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How to put OpenVPN on your command path on Windows?

Introduction

The OpenVPN GUI offers an alternative connection method to NordVPN on Windows. While it lacks many features compared to our application, it can run via a command-line interface. This guide will walk you through a simple configuration tweak to control it from anywhere via Windows PowerShell or Command Prompt, enabling easier scripting or manual connections without the GUI, similar to a Linux terminal.

Here's what to do

Windows 11, Windows 10, and Windows 8.1

  1. Using the Windows Search feature, find and select the Control Panel:


     
  2. Using the folder search feature, find and click on View advanced system settings:


     
  3. Next, select the Environment Variables option:


     
  4. In the section System variables, find the Path environment variable, select it, and click Edit. If the Path environment variable does not exist. Click New:


     
  5. In the Edit System Variable (or New System Variable) window, click the New button and specify the value of the bin folder in the OpenVPN installation location. By default, it is C:\Program Files\OpenVPN\bin


     
  6. Click OK, and close the remaining windows.
  7. Open the Command Prompt window (if it was already open, close and reopen it so the update Path takes effect (see the official Microsoft Command Prompt and Windows PowerShell page for guidance), and run this command to check if OpenVPN works:
    openvpn --version

Windows 7

  1. From the desktop, right-click the Computer icon.
  2. Choose Properties from the context menu.
  3. Click the Advanced system settings link.
  4. Click Environment Variables. In the section System Variables, find the Path environment variable and select it. Click Edit. If the Path environment variable does not exist, click New.
  5. In the Edit System Variable (or New System Variable) window, click the New button and specify the value of the bin folder in the OpenVPN installation location. By default, it is C:\Program Files\OpenVPN\bin. Click OK. Close all remaining windows by clicking OK.
  6. Open the Command Prompt window (close and reopen it if it was already open), and run this command to check if OpenVPN works:
    openvpn --version
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