Installing and using ProtonVPN

VPN service that enables the highest level of secure communication even with a free plan

ProtonVPN Is a Swiss email / VPN provider Proton AG It is an open source VPN application provided by, but Japanese is not supported, but there is no limit on the amount of data used even with the free plan, kill switch and DNS leak countermeasures are applied, user active logs are not saved, and advertisement display is also done. not.

transparency

Since the internal processing of VPN apps is opaque, there is a potential risk, and while it is rare for providers to publish audits of third-party organizations, ProtonVPN released the source of VPN apps ahead of other companies in January 2020. Proving the reliability of the app.
GitHub Official ProtonVPN Android app
SEC Consult Audit Report

Switzerland, where ProtonVPN is based, is not a region covered by the GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) enforced in the EU, but is unique to the Swiss Federation revised in accordance with the GDPR. FADP (Federal Data Protection Act) protects personal information at the world's top level.

Proton VPN Free

・ Number of devices that can be used with one account: 1
・ Connection server: Japan, the Netherlands, and the United States
・ Communication speed: Medium speed
-P2P connection: Not supported
-Secure Core: Not supported
· NetShield (adblock): not supported
・ Streaming service: Not supported
· Connecting to Tor: Not supported

Since the free server is located in Japan (Tokyo), the communication speed is relatively stable, and in 2021, the domestic server of the free plan was increased.

Proton VPN Plus

・ Number of devices that can be used with one account: 1
・ Connection server: More than 63 units in 1700 countries
・ Communication speed: High speed (up to 10Gbps *)
· P2P connection: Support
· Secure Core: Support
· NetShield: Support
· Streaming service: Support
· Connecting to Tor: Support

Encrypted secure email ProtonMail When using at the same time,Full functionality of Proton Mail and ProtonVPN Available Proton Unlimited There is also a plan.

See below for Android version

Setting up and using ProtonVPN for Android

ProtonVPN, a free Android VPN app for secure communication, is an open source VPN app developed by Swiss email / VPN provider Proton AG and does not support Japanese […].

See below for VPN

Security and benefits of using VPN services

Benefits of using a VPN service and indicators when selecting a VPN provider Using a VPN service offers the benefits of secure communication, concealment of communication content, and anonymization of communication, and the location of the connection source by specifying a connection server. […]

System requirements

Version 2 Currently

OS: Windows

On March 2020, 3, ProtonVPN will update the system, and Windows 30 users will be upgraded to the latest version because ProtonVPN will stop in environments running ProtonVPN version 7 or earlier on Windows 1. necessary.

Where to get the software

ProtonVPN official site plan selection page

ProtonVPN installation

Proton VPN requires a login to use, so create an account before installing the app.

Accounts created with ProtonVPN are highly anonymous and secure email services Protonmail Shared with.

Plan selection page If you want to access and use it for free, please refer to " TRY FOR FREE ", Select a subscription for paid plans.

A confirmation screen for the selected plan will be displayed, so click "Continue".

Enter your user name, password, and email address.

If you select a paid plan, select the subscription to use and the currency to settle, enter the payment information, and settle.

Confirm that the free plan is not a robot CAPTCHA Is displayed, check it and select the specified image.

hCaptcha Is a service provided by Intuition Machines that collects data such as IP addresses, so if you do not want to use it, issue an authorization code by email address or SMS.

Once the account is created, click "Download".

The download page will open, so click "Download Proton VPN" to download the installer.

If the User Account Control dialog is displayed after starting the installer, click "Yes" to allow it.

The language selection screen will appear, but Japanese is not supported. English As it is, "Next".

The setup wizard will start, so click "Next".

If you are not particular about the installation destination, the default setting is "Next".

The installation is ready, so if there is no problem, click "Install".

Setup is completed with "Finish".

When ProtonVPN starts and the login screen opens, enter the registered user name and password and click "Login".

If you want to automatically connect to ProtonVPN when you start your computer Start and connect on boot Is enabled.

A welcome message will be displayed, so click "Skip".

Setup is complete when the world map is displayed.

Configuration

Set the automatic startup when Windows starts and the protocol to be used.

From the hamburger button on the upper left Settings choose.

Basic settings – General

General Now, set the settings when starting ProtonVPN.

Start Minimized Set the startup style with.

to Systray
Starts while stored in the system tray
to Taskbar
Start in minimized state
Disabled
Normal startup

Quick Connect Specifies the behavior of the Quick Connect button.

Fastest
Connect to the fastest server available
Random
Randomly select a connection server

You can also specify any connection destination by adding a profile.

Windows startup settings.

Start on boot
ProtonVPN automatically starts when Windows starts
Connect on app start
Automatic connection to VPN when ProtonVPN starts
Show Notifications
Display notifications

Early Access If you enable, you can get the latest version of ProtonVPN before it is released, but it is not a stable version, so it is suitable for users who can handle problems if they occur.

Connection settings – Connection

Connection Now, set up the VPN connection.

Protocol Automatically selects the optimal protocol (communication protocol) Smart Is the default, and you can also specify the protocol.

Smart Is fast by default wire guard And switch to another protocol depending on the environment.

wire guard
It is a protocol that uses the latest encryption technology, consumes less system resources than OpenVPN, and can be expected to improve communication speed.
OpenVPN – UDP (User Datagram Protocol)
Communication speed is faster than TCP.
OpenVPN – TCP (Transmission Control Protocol)
It is more stable than UDP.

VPN Accelerator Is a ProtonVPN proprietary technology that distributes VPN traffic using a multi-core processor and improves VPN speed, and is enabled by default.

Auto Recconection Is a function that automatically reconnects to the last connected server when the VPN connection is disconnected for some reason.Kill switchBy using in combination with DNS leakStay online while preventing.

Reconnection notifications When enabled VPN Accelerator Will notify you when you reconnect.

Moderate NAT Enables if you have problems with online games or video conferencing when connecting to a VPNCustom DNS Server Is set when using a DNS server other than the ProtonVPN DNS server.

Moderate NAT Is only available to paid plan usersCustom DNS Server With NetShield Is not available.

ProtonVPN provides excellent privacy protection by default Strict NAT Is enabled, butStrict NAT Has disadvantages such as slow connection speed and high ping rate, and when there is a problem playing online games when connecting to VPN Moderate NAT Improvement can be expected by enabling.

Advanced Settings – Advance

Advance With the network adapter to use Split tunneling Set.

Port forwarding Is available to paid plan users, and when enabled, the active port number is displayed on the home screen, and the port can be set for P2P such as BitTorrent and online games.

Port Forwarding shortcut If you enable, you can enable / disable it on the home screen.

Select a network adapter if you are using the OpenVPN protocol.

We recommend using a TUN adapter.

The TUN adapter is faster than the TAP adapter and switches to the TAP adapter if there is a connection problem.

ProtonVPN does not use a third party DNS server,DNS queries are being processed by the connected VPN serverFor,DNS leak protection (DNS leak protection) is always enabled.

Allow Alterbative Routing (Alternative network routing) is a bypass function when Proton's site is blocked, and it is recommended to use it with the default setting.

Hardware acceleration Enables GPU parallelism by default for items that use the feature, but disables it if it causes problems with screen rendering.

Split tunneling

Split tunneling Is a function to exclude from VPN connection, and registers applications and IP addresses that cannot be used with VPN connection.

Kill switch と Split tunneling Cannot be used together.

Split tunneling When registering apps / IP addresses to be excluded from VPN connection withExclude apps / IPs from using VPN tunnel Select andAPPS Specify the browser to be excluded from or specify the application to be excluded from "Add App +".

Adding an app to Split Tunneling will add ProtonVPN Reconnect A message will be displayed asking you to do so, but it will be reflected more reliably if you restart your computer.

Add profile

When connecting to a specific server, register it as a profile.

In the left pane of the home screen Profiles Select the tab and click "Create Profile".

Specify the profile name, display color, and connection server, and click "Save".

What you can use with the free plan Standard Only, the connection destination is 3 countries of Japan / Netherlands / USA, the server that can be selected is FREE Is limited to those displayed as.

The set profile is Manage Profiles Can be re-edited from.

How to use ProtonVPN

If you log in during setup, ProtonVPN will start logged in until you manually log out, and if you have enabled automatic connection, the VPN connection will be enabled when you start Windows.

You can connect / disconnect to the VPN from the ProtonVPN icon in the task tray.

The connection destination registered in the profile can be selected from the list.

On the home screen Quick Connect Click Countries- Profiles Tab or MAP Specify any connection destination from.

The availability of the server is displayed in three stages, and in order to obtain a stable communication speed, select the server with the lowest load.

Green: Server load 1 ~ 49%
Yellow: Server load 50 ~ 90%
Red: Server load 90-100%

The load factor is displayed by mouse over the icon displayed in color, but it often exceeds 50% even in green.

The free plan can be used even on domestic servers FREE Server Limited to.

Kill Switch

Kill Switch is a feature that blocks the system from connecting to an unencrypted DNS server to stay online if the VPN connection is lost for any reason.

The kill switch is enabled by default.

The kill switch enabled by default is ProtonVPN's Automatic reconnection (Auto Recconection) protects the IP address when recovering the disconnected communication, and the Internet line is cut off only when the communication to the VPN server is not restored, but it is not protected when the VPN connection is manually disconnected. Connect to a normal line.

Permanent kill switch Is a function that blocks the Internet connection until the VPN connection is established with ProtonVPN, and even if the user manually disconnects the VPN connection, it cannot connect to the Internet.

NetShield

NetShield Is a function that queries the domain list of advertisements and trackers in addition to malware and spyware on the VPN server and blocks the corresponding domain.BasicAvailable to paying members above the plan.

Paid plan users are enabled by default.

By default, blocking only malware / spyware is enabled, and if you want to block ads / trackers as well Block malware, ads, & trackers choose.

Secure Core

Secure Core The PlusProtonVPN's unique architecture that can be used by paying members above the plan, by attackers who are concerned about using a normal VPN server VPN server monitoring Function to avoid.

In countries where the Internet is regulated, such as China, Russia, and Turkey, and countries such as the United States and the United Kingdom, where the Internet is monitored and legally enforced by VPN providers, traffic on installed servers is monitored. There is a potential risk of losing the VPN's anonymity.

Secure Core Is disabled by default.

Secure Core When enabled, privacy protection is enhanced Switzerland / Sweden / Iceland Since it connects to the server in the specified country after going through one of the servers installed in 55 countries, even if the traffic is monitored, it can only track the server that went through in the middle.

Secure Core enhances privacy protection, but on the other hand Tor The communication speed drops because it goes through the relay server in the same way as above.

Port forwarding

Enables / disables port forwarding.

Port forwarding is a security risk and should only be enabled when needed.

If you want to enable port forwarding, click the button Port Forwarding On, To disable Port Forwarding Offchoose.

To use port forwarding, you need to connect to a P2P / BitTorrent-enabled server.

The home screen shows the active port number.

P2P / BitTorrent

Paid members with Basic plan or above can use P2P / BitTorrent compatible servers, sosyncthing , Resilio Sync など P2P An app that connects with (Peer to Peer) can be used in a VPN environment.

For P2P compatible servers Double-headed arrow The icon is displayed.

There is no P2P compatible server in Japan.

Tor overVPN – Connecting to an Onion domain

PlusPaid members with plans or above can use onion domain compatible servers and can access onion domain sites in a VPN environment.

To the site of the onion domain Tor browser , Brave It can be accessed only with a browser that can connect to Tor.

For onion domain compatible servers Onions The icon is displayed.

There is no onion domain compatible server in Japan.

VPN connection problems

Depending on the application, an error may occur if you do not start it before connecting to the VPN, so if you have problems after starting with automatic connection, turn off automatic connection and restart the computer to reproduce the problem. Check.

If some sites are not displayed in the VPN connection, the connected VPN server may be abused and access may be restricted on the server side of the site, so temporarily disconnect the VPN or another VPN server. To use.

Server maintenance and removal

ProtonVPN is undergoing extensive maintenance on an ongoing basis, adding new servers and deleting existing servers, and it may be necessary to change the settings of the connection server if it is registered in the profile.

ProtonVPN working server list

Check for DNS leaks

Use a dedicated site to check if the IP address is properly protected when connecting to the VPN.

Split tunneling If is enabled, disable it before testing.

ipleak.net

With a VPN connection established ipleak.netAccess toYour IP address と DNS Address If is the same IP address and the country of the connected VPN server is displayed, the IP address is anonymized.

Password Reset

If you forget the password you set, you can reset and reset the password.

If you reset your password from Proton VPN, you will not be able to restore data that was encrypted at the time of saving, such as ProtonMail, calendar, and Proton Drive.

See below for password reset and data recovery

Proton account password reset and data recovery

Password reset and data recovery procedures used with ProtonMail and ProtonVPN The password set in your Proton account decrypts data such as messages and contacts stored encrypted […].

Password reset ProtonVPN app On the login screen of Need Help? から Reset Password choose.

If you have forgotten your password and username Forgot Username Select and enter the email address you registered when setting up your account, and your user name will be sent.

Reset Password Select to open the browser. Enter your user name or email address and click "Next".

Recovery email address Enter the email address you registered when you created your account in "Send code".

Enter the reset code sent to the email address you entered and "Reset password".

"Reset password" if you agree that all services in your Proton account will not be able to recover encrypted data.

Enter the new password twice and click Confirm to display the dashboard when the password is updated.

ProtonVPN upgrade

Full-featured ProtonVPN for paid plans ProtonVPN Plus And Proton Mail and ProtonVPN are available at full functionality Proton Unlimited There is.

ProtonVPN official website

ProtonVPN official website Go to and enter your account information from "Sign in" in the upper right corner DashboardWhen you open Plans Since the plans that can be selected with are displayed, specify the plan to purchase.

Select the subscription you want to purchase.

Select a payment currency.

Enter payment information and settle.

The payment method is compatible with credit cards, PayPal, Bitcoin, etc.

Of the dashboard Billing The payment status is displayed in.

Account deletion / subscription cancellation

To delete an account or cancel a subscription Dashboard Operate from.

To cancel your subscription, go to the left sidebar Dashboard Select Account downgrade Downgrade to a free plan at.

Within the expiration date of the subscription Downgrade Then, even if the expiration date remains, it will be downgraded to the free plan, and the unused subscription will be Refund to your account on a daily basisIs done.

To delete the created account from the left sidebar Account Select and click "Delete your account" to execute the deletion.

ProtonMail If you are using Proton Mail, you can delete your account with Proton Mail. Configuration Operation is required from.

transparency

Proton VPN Free

Proton VPN Plus

See below for Android version

See below for VPN

System requirements

Where to get the software

ProtonVPN installation

Configuration

Basic settings – General

Connection settings – Connection

Advanced Settings – Advance

Split tunneling

Add profile

How to use ProtonVPN

Kill Switch

NetShield

Secure Core

Port forwarding

P2P / BitTorrent

Tor overVPN – Connecting to an Onion domain

VPN connection problems

Server maintenance and removal

Check for DNS leaks

Password Reset

See below for password reset and data recovery

ProtonVPN upgrade

Account deletion / subscription cancellation

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