You have decided you want to access the many advantages offered by a Virtual Private Network, congratulations, you will now be safer when browsing online and be able to enjoy all that a VPN offers. Well, that is once you have installed the software offered by the VPN provider onto your Windows computer. Luckily, we have a guide to help you do just that and you can follow it below.
Step 1 – Download the app for Windows
We are assuming you have already chosen your VPN provider and have signed up for a plan.
In this case, you can head over to the download page of the provider and download the app for Windows PC.
Step 2 – Install the app
Once you have downloaded the app, you can navigate to the folder you chose as the download location, usually the “Downloads” folder, unless you changed the location.
Click on the VPN app icon and this will launch the installation window.
Click install and choose a location on your computer to install to or leave it as the default location, usually “Program Files”.
Continue with the installation by clicking “Next” when prompted and entering any details you are asked to input as you go along.
You will probably be asked to tick a box at some point during the installation to say that you agree with terms and conditions. You might also be given the choice of ticking to have an icon placed on the desktop for easy access to the program once installed.
When the installation has completed the app will let you know.
Step 3 – Launch the app
On your Windows PC navigate to the “Start” menu in the bottom left hand corner by default and look for the name of the VPN software you just installed.
If running Windows 10 the icon should be at the top where it says “Recently added”.
Click on the icon and this will launch the software. Depending on the provider you choose to go with you might have to enter credentials when first launching the app or you might have had to do this during the installation.
If asked enter the username and password you created when you signed up and the activation code or serial number given to you.
The software should open up and you will be provided with a dashboard allowing you to choose and connect to a server along with providing access to the settings of the app.
Step 4 – Choose a server and connect
You should see a list of servers in the dashboard, or perhaps a dropdown box you can click in, depending on the software of the VPN provider.
These are the servers you can connect to, which provide you with an alternate IP address while masking your own and a secure encrypted connection to use when browsing.
Choose a server based on what it is you want to gain from your VPN experience and click on “Connect” to connect to that server.
Step 5 – Browse the internet securely
Once connected to the server you can browse the internet securely as you will be safe at one end of a virtual tunnel, while any information you send from your computer is encrypted before it goes out onto the World Wide Web.
Make the most of the VPN
You have now completed the installation of the VPN and anytime you want to take advantage of it simply click on the icon and connect to a server.
While security is one of the ways to benefit from a VPN there are other ways. For instance, you can connect to a server in a specific country to overcome geo-restricted websites and content.
You can take advantages of cheaper flights by connecting to a server in a low-income country.
You are also able to browse the internet anonymously thanks to masking your own IP so not even your ISP will know what you are doing online, great for Torrenting and downloading.
