User Guide: AdBlock VPN | AdBlock VPN Help Center

What is a VPN?

New to VPNs? Start with these articles before continuing:

Purchase a subscription

AdBlock VPN is included with AdBlock Premium. View plans and pricing.

Once subscribed, install the app on each device you want to use and sign in with the email associated with your purchase. See Sign in below.

AdBlock VPN (Android and Windows)

Open AdBlock VPN on your device.
Select Sign in
Enter the email address associated with your subscription and tap or click Next.
A one-time verification code will be sent to your email. Enter it in the space provided.

Didn’t receive a code? Please see this article: Solutions to common issues unlocking Premium

Connect and disconnect

To connect: Select a server location and tap or click Connect. For the best speed, choose a location close to you. See tips for a faster connection.

To disconnect: Select Disconnect at any time.

After connecting or disconnecting, reload any open webpages or apps for the change to take effect.

Not sure if the VPN is active? See How do I know AdBlock VPN is working?

On Windows, want the app to connect for you? See Connect at startup under App settings below.

VPN settings

These settings control how the VPN protects your connection. Find them in Settings.

Threat Protection

Threat Protection blocks ads, trackers, and malware. It works independently of the VPN connection, so you can turn it on or off at any time.

To turn it on or off: Go to Settings and toggle Block ads & trackers

Using an older Windows version? This section was previously called DNS filtering.

Learn more

Allow custom DNS (Windows only)

Use this setting if a firewall, antivirus, or other security app on your computer is blocking the VPN’s DNS resolver and stopping you from connecting.

This setting is only available when Threat Protection is off, because Threat Protection relies on the VPN’s own DNS to block ads and trackers.

To turn it on:

Turn off Threat Protection (see above).
In Settings, toggle Allow custom DNS on.

Allow local network access

Keep your local network accessible while connected to the VPN. When this is on, you can still reach local devices such as printers, shared drives, and local network email clients.

To turn it on or off: Go to Settings and toggle Local Network Access.

Learn more: Issues connecting to local email and network devices

Protocols

Choose the tunneling protocol used for your VPN connection. Switch protocols if you have trouble connecting on certain networks.

WireGuard: Faster and more efficient. Recommended for most users.
IKEv2 (Windows only): More compatible with restrictive networks. Try this if WireGuard isn’t connecting.
OpenVPN (UDP): Faster, but less reliable on unstable or restrictive networks. Generally the better OpenVPN option to try first.
OpenVPN (TCP): Slower, but more reliable, since TCP verifies every packet. More likely to work on networks that block UDP, like some corporate or school networks.

Not sure which to pick? On Windows, Troubleshoot connection tests every protocol for you.

App settings (Windows only)

These settings control how the app starts. Find them in Settings.

Launch at startup

AdBlock VPN opens automatically when you sign in to Windows. It starts minimized in the system tray, so it won’t interrupt you. To open it, click the AdBlock VPN icon in the tray at the bottom right of your screen.

To turn it on or off: Go to Settings and toggle Launch at startup.

Connect at startup

AdBlock VPN reconnects to the last location you used every time the app opens.

To turn it on or off: Go to Settings and toggle Connect at startup.

Tip: Turn on both Launch at startup and Connect at startup to be protected from the moment you sign in to Windows.

Troubleshoot connection (Windows only)

Having trouble connecting? The built-in troubleshooter checks your network, tries every VPN protocol, and tells you what to change.

Go to Settings and select Troubleshoot connection.
Click Run diagnostic to start the test.
Wait while the test finishes, then follow the recommendations shown.

Still having trouble? Export the report and send it to our support team. It gives us the details we need to help you faster.

When the test finishes, select Export report.
Save the file to include in your support request.

Log out

Open AdBlock for Safari & VPN on your device.
Go to Settings > Log Out.

AdBlock for Safari & VPN (macOS & iOS)

This guide only covers the VPN portion of the Mac app. For a comprehensive guide, see: User Guide: AdBlock for Safari Mac app.

Purchased via Apple? From the Home tab, select Restore your purchase. Once the app recognizes your Apple subscription, follow the steps below to connect your email to your AdBlock account.

Open AdBlock for Safari & VPN on your device.
Go to Settings > Log In.
Enter the email address associated with your subscription and tap or click Continue.
A one-time verification code will be sent to your email. Enter it in the space provided.