Use a VPN Client (The Easiest Thing) Note that some VPN providers offer their own desktop clients, which means you won’t need this setup process. All of our favorite VPNs– for advanced users, and and for basic users–offer their own desktop application for connecting to their VPNs and selecting VPN server locations. Connect to L2TP over IPSec, PPTP, and Cisco IPSec VPNs RELATED: Use the Network control panel to connect to most. To open it, click the Apple menu, select System Preferences, and click Network or click the Wi-Fi icon on the menu bar and select Open Network Preferences. Click the plus sign button at the bottom left corner of the window and select “VPN” in the Interface box. Choose the type of VPN server you need to connect to in the “VPN Type” box and enter a name that will help you identify it.
Like other operating systems, Mac OS X doesn’t include built-in support for OpenVPN networks. Scroll down for instructions for connecting to OpenVPN networks. Enter the VPN server’s address, your username, and other settings. The “Authentication Settings” button allows you to provide the authentication you’ll need to connect — anything from a password or certificate file to RSA SecurID, Kerberos, or CryptoCard authentication. The “Advanced” button allows you to configure the VPN connection in other ways. For example, the default settings automatically disconnect from the VPN when you log out or switch users. You could uncheck these boxes to prevent the Mac from automatically disconnecting.
Click Apply to save your settings. Before you do, you can enable the “Show VPN status in menu bar” option to get a menu bar icon for managing your VPN connection. Use this menu to connect to your VPN and disconnect from it as necessary. Automatically Reconnect to a VPN When The Connection Drops RELATED: By default, your Mac won’t automatically reconnect to the VPN if the connection dies. To save yourself some time and hassle, use the application.
How can the answer be improved?
It’s available for $1 on the Mac App Store. This is a simple application that basically replaces the built-in VPN on Mac OS X. If the VPN connection drops, it will automatically reconnect. This applicaiton uses the built-in VPN support in Mac OS X, so it’ll only work with connections you can configure in the Network Settings panel.
If you use a third-party VPN client — for example, to connect to an OpenVPN VPN — it won’t help you. But third-party VPN clients may have this feature integrated. If you want to save a dollar or just prefer DIY solutions, you could.
Connect to OpenVPN Networks You’ll need a third-party application for connecting to OpenVPN VPNs. The official OpenVPN website recommends the open-source application for this. Install Tunnelblick, launch it, and it will ask for the configuration files provided by your OpenVPN server. These often have the.ovpn file extension and are required for connecting from any OpenVPN client. Your OpenVPN server provider should provide them to you. Tunnelblick provides its own menu bar icon for managing your OpenVPN connections.
Select “VPN Details” and you’ll see Tunnelblick’s connection window, where you can configure how it works. For example, you can have Tunnelblick automatically connect to OpenVPN networks when this application launches. It can automatically keep you connected to the VPN network, so you won’t need a tool like VPN AutoConnect. If you need to connect to another type of VPN network, you’ll need a different third-party VPN client with support for that type of network. Image Credit.
You've gone ahead and have (Virtual Private Network) service and have that suits your needs. You connect to it, that's what!
And here's how you do it on your Mac. How does your VPN provider require you to connect to their servers? There are two main ways of connecting to your VPN service provider. Either by using the macOS built-in networking framework, or by using the VPN provider's own connection application. How to Connect to the VPN when no third party app is provided.
Click on the Apple icon in the upper left corner of your Mac's screen. Click on System Preferences.
Click Network. Select VPN from the interface drop-down list. Select the VPN Type provided by your VPN service provider. In our example, we are using L2TP over IPSec. Type in a Service Name that is easy for you to recognize when you want to connect.
Click Create. Type in the Server Address that the VPN service provides you. It may be in the form of an IP address or a Hostname. Type in your Account Name (also provided by your VPN). Click Authentication Settings.
The type of VPN encryption being used by your VPN provider will determine what sort of authentication settings you will need to enter. Select the User Authentication method you have been given by your VPN provider and enter the pertinent details. In our example we will be using Password. Select the Machine Authentication required by your VPN provider and enter the pertinent details. In our example, we are using a Shared Secret. Optionally, you can check Show VPN status in the menu bar if you want to be able to quickly enable and disable your VPN connection from the desktop. Click Advanced.
Check Send all traffic over VPN connection to be able to encrypt all of your internet access through the VPN provider. You can check out the. Click Apply. Click Connect to start your VPN Connection. Other resources If you'd like to get more information on VPNs, VPN service providers, or simply want to get into more detail on how VPNs function, the folks at have an extensive, easy to navigate, and comprehensive look at VPN solutions.
Any questions? If you're anything like me (and if you've read our series of VPN and macOS Server articles thus far) then privacy and security are high on your list of priorities. Now that you're surfing more securely, let us know what service you chose and why in the comment section below!