How to set up OpenVPN on macOS

In this tutorial, you will learn how to set up the Tunnelblick app on your macOS device. 

You will need a device running macOS and an active Surfshark subscription. If you don’t have a subscription yet, you can get it on our pricing page.

You will learn how to:

• Get your credentials
• Download configuration files
• Download the app
• Install the app
• Connect to the VPN
  
• Make sure your connection was successful

Get your credentials

You will need Surfshark service credentials in order to connect to the VPN using a manual OpenVPN connection. Please note that’s not the email address and password you use to log in to your account! 

Here is how you can get your Surfshark credentials:

1. Go to this page. This is where you will find all details required for manual connection.
   
   You may need to log in before proceeding to this page. In that case, enter your email address and your password, then click Log in.
   
   
2. Move to the Credentials tab. You will find Surfshark service credentials there. It is a good idea to keep this page open for now. You will need these credentials a bit later.
   
    
   

Download configuration files

Every server has a configuration file that you will need to use to connect to the VPN server. You can download all configuration files from our website.

1. Move from Credentials to the Locations tab where you will find the list of all Surfshark servers. 
   
   Download the configuration file by clicking the bar of your chosen location. If you'd like to connect to Poland, download the Poland - Warsaw or Poland - Gdansk configuration file. If you prefer connecting to Finland, download the configuration file for Finland - Helsinki.
   
   
   
   
2. Select which file to download - UDP or TCP. Those are 2 different VPN protocols. We recommend the UDP protocol because usually, it is faster, but feel free to read more about different protocols and decide for yourself. 
   
   

Download the app

1. Firstly, go to the official Tunnelblick website.
   
   
2. Click the green arrow to download the latest Tunnelblick version.
   
   
   
   
3. Locate the installation package in the Downloads or Recents folder on your Mac.
   
   
   
   

Install the app

1. To start the installation process, double-click on the Tunnelblick installation package that is in your Downloads or Recents folder.
   
   
   
   
2. Double-click the Tunnelblick icon in the next window.
   
   
   
   
3. Confirm the action by pressing Open.
   
   
   
   
4. Set your preferences for the Tunnelblick app and click Continue.
   
   You can leave the default entries.
   
   
   
   
5. Click I have configuration files. You downloaded them in the second part of this guide.
   
   
   
   
6. Click OK.
   
   
   
   
7. Now open the Downloads folder of your Mac and locate the Surfshark configuration files you already downloaded.
   
   
   
   
8. Open the Tunnelblick app by clicking on the Tunnelblick icon in the menu bar.
   
   
   
   
   
9. You will now need to install the configuration file. Click on the configuration file in your Downloads folder and drag it to the Configurations area in the Tunnelblick app.
   
   You can also install configuration files without opening the Tunnelblick app by dragging them to the Tunnelblick icon in the menu bar.
   
   
   
   
10. You will see this pop-up. Select Only Me.
    
    
    
    
11. You may need to enter your admin credentials to perform this action.
    
    Enter your Mac admin account password and press OK.
    
    
    
    
    
12. The configuration files that you just installed will appear in the Configurations section on the Tunnelblick app.
    
    
    
    

Connect to the VPN

1. To connect to a VPN location, click on the configuration file of a specific location. Then press Connect.
   
   
   
   
2. Enter Surfshark service credentials and click OK.
   
   Those are service credentials that you have collected in the first part of this tutorial. Do not confuse these with your regular Surfshark credentials (your email address and the password you created when registering).
   
   To save the service credentials for the next connection, make sure to check both Save in Keychain boxes.
   
   
   
   
3. You will see a pop-up window showing the connection status in the top-right corner of your screen.
   
   It will stay yellow while connecting.
   
   
   
   And then, it will turn green after once the connection is successful.
   
   
   
   
4. To disconnect from the VPN, click the Disconnect button.
   
   
   
   
5. To connect to a different location do this:
   
   1. Download configuration files of your preferred location
   2. Install new configuration files and connect to the VPN
   

    

Make sure your connection was successful

It's always recommended to check whether your connection was successful after setting up a VPN for the first time. This can be easily done by doing an IP leak test and a DNS leak test which is available on our website. Click here to find out how to make sure your connection was successful.

Congratulations - you have successfully installed and configured the Tunnelblick app! As long as you’re connected, your location is private and your sensitive data is secure.


You may also be interested in:

1. 1. How to make sure if my connection was successful?
   2. How to enable 2FA on your Surfshark account?
   3. How to set up an IKEv2 connection on macOS?