How to Set Up Your VPN

This guide gets you connected to PremierVPN on any device, usually in a few minutes. It covers which app to install, how to sign in, and what to do on networks that block VPNs.

Before you start

You need an active PremierVPN plan. Downloads and the server list unlock once your plan is active.
Our apps sign in with your portal email and password: the same login you use at portal.premiervpn.net. If you use two-factor authentication, have your authenticator app ready.
Your VPN username and VPN password on the Dashboard are a separate login for third-party apps and manual set-ups. You don't need them for our apps. See Understanding Your VPN Credentials.

Signed up with Google or Apple? Your account has no password yet, and the apps need one. Sign in to the portal with Google or Apple, go to Settings › Portal Password, enter a new password twice and click Set Portal Password. Then use your email and that password in the app.

Quick start

Sign in to the portal and open Downloads in the sidebar.
Install the app for your device (details for each platform are below).
Open the app and sign in with your portal email and password. Enter your 6-digit code if two-factor authentication is on.
Allow the VPN configuration when your device asks. This is a one-time step every VPN app needs.
Choose a location and connect. Where the app offers Auto, leave it on: it finds a protocol that works on your network for you.

Set up on your device

iPhone and iPad

Install PremierVPN from the App Store (iOS 17.6 or later), or use the App Store button on your Downloads page.
Open the app and tap Sign in. If you're new, you can also tap Create account and subscribe in the app.
Tap Allow when iOS asks to add a VPN configuration.
Tap the connect button on Home. You're protected when it says Protected.

The protocol is set to Auto by default. iOS may ask once more to add a VPN configuration the first time Auto uses AmneziaWG or VLESS. That's expected. Full guide: Set up PremierVPN on iPhone and iPad.

Windows

On your Downloads page, download the Windows installer. Most PCs need x64. PCs with an ARM processor, such as a Surface Pro X or a Snapdragon laptop, need ARM64.
Run the .msi file and click Yes when Windows asks to allow changes. If SmartScreen appears, click More info, then Run anyway.
Open PremierVPN and sign in with your portal email and password.
Double-click a location in the list to connect. You're protected when the ring reads Protected.

The Windows app needs Windows 10 or 11. Full guide: Set up PremierVPN on Windows.

Android

Install PremierVPN from Google Play (Android 8.0 or later), or use the Google Play button on your Downloads page.
Open the app and sign in with your portal email and password.
Tap the shield button to connect, and tap OK when Android asks to allow the VPN connection.

The latest Android version adds Auto mode, AmneziaWG, VLESS (REALITY, xHTTP and CDN) and Stealth relay. It's rolling out now. If you don't see these options yet, update the app from Google Play. Full guide: Set up PremierVPN on Android.

macOS

On your Downloads page, click the App Store button for macOS and install PremierVPN.
Open the app and sign in with your portal email and password.
Click Allow when macOS asks to add a VPN configuration, and confirm with your Mac password or Touch ID.
Choose a location and click Connect.

The latest Mac version adds Auto mode, AmneziaWG, VLESS (REALITY, xHTTP and CDN) and Stealth relay. It's rolling out now. If you don't see these options yet, update the app using the Mac link on your Downloads page. Full guide: Set up PremierVPN on macOS.

Linux

Download the .deb package (Ubuntu, Debian) or the .rpm package (Fedora, RHEL, Rocky Linux, AlmaLinux) from your Downloads page, then install it from a terminal.

Ubuntu and Debian:

cd ~/Downloads
sudo apt install ./premiervpn_*.deb

Fedora:

cd ~/Downloads
sudo dnf install ./premiervpn-*.rpm

Open PremierVPN from your application menu, sign in with your portal email and password, and click Connect on a server. RHEL, Rocky Linux and AlmaLinux need one extra step: see Install PremierVPN on Fedora / Red Hat (RPM). Ubuntu guide: Set up PremierVPN on Linux.

Fire TV

The Fire TV app works on Fire TV Stick (2nd generation or later), Fire TV Stick 4K and 4K Max, and Fire TV Cube. Install it from the Amazon Appstore or with the Downloader app. Unlike our other apps, it signs in with your VPN username and VPN password from the Dashboard. Full guide: Set up PremierVPN on Fire TV.

Which protocol should I use?

For most people, the answer is to leave it on the default.

Auto (iPhone and iPad, and the latest Android and Mac versions): tries WireGuard®, then AmneziaWG, REALITY, xHTTP, CDN and Stealth relay, keeps the first that works, and remembers what worked on each network.
WireGuard®: the fastest choice for everyday browsing, streaming and gaming. It's the default on Windows and Linux.
On networks that block VPNs (some hotels, offices, schools and countries): use Auto on iPhone and iPad. On Windows, turn on Stealth, or switch on Bypass and leave it on Auto, which tries AmneziaWG, then Cloak, then VLESS.

On iPhone and iPad, the kill switch works with WireGuard, AmneziaWG and Stealth relay. iOS can't use a kill switch with REALITY, xHTTP or CDN, and the app tells you when one of those is in use.

Check you're protected

The app shows Protected (or Secure in the Signal style) with the VPN's IP address.
Visit our IP leak test. It should show the VPN server's location, not your own.
The bar at the top of the portal also shows Protected or Exposed for the device you're using.

Using a third-party app or a router

You can connect without our apps using IKEv2, OpenConnect (AnyConnect), OpenVPN or WireGuard configuration files. These use your VPN username and VPN password from the Dashboard, not your portal login. Start with these guides:

IKEv2 setup guides (built into Windows, macOS and iOS; strongSwan on Android and Linux)
AnyConnect and OpenConnect guides
Router setup guides

Connecting from countries that block VPNs

Start with Auto on iPhone and iPad, or Bypass on Windows. These are built for heavily filtered networks. The Anti-Censorship page in the portal sidebar also has a VLESS subscription URL you can import into third-party apps such as v2rayNG, NekoBox, Sing-Box or V2Box, along with our other anti-censorship tools.

Still stuck? Open a support ticket and tell us your device, app version and what you've tried.

Something out of date or unclear? Let us know.