Managing a Large Number of Configurations

On This Page
    Install Multiple Configurations at One Time
    Delete Multiple Configurations at at One Time
    Change Settings for Multiple Configurations at One Time
    Hide Configurations so They Don't Appear on the Menu.
    Use Credentials for Multiple Configurations.
    Arrange Configurations in a Folder Hierarchy
        Arranging New Configurations
        Arranging Existing Configurations
            Procedure #1
            Procedure #2
    Standard macOS Shortcuts for Selecting Multiple Items

Install Multiple Configurations at One Time

Use standard macOS keyboard shortcuts to select multiple configurations in Finder, then drag and drop them onto the Tunnelblick icon in the menu bar.

Delete Multiple Configurations at at One Time

Use standard macOS keyboard shortcuts to select multiple entries in the list of configurations in the VPN Details window, then delete all of the selected configurations by clicking the little minus sign ("-") below the list.

Change Settings for Multiple Configurations at One Time

Use standard macOS keyboard shortcuts to select multiple entries in the list of configurations in the VPN Details window. Changes you make to settings (on the settings tab or in the Advanced Settings window) will be done to all of the selected configurations.

Hide Configurations so They Don't Appear on the Menu.

Click on the little "gear" icon below the list of configurations in the VPN Details window, then click "Show on Tunnelblick Menu" or "Do Not Show on Tunnelblick Menu". ()

(You can do this with multiple configurations at one time, as with other settings.)

Use Credentials for Multiple Configurations.

The "VPN Credentials" tab of the Advanced Settings window lets you specify configurations that share "Common" credentials, or you can create your own name for a set of credentials and specify configurations that share them.

(You can do this with multiple configurations at one time, as with other settings.)

Arrange Configurations in a Folder Hierarchy

You can manage a large number of configurations more easily if you arrange your configurations in folders in the same way you can arrange documents in folders. If you've done that:

• The Tunnelblick menu shows only the outermost level of configurations and folders. When you move the pointer to a folder in the menu, the folders and/or configurations inside that folder are shown. (You can override this behavior by unchecking "Display connection submenus" on the "Appearance" panel of Tunnelblick's "VPN Details" window).

• There is a disclosure triangle next to the name of each folder in the list of configurations in the "VPN Details" window. Click the triangle to show or hide the contents of the folder.

It's easiest to arrange your configurations before installing them, but with some work, existing configurations can be rearranged.

Arranging New Configurations

1. Arrange your configurations (.tblk, .ovpn, or .conf) in folders. For .tblk configurations, just move them around. For .ovpn and .conf configurations, you must keep any files associated with the .ovpn or .conf (such as .crt files) positioned appropriately. That is, if your .ovpn or .conf configurations use relative paths for associated files, you must move the associated files so they are at the same relative paths. If your .ovpn or .conf configurations use absolute paths, you must not move the associated files.

2. Enclose all of your configurations and folders into a new outer folder.

3. Add a ".tblk" extension to the name of the outer folder.

4. Launch Tunnelblick if it is not already running, and deal with any windows that Tunnelblick pops up.

5. Drag the outer folder to the Tunnelblick icon in the menu bar.

You'll be asked to confirm the installation and whether the configurations should be private or shared.

Arranging Existing Configurations

There are two different procedures to do this:

Procedure #1

The following procedure is easier, but you will lose all Tunnelblick settings for your configurations and lose all private key and username/passwords associated with your configurations that were saved in the Keychain:

1. Create a folder named TBC on your Desktop.

2. Copy the contents of /Library/Application Support/Tunnelblick/Shared into the folder. (These are the shared configurations.)

3. Copy the contents of /Users/YOUR_USERNAME/Library/Application Support/Tunnelblick/Configurations into the folder. (These are the private configurations.)

4. Rearrange the configurations in TBC, adding subfolders and putting configurations into them. (Subfolders of subfolders to any level are allowed.)

5. Rename the TBC folder to TBC.tblk.

6. Launch Tunnelblick, select all of your configurations in the list on the "VPN Details" window, and delete them by clicking the little minus sign ("-") below the list.

7. Drag TBC.tblk and drop it onto the Tunnelblick icon in the menu bar.

Procedure #2

The following procedure preserves all Tunnelblick settings all private key and username/passwords for your configurations. However, it uses the command line and the "sudo" command, which can be very dangerous unless you understand what you are doing and are very careful.

Please BACK UP your computer before doing this so you can restore it if things go wrong.

Note: this procedure will NOT allow you to change a shared configuration to a private configuration or vice-versa.

1. Create empty subfolders inside of /Library/Application Support/Tunnelblick/Shared and/or /Users/YOUR_USERNAME/Library/Application Support/Tunnelblick/Configurations to reflect the folder hierarchy that you want to end up with. The subfolders can themselves have subfolders to any level. Use simple names, avoiding special characters.

2. For each configuration you want to move, execute the following command in Terminal:

   sudo /Applications/Tunnelblick.app/Contents/Resources/installer   4097   "NEW"   "OLD"

where NEW is the absolute path to which the configuration should be moved, and OLD is the absolute path of the existing configuration.

You'll need to execute the "sudo" command while logged in as an "administrator", not as a standard user. When you are asked for your password, enter your password and press the enter/return key. As you enter your password, nothing will appear — not even asterisks ("*").

For example, to move a shared configuration named "US-West Coast TCP" into the "US" subfolder of the new "TCP Configurations" folder (the "\" lets you enter a single long command on multiple lines):

   sudo /Applications/Tunnelblick.app/Contents/Resources/installer   4097 \
   "/Library/Application Support/Tunnelblick/Shared/TCP Configurations/US/US-West Coast TCP.tblk" \
   "/Library/Application Support/Tunnelblick/Shared/US-West Coast TCP.tblk"

If you want to change the name of the configuration at the same time, you could instead use something like:

   sudo /Applications/Tunnelblick.app/Contents/Resources/installer   4097 \
   "/Library/Application Support/Tunnelblick/Shared/TCP Configurations/US/West Coast.tblk" \
   "/Library/Application Support/Tunnelblick/Shared/US-West Coast TCP.tblk"

Standard macOS Shortcuts for Selecting Multiple Items

• If you hold down a "Command" key and click an item, it will be added or removed from the selected items.
• If you hold down a "Shift" key and click an item, all items from the last-selected item to the item will be selected.