How to set up Surfshark VPN on macOS – Surfshark Customer Support

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

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

You will need a macOS device running macOS 10.15 (Catalina) or later and an active Surfshark subscription. If you are using an older version of macOS, please check out this article on our blog.

Don't have a subscription yet? Get Surfshark here.

Install the app

Firstly, find the Surfshark VPN app at the App Store.

One way to do that is to open the App Store on your mac and search for Surfshark using the search bar.

Alternatively, you can follow this link and find the Surfshark app there.
Click the GET button.
The app will be downloaded and installed automatically.

Once the installation is complete, click Open.

Log into the app

Open the app. At first, you will need to log in.

If you already have an active subscription, log in as an Existing user.

If you don’t have a subscription yet, you can get it by clicking the Create account button.
Enter the email address you used when registering and your password. Click Log in.

Connect to the VPN

Once you log into the app, you will see the homepage of the Surfshark app. Here you can find an option to quickly connect to the VPN, also the list of locations and current connection status.

Tap Connect and the app will connect you to the fastest VPN server available.
When connecting the first time, Surfshark will need to add VPN configurations to your device. That is necessary so that Surfshark would be able to create and maintain the VPN connection on your device.

You will get a pop-up as in the picture above. Enter your Mac User password (the one you would use to unlock your mac) and choose Always Allow.
If your connection was successful, you should see the Connected status. To disconnect, click the Disconnect button.
Click the arrow located on the bar that indicates your connection status. It will open a hidden menu with information about your VPN connection.

Here you can see your new IP address and an option to turn on Kill Switch.
You can switch your default quick-connect server from the Fastest to the Nearest one by clicking this button, as in the picture below.

Choose the Fastest server or the Nearest country.

Choose and manage server locations

So you'd like 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 Surfshark locations on the left side of your Surfshark app. Use the search bar or scroll down until you find the location you need. Click on the flag icon, and the app will instantly connect to that location.
If you want Surfshark to remember your favorite locations, press the star on the right side. Now this server will appear in 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 using servers in that location.

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

Here’s what they do:

Static - 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 layer of security.

Manage Surfshark features and settings

Your Surfshark app is customizable, and you can fine-tune it to fit your personal preferences.

Go to the Settings page of your Surfshark app, and you will find all the necessary settings and features.

Here you can find:

Open at Login - decide if you wish your Surfshark app to start once you log into your mac.

Choose if you wish the Surfshark app to Show dock icon right after starting.

Auto-connect - determine to which location the app will connect automatically.

Choose what your app should do on quit. Should it disconnect from the VPN and close or keep the VPN connection?
In the Features tab, you will find three features.

CleanWeb - a zero-ads and zero-trackers search tool that only displays purely organic results. Learn more about it here.

Alert - get real-time alerts when your emails & passwords are at risk of being hacked. Learn how to use it here.

Search - a browsing tool that will allow you to browse the web in complete privacy with no ads, no logs, and no trackers. Learn how to use it here.
Open the Account tab in Settings. Here you can change your password, unsubscribe from the Surfshark newsletter, or extend your subscription.
Finally, open the Settings tab once more.

There you will also find the Protocol tab, in which you can select your preferred protocol.

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 Surfshark VPN on your macOS! As long as you’re connected, your location is private, and your sensitive data is secure.