The NordVPN native application is the recommended option for connecting to NordVPN servers on your Linux device. We designed it with your experience in mind, giving you features like auto-connect, automated Kill Switch, and Threat Protection (available with selected plans).
To start using the NordVPN application for Linux, follow the steps below.
Installation process
- Download the NordVPN Linux client by opening the terminal, writing the command below, and following any on-screen instructions:
sh <(curl -sSf https://downloads.nordcdn.com/apps/linux/install.sh)
Note: If you do not have a curl package, evidenced by the fact that the above does not work, you can alternatively use this command:
sh <(wget -qO - https://downloads.nordcdn.com/apps/linux/install.sh)
Additionally, if you receive the following issue: Whoops! Permission denied accessing /run/nordvpn/nordvpnd.sock, all you need to do is write the following command: sudo usermod -aG nordvpn $USER and then reboot your device.
- Log in to your NordVPN account:
nordvpn login
- Connect to a NordVPN server:
nordvpn connect
Settings
To access the NordVPN client settings, type the nordvpn command in Terminal.
Here is the list of available commands:
nordvpn login — log in.
nordvpn connect or nordvpn c — connect to VPN. To connect to specific servers, use nordvpn connect <country_code server_number> (eg. nordvpn connect uk715).
nordvpn disconnect or nordvpn d — disconnect from VPN.
nordvpn c double_vpn — connect to the closest Double VPN server.
nordvpn connect --group double_vpn <country_code> — connect to a specific country using Double VPN servers.
nordvpn connect --group p2p <country_code> — Connect to a specific country using P2P servers.
nordvpn connect P2P — connect to a P2P server.
nordvpn connect The_Americas — connect to servers located in the Americas.
nordvpn connect Dedicated_IP — connect to a Dedicated IP server.
nordvpn set or nordvpn s — set a configuration option.
Possible options:
nordvpn set threatprotectionlite on or off — enable or disable Threat Protection Lite.
nordvpn set killswitch on or off — enable or disable Kill Switch.
nordvpn set autoconnect on or off — enable or disable auto-connect. You can set a specific server for automatic connection using nordvpn set autoconnect on country_code+server_number. Example: nordvpn set autoconnect on us2435.
nordvpn set notify on or off — enable or disable notifications.
nordvpn set dns 1.1.1.1 1.0.0.1 — set custom DNS (you can set up a single DNS or two, like shown in this command).
nordvpn set protocol udp or tcp — switch between UDP and TCP protocols.
nordvpn set obfuscate on or off — enable or disable obfuscated servers.
nordvpn set technology — set connection technology (OpenVPN or NordLynx).
nordvpn set meshnet on — turn on Meshnet on your device.
nordvpn set lan-discovery enable or disable — enable/disable LAN discovery.
nordvpn set lan-discovery --help — get more information on LAN discovery.
nordvpn whitelist add port 22 — add a rule to allowlist a specified incoming port. You can allowlist multiple ports — just separate their numbers with a space.
nordvpn whitelist remove port 22 — remove the rule to allowlist a specified port.
nordvpn whitelist add subnet 192.168.0.0/16 — add a rule to allowlist a specified subnet.
nordvpn whitelist remove subnet 192.168.0.0/16 — remove the rule to allowlist a specified subnet.
nordvpn account — see account information.
nordvpn register — register a new user account.
nordvpn rate — rate your last connection quality (1-5).
nordvpn settings — see the current settings.
nordvpn status — see the connection status.
nordvpn countries — see the country list.
nordvpn cities — see the city list. E.g.: nordvpn cities united_states
nordvpn groups — see a list of available server groups.
nordvpn logout — log out.
nordvpn help or nordvpn h — see the list of available commands or help for a specific command.
You can get an extensive explanation of all commands by using the man nordvpn command in Terminal.