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LEARN WEB DEVELOPMENT WEB DEV COURSES WRITE FOR US

How to setup a VPN on Windows

for free in 5 minutes
CodeDraken Follow
Jul 21, 2018 · 6 min read

NASA photo from Unsplash

In this tutorial, we will set up a VPN and override our DNS to protect our
privacy.

Linux Version:

How to set up a VPN on Linux in 5 minutes for free

In this short and overdue tutorial, we will set up a virtual private
network (VPN) to help protect your online…
medium.freecodecamp.org

You will need the following:

* Windows operating system ( I’m using 8.1 ) with admin privileges
* Basic computer skills
* Knowledge of what a VPN is ( I assume you have some idea of what a VPN
is since you’re here )
* You may need access to your router

Make sure you follow all steps and make backups when necessary.

Tools
Here are the tools we will be using.
* VPN Book — VPN config
* DNSLeakTest — Testing our setup
* IPLeak — Another testing site
* OpenVPN — VPN Application
* OpenDNS — Changing our DNS
* Google DNS — Alternative to OpenDNS

If you want to see what information is available before using a VPN then look
at dnsleaktest and ipleak from the above links.

Part 1: Changing Domain Name Servers

Your DNS can leak some information and there are other reasons to change
it.

1. There are a few options, we will be looking at OpenDNS and Google

public DNS. Choose which one you prefer ( both are good ) I’ll be using
Open DNS in this tutorial.

Open DNS: 208.67.222.222 | 208.67.220.220

Google DNS: 8.8.8.8 | 8.8.4.4

2. Decide if you only want to change your computer’s DNS or for every
device on your network. I will cover both.

Changing DNS on your computer

This will vary depending on your version of Windows, but it’s mostly the
same.

1. Navigate to “Network and Sharing Center” — search for it or find it in

your control panel.

Control Panel

Network Center

2. Open your connection by clicking on it. In my case, I only have one

connection. ( I click Ethernet ) Then click properties, you may need admin
rights for this.

connection

3. Under the networking tab find “Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4)”

Click it then hit properties once more.

Optionally you can disable IPv6 here by unchecking it. Some VPNs don’t cover
IPv6 so keep that in mind in case you have a leak later.

IPv4 and IPv6

4. Tick “use the following DNS server addresses” to override your current
DNS. This is where you’ll enter your chosen addresses from above. (
OpenDNS, Google DNS, or something else )

DNS Override

5. From the same properties menu click advanced then go to the DNS tab.
Once again add the addresses. Click add, copy/paste the address, click add
again. Put them in the same order as the previous ones we added.

This time we’re going to add a 3rd option that is unlikely to be used but will
be used as a fallback if needed. I used the Google DNS 8.8.8.8

Advanced DNS Settings

6. Click ok for everything. We’re done here just make sure it all saves.

At this point, you may need to reset your computer and possibly your router.
If you’re going to set up the DNS on your router then it can wait. If you reset
and the DNS isn’t working then your router may be the cause or the settings
didn’t save.

Changing DNS on your router

This will use the DNS on all devices connected to your router ( wired or
WiFi )

1. Go to your router’s settings. If you don’t know how then follow these
steps otherwise go to step 2.
Open the command prompt by pressing windows/command key + R then type
“cmd” enter or click the start button and search for cmd.

In the command prompt type, ipconfig/all and press enter. Look for the
address labeled “Default Gateway” and copy the numbers. ( it should look
like xxx.xxx.x.x — and not this kind of address fe90:b211:a115 )

Paste that address into your browser. In my case, it’s 192.168.0.1 then login
with your username / password. If you didn’t make one try “admin” for the
user and “password” for the password. If that fails Google the name of your
router and the user/pass.

2. Find the DNS settings. This can vary from router to router and you may
have to Google how to do this for your particular router. You’ll want to find
something like DNS Override, there should be 2–3 inputs for DNS addresses.
Put the addresses you want to use here.

3. Save your settings and reset your router by unplugging it for 10

seconds then plugging it back in. ( a soft reset may not be enough )

Part 2: Setting up a VPN

In this part, we will install and use OpenVPN and config for it.

1. Download and install OpenVPN — download page ( just follow the

installer )

Windows Installer

2. Download the VPN config of your choice from VPNBook. Simply click
the link for the setting you want. ( you can choose any country regardless of
where you are )

VPN Config Choices

3. Navigate to your OpenVPN config folder. If you didn’t change where

it’s installed then it’s probably: C:\Program Files\OpenVPN\config

4. Extract the config into this folder ( you may need a program like 7zip,
Winrar, or similar )

Config Folder

5. With all that done you can close everything.

Fixing Browser Leaks

There is a browser feature called WebRTC that will leak your information,
here’s how to fix it in some browsers.

Firefox
1. In Firefox type “about:config” in your address bar and press Enter.
2. On the config page search for: media.peerconnection.enabled

3. Change it to false by double-clicking on it.

4. Restart Firefox.

Google Chrome
Unfortunately, there are no settings for it and you’ll need to install WebRTC
Network Limiter extension by Google.

Opera
1. Type “about:config” in the address bar and press Enter.
2. Find “WebRTC” and select “Disable non-proxied UDP”.

Moment of Truth
Finally, we try out the VPN.

1. Open OpenVPN GUI. An icon should appear on your taskbar by the date
and time. Right-click it, hover over the config you want and click connect. (
make sure all browsers/connections are closed before doing this )

Connecting to VPN

2. Run some tests head to dnsleaktest.com and ipleak.net to spot any leaks.

If everything worked then your DNS should be the one you changed it to,
your IP address should be different, no personal info, etc.

Further Reading

How to set up a VPN in 10 minutes for free (and why

you urgently need one)
“A computer lets you make more mistakes faster than any other
invention with the possible exceptions of handguns and…
medium.freecodecamp.org

How to encrypt your entire life in less than an hour

“Only the paranoid survive.” — Andy Grove
medium.freecodecamp.org

How to set up a VPN on Linux in 5 minutes for free

In this short and overdue tutorial, we will set up a virtual private
network (VPN) to help protect your online…
medium.freecodecamp.org

Thanks for reading! Leave a clap if it helped you or comment below if you
need help.

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