How to set up a manual connection on Windows using OpenVPN

The OpenVPN GUI application is an alternative option to connecting to NordVPN servers on your Windows PC. If you prefer manual connection and tinkering with open-source software, this is a good way of connecting to NordVPN. That said, it lacks the additional features of the NordVPN native app, but it still uses the same VPN protocol — OpenVPN. It's also more complicated to set up, so here are instructions to guide you through the process.

1. Download the OpenVPN GUI application.
   
   Note: Make sure to choose the application version according to your Windows device version:
   
   For Windows 64-bit;
   For Windows ARM64;
   For Windows 32-bit.
                           
2. Open the installation file and follow the instructions in the setup wizard.
   
   
   
   
    
3. Once the application is installed, download the NordVPN server configuration files. The OpenVPN app uses them to connect to specific NordVPN servers.

Follow the steps below to find the manual connection configuration files:

1. Log into your Nord Account, and click NordVPN.
   
   
    
2. Scroll down to Advanced Settings and click Set up NordVPN manually.
   
   
    
3. Select the OpenVPN configuration files tab.
   
    
4. Find the server you wish to connect to by using the Search bar or by scrolling down and download it by clicking Download UDP or Download TCP.
   
    
5. When connecting to OpenVPN & IKEv2 manually, you're going to need to use the Username and Password from the Service credential tab.
   

4. Go to the folder where you downloaded the configuration files, select them all, then right-click and choose “Copy.”
5. Paste the configuration files to this directory:
    

   C:\Program Files\OpenVPN\config\

   
   5.1. To quickly find the OpenVPN\config\ folder, right-click the OpenVPN GUI shortcut on your desktop and select “Open file location.”
   
   
   
   5.2. Once you're there, click the parent OpenVPN folder in the address bar.
   
   
   
   Open the "Config" folder.
   
   
   
   5.3. Paste the copied configuration files in the folder by right-clicking anywhere in the folder and selecting "Paste":
   
   
   
   Click "Continue" to allow the files to be extracted to the folder.
   
   
   
   Note: if you are using Windows 10, add an extra line in the configuration files to prevent possible DNS leaks:

   To do that, open the downloaded .ovpn configuration file with any text editor and paste this line:
   
   block-outside-dns
   
   Save the file before proceeding to the next step of this tutorial.
   
   

6. Now that the configuration files are in the proper folder for the application to detect them, open the OpenVPN GUI app by double-clicking the shortcut on your desktop.
   
   
    
7. Allow the application to make changes to your device because they are necessary for a VPN connection.
   
   
    
8. The application will start running in the system tray, which is the notification area next to your device’s clock:
   
   
   
   It might also be in the hidden system tray area:
   
   
    
9. Right-click on the application icon, hover over one of the servers, and click “Connect.”
   
   
    
10. Enter your NordVPN service username and password, then click “OK.”
    
    
    
    

Follow the steps below to find the service credentials for manual connection setup:

1. Log into your Nord Account, and click NordVPN.
   
   
    
2. Scroll down to Advanced Settings and click Set up NordVPN manually.
   
   
    
3. Select the Service credentials tab, where you'll find the Username and Password needed to connect manually.
   

11. In a few seconds, the application will connect and close the window. The system tray icon will turn green and show your connection status when you hover over it.
    
    

And that's it! You should be successfully connected. To disconnect, right-click on the application icon, hover over the server, and click “Disconnect.”