How to set up Surfshark VPN on Nvidia Shield – Surfshark Customer Support

In this tutorial, you will learn how to install the Surfshark VPN app on your Nvidia Shield.

If you don’t have a subscription yet, you can purchase one on our pricing page.

You will learn how to:

Install the Surfshark VPN
Log in to Surfshark
Connect to the VPN
Choose and manage locations
Manage Surfshark features
Manage Surfshark settings
Make sure your connection was successful

Install the Surfshark VPN

Locate and open the Google Play Store on your Nvidia Shield device.
On the Google Play Store, search for the Surfshark application.
Click on the Surfshark icon.
Then click on Install, and wait for the installation to complete.
Once Surfshark is installed, click on Open.

Log in to Surfshark

Assuming you already have an active Surfshark VPN subscription, Log in as an Existing User.

If you decided to follow this guide still not having a subscription, feel free to sign up by clicking Create Account.
Enter the email address you used when registering and your password. Then click Log in.

Alternatively, you can log in using the Surfshark app on a mobile device. Keep in mind that this option is currently only available on Android devices. To do that, open your Surfshark app on your Android device, go to Settings -> Account -> TV login, and enter the code shown in the Surfshark app.

Connect to the VPN

Once you log in, you will see the homepage of the Surfshark app. Here you can see the VPN connection status, the list of locations, and a button to connect.

Tap the Connect button, and the app will instantly connect to the fastest server available.
When connecting to a VPN server for the first time, accept the connection request in the pop-up window. This will allow the Surfshark app to start and manage the VPN tunnel.
You can choose the default connection to be the Faster server or the Nearest country.

Click the button, as in the screenshot below.

Choose the Fastest server or the Nearest country.
As soon as you are connected, you will see the connection status on the homepage of your app.

If it's green and says Connected, your internet connection is secured from now on!

Choose and manage locations

So you need to connect to a specific location? No worries, Surfshark has over 3200 servers in 65+ countries, and you can connect to your chosen one.

You will find the list of locations on the left side of your screen. Use the search bar or scroll down until you find a specific country. Click on the flag icon of your preferred location, and you will instantly connect to it.
If you want Surfshark to remember your favorite locations, press the star on the right side. This server will now appear on the list of your Favorite servers.
The bubble icon next to the star indicates how loaded the Surfshark servers are in a specific location. In other words - how many people are connected to servers in that location. It's better to connect to a less loaded server for the best VPN performance.

The first bubble in this picture indicates that Surfshark servers in Germany are under a heavy load. The second bubble shows that only a few people are connected to Surfshark servers in Japan.
You may have noticed the Static IP and MultiHop tabs at the top of your Surfshark app.

Here’s what they do:
Static IP - you will get the same IP address each time you connect
MultiHop - you will connect via two different VPN servers in different countries and add an extra protection layer.

Manage Surfshark features

Open the Features tab. You will see two features there.

CleanWeb is a smart feature that will block ads and malicious sites on the web. Learn more about it here.

Bypasser allows you to choose which apps or websites to exclude from the VPN connection. Learn how to use it here.

Manage Surfshark settings

You can customize your Surfshark app to suit your personal preferences. Go to the Settings tab, and you will find the necessary settings that will help you fine-tune the app or fix connectivity issues.

Your account details:
Language - choose your preferred language.
The current version of your Surfshark app.
Auto-connect - enabling it will allow you to stay connected to the VPN at all times, hassle-free.
KillSwitch - a security-focused setting that will disconnect you from the internet if the VPN connection unexpectedly drops.
Use small packets - if you experience slow speed when connected to a VPN, you may want to turn on this setting.
Protocol - it determines the way that your data is transferred via a VPN tunnel. Learn more about how it works and why you may want to switch protocols.
Analytics - decide if you wish to provide our developers with anonymous data about the technical performance of your Surfshark app.
Diagnostics - feel free to provide us diagnostics with a short description of your issue if you experience any kind of trouble with Surfshark 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 your Surfshark VPN app! Enjoy everything good that the internet has to offer, worry-free.