#How to set up a free vpn on a mac how to

(Note: This is not the same as the static IP we discussed in the last section this is a static IP for your whole network-not one computer. Have you paid your ISP for a static IP? If so you can skip this step and use that IP to connect to your VPN. RELATED: What Is a VPN, and Why Would I Need One? Depending on your router setup, you may also want to set up a local static IP for that Mac. How you do this will depend on your router again, read our article on port forwarding for more information.

#How to set up a free vpn on a mac how to

RELATED: How to Set Static IP Addresses On Your Router But to summarize, you need to start by accessing your router’s admin interface by typing your router IP address into a web browser.įrom there, you need to find the port forwarding settings, and forward the following ports to your macOS Server’s IP address: We’ve talked about setting up port forwarding in the past, so read that article for more detail. If you use a non-Apple router, however, you’ll need to set things up yourself. RELATED: How to Forward Ports on Your Router Feel free to skip this section, and follow the prompts when they come up later. If you own an Apple AirPort router, congratulations: macOS Server will do this automatically when you set up your VPN. Step Two: Set Up Port ForwardingĬonnecting to your VPN requires port forwarding, which needs to be configured at the router level. In order to use the VPN, however, we need to configure a few things on your network. This could be your iMac, if you own one, or you could use a Mac Mini purchased specifically for use as a server: it’s up to you.įeel free to launch the software after installing it will configure a few things and then be more or less ready for you.

The first thing you’ll need to do, assuming you haven’t already, is purchase macOS Server ($20) from the Mac App Store and install it on the computer you plan to use as your VPN.