted you can turn on your VPN, select the country server you want to use, and use facilities that might not be available to you otherwise. To use a streaming service from another country you will need to be signed up for that service. Enjoy your vacation!