How to set up manual OpenVPN connection using Linux Terminal – Surfshark Customer Support

In this tutorial, you will learn how to set up an OpenVPN connection on your Linux device.

To set up OpenVPN on Linux, you will need a device running Linux OS and an active Surfshark subscription. The available plans are listed on Surfshark’s pricing page.

NOTE: This tutorial uses the Ubuntu distribution. Please note that some configurations may vary depending on the Linux distribution you are using.

Get your credentials

NOTE: These are not your regular credentials, such as your email address and password.

Enter the Surfshark login page and log in. Then, click on VPN > Manual Setup. This is the page where all the details required for manual connection are stored.
Click Desktop or Mobile > OpenVPN. Proceed to the credentials tab. Click on the credentials tab at the top:

NOTE: Keep this page open for now. You will need these credentials a bit later.

Download and install the OpenVPN package

Open the terminal window. You can do that by pressing the Ctrl+Alt+T keys or navigating to it in your apps menu:
Enter the following command to install all the necessary packages:
```
sudo apt-get install openvpn unzip
```
You may need to enter your computer password to confirm this process. In such a case, enter the password and press enter:

Download configuration files

Navigate to the OpenVPN directory. You can do that by entering this command:
```
cd /etc/openvpn
```
Download the Surfshark OpenVPN configuration by entering the following command:
```
sudo wget https://surfshark.com/api/v1/server/configurations
```
Extract the configurations.zip by entering this command:
```
sudo unzip configurations
```
Enter the following command to see the list of all the available servers:
```
ls
```

Connect to the VPN

Choose one server from the list that you want to connect to and copy the hostname (URL) representing this server's hostname:
Connect to your chosen server by entering this command:
```
sudo openvpn
```
For example, if you'd like to connect to the us-slc server, this would be the command:
```
sudo openvpn us-slc.prod.surfshark.com_udp.ovpn
```
Enter Surfshark service credentials (refer to the Get your credentials section in this article). Press enter:
If you can see the initialization sequence completed line in your terminal, you have successfully connected:
To disconnect from the OpenVPN connection, open the terminal and press Ctrl + C:

Ensure the connection is successful

We always recommend checking if Surfshark VPN is working after setting it up for the first time. You can easily do this by performing a Surfshark IP leak test and a DNS leak test . Both are available on our website for your convenience.

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