7 Tips to Get the Most Out of Your VPN

The benefits of using a virtual private network (VPN) on computers and other devices are well-documented. These programs redirect and secure your internet traffic, making it harder for hackers to intercept your data and for your internet service provider to track what you do.

They can also be used to bypass geographic restrictions on websites and services, and to bypass some types of censorship. While VPNs don’t provide complete anonymity online, they do increase the level of security and privacy of your online activities, and you can read more about the best VPNs here.

If you’ve decided a VPN is right for you, what’s next? How can you make sure you’re getting the most out of it? That’s where this guide comes in: We’ll walk you through some of the key VPN settings and features you need to know about, which should be the case with almost all VPNs on the market today.

1. Save your favorite locations

Most VPNs offer a ton of options when it comes to the different countries you can safely connect to — and the choices can often be a bit overwhelming. Be sure to save or pin your most frequently used locations and servers (or whatever your VPN app does) so you can connect faster and avoid having to scroll through the entire list.

2. Automatically start your VPN

VPNs like to start at the same time as Windows and macOS. Often, during installation, they will ask if they can start automatically on your computer (you can also find this option in the settings). If you want to make sure you are always protected online without having to worry about it, we recommend that you let your VPN start when you start your computer.

3. Turn on the emergency stop switch

VPN software should offer a kill switch: This sounds dramatic, but it just means that all your internet traffic will be stopped if your VPN connection drops. This may sound like an inconvenience, but it means that your data won’t be suddenly exposed to third parties if your VPN fails for any reason. You can double-check your settings and reconnect.

4. Go to incognito mode in your browser

Your VPN won’t protect you from some types of online tracking, including cookies: Some sites may still be able to identify who you are, for example. Using a VPN and an incognito or private browser window is an even better shield when it comes to tracking and privacy, and features like location spoofing will often work better too.

5. Use Split Tunneling

Most VPNs worth their name offer a feature called split tunneling, which basically means that some sites and apps use the VPN and some don’t. This allows you to protect your most important internet traffic (like banking or shopping) while still using everything else as normal (which can mean faster connection speeds).

6. Connect to the nearest server

Unless you’re using a VPN to try and access services in a specific geographic area, look for a “fast connect” option that will connect you to the closest available server or the one currently offering the best speeds. Even if it’s in the same country as you, you’ll still get all the usual VPN protections, but the chances of excessive slowdowns will be minimized.

7. Install mobile apps

Most VPNs out there offer mobile apps as well as desktop software, so make sure your phones and tablets are protected too. Both Android and iOS can handle almost all of the necessary VPN setup in the background: all you have to do is install the app and log in, and everything you do on your device is secured.