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  News
  Installing Tunnelblick
  Uninstalling Tunnelblick
  Setting up Configurations
  Using Tunnelblick
  Getting VPN Service
  Common Problems
  Configuring OpenVPN
  Release Notes
  Thanks
  FAQ

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Getting VPN Service

To use Tunnelblick you need access to a VPN server — your computer is one end of the tunnel and the VPN server is the other end.

The Tunnelblick project does not provide access to VPN servers — we are not "VPN service providers" — we only create the free software that many VPN service providers recommend or provide to their clients.

There are several ways to get access to a VPN server:

  • Your employer may provide a VPN server so you can work from home or the road securely.
  • You can set up your own VPN server at home, and use it to access your home network and the Internet securely when at a remote location. The VPN server could be a program running on a Mac, Windows, or Linux computer, or on your home router.
  • You can get (free or for a fee) access to a VPN server by using a VPN service provider.

Employer-provided VPN Servers

Your employer should supply you with an OpenVPN configuration file (.ovpn or .conf file), along with the appropriate certificate and key files, or with a Tunnelblick VPN Configuration (.tblk), which includes the certificate and key files within it.

Follow the instructions from your employer or in Installing Tunnelblick to install Tunnelblick and configurations.

Set Up Your Own VPN Server

This is more complicated. It involves creating your own OpenVPN configuration file and creating your own certificate and key files for encryption. There are tutorials about setting up OpenVPN servers — try searching the Internet for "set up openvpn server". Tunnelblick includes 'easy-rsa' to help you with creating certificate and key files; there is an "Open easy-rsa in Terminal" button on the Utilities panel. Instructions on using easy-rsa to create encryption files are available in the OpenVPN FAQ.

If you want to set up a computer to act solely as a router/bridge/firewall, Untangle has a free VPN component.

If you have a router running DD-WRT, you can use OpenVPN on DD-RT. There is a tutorial.

If you want to run an OpenVPN server "in the cloud" which also does ad blocking, take a look at the instructions at Pi-Hole and PiVPN on Google Compute Engine Free Tier with Full Tunnel and Split Tunnel OpenVPN Configurations. (Note that the instructions download and install pi-hole and piVPN by piping from curl to bash. A better practice is to download the install scripts, examine them for problems, and then run the already-examined scripts.)

VPN Service Providers

Another way to get access to a VPN server is to use a VPN service provider, an organization that makes its VPN servers available (free or for a fee). Some provide you with a customized, and possibly renamed, version of Tunnelblick.

The following VPN service providers have donated to Tunnelblick:
Provider
My Private Network
Kovurt
BTGuard
SurfBouncer Personal VPN
ProtonVPN (Free)
My Expat Network
ibVPN
Perfect Privacy
TrilightZone
ProVPNAccounts
ProxyServer.com
Banana VPN
VPNv6
Small VPN
The following VPN service providers recommend or use Tunnelblick exclusively for macOS:
Ace VPN
Arethusa VPN
Celo.net
Comodo TrustConnect
DoubleVPN
FrootVPN
Golden Frog Vypr VPN
iVPN
Personal VPN Service
Private Internet Access
ProXPN
PSMail
ShellFireVPN
Slick VPN
TheSafety.US
TurnKeyVPN
VPN Gate (Free)
VPNMaster
VPN Monster
VPN.S

VPN service providers: email webmaster@tunnelblick.net to be listed on this page.

Disclaimer: The products, services, and links on this page are not endorsed or recommended by the Tunnelblick project or its developers. This list is offered solely for the convenience of those wishing to use Tunnelblick.