PremierVPN X macOS — Troubleshooting Guide

This guide covers common issues with PremierVPN X on macOS and provides step-by-step instructions to diagnose and resolve them. All commands should be run in the macOS Terminal app (Applications → Utilities → Terminal).

Quick Reference

1. "Process Error: No Such File or Directory"

This means the XRay VPN engine binary is not installed on your Mac. The app bundles it, but if the bundle is incomplete or the binary was removed, you need to install it manually.

1.1 Check if XRay is installed

xray version

If this prints a version number (e.g. "Xray 26.2.6"), XRay is installed. If it says "command not found", continue below.

1.2 Install XRay manually

Apple Silicon Macs (M1/M2/M3/M4):

curl -fsSL https://github.com/XTLS/Xray-core/releases/latest/download/Xray-macos-arm64-v8a.zip -o /tmp/xray.zip
sudo unzip -o /tmp/xray.zip xray -d /usr/local/bin/
sudo chmod +x /usr/local/bin/xray
rm /tmp/xray.zip

Intel Macs:

curl -fsSL https://github.com/XTLS/Xray-core/releases/latest/download/Xray-macos-64.zip -o /tmp/xray.zip
sudo unzip -o /tmp/xray.zip xray -d /usr/local/bin/
sudo chmod +x /usr/local/bin/xray
rm /tmp/xray.zip

1.3 Verify installation

xray version
# Should print: Xray 26.2.6 (Xray, Penetrates Everything.)

Reopen the app and try connecting again.

2. Connected But No Internet

The app shows "Protected" but websites don't load, or browsing is very slow.

2.1 Check the proxy settings

Run these while the app shows Connected:

networksetup -getsocksfirewallproxy Wi-Fi
networksetup -getwebproxy Wi-Fi
networksetup -getsecurewebproxy Wi-Fi

All three should show Enabled: Yes, Server: 127.0.0.1, and Port: 10808 (SOCKS) or 10809 (HTTP/HTTPS). If the port differs, go to Settings → Advanced and reset to defaults.

2.2 Check the proxy bypass list

networksetup -getproxybypassdomains Wi-Fi

This must include the VPN server's IP address. If missing, XRay's own traffic loops back through itself. Disconnect and reconnect — the app sets the bypass automatically.

2.3 Test the tunnel directly

curl --max-time 10 -x socks5://127.0.0.1:10808 https://ifconfig.me

Should return the VPN server's IP. If it times out, try a different server.

2.4 Emergency: Restore internet access

networksetup -setsocksfirewallproxystate Wi-Fi off
networksetup -setwebproxystate Wi-Fi off
networksetup -setsecurewebproxystate Wi-Fi off

3. Wrong IP Address When Connected

Websites show an IP that isn't a PremierVPN server. Usually happens after reinstalling the app — stale proxy settings from the old install conflict with the new one.

Fix — Full reset

Quit the app first (menu bar → Quit PremierVPN X), then run:

# Clear all proxy settings
networksetup -setsocksfirewallproxystate Wi-Fi off
networksetup -setwebproxystate Wi-Fi off
networksetup -setsecurewebproxystate Wi-Fi off
networksetup -setproxybypassdomains Wi-Fi "localhost" "127.0.0.1" "*.local"

# Delete app data
rm -rf ~/Library/Application\ Support/PremierVPN-XRay/

# Delete keychain credentials
security delete-generic-password -s "PremierVPN-XRay" 2>/dev/null

Reopen the app, log in fresh, and connect. Verify at ifconfig.me.

4. App Asks for Password on Launch

Single prompt

This is normal on first launch. Click Always Allow — you won't be asked again.

Two prompts every time

Legacy keychain entries from an older version. Fix:

security delete-generic-password -s "PremierVPN-XRay" -a "auth_token" 2>/dev/null
security delete-generic-password -s "PremierVPN-XRay" -a "auth_email" 2>/dev/null
security delete-generic-password -s "PremierVPN-XRay" -a "credentials" 2>/dev/null
security delete-generic-password -s "PremierVPN-XRay" 2>/dev/null

Reopen the app and log in. Click Always Allow on the single prompt.

5. "Connection Lost Unexpectedly"

The XRay process stopped. Possible causes:

• VPN server went down for maintenance
• Your internet dropped briefly
• XRay process crashed
• macOS killed the process (low memory)

Fix: Click Connect again. If it fails, try a different server. If all servers fail, check your internet. Run Diagnostics → Health Check in the app.

6. "No Active Subscription" Error

1. Go to portal.premiervpn.net and check your subscription status
2. If expired, renew your subscription
3. In the app, go to Account → Refresh
4. Try loading servers again

Still showing the error? Sign out of the app and log back in — this fetches fresh subscription data.

7. Menu Bar Icon Missing

ps aux | grep -i premiervpn

If no results, the app isn't running — open it from Applications. If it is running but the icon isn't visible:

• Hold ⌘ Command and drag other menu bar icons to make room
• On MacBook Pro with notch — icons can hide behind it
• Quit from Activity Monitor and reopen

8. Connecting from China / Restricted Networks

PremierVPN X uses VLESS + REALITY — specifically designed to bypass deep packet inspection.

Diagnostics shows "Internet: ERROR"

XRay binary not bundled

Follow Section 1. Note: GitHub may be blocked in China. Download XRay before travelling, or have someone send you the binary.

Connection times out

• Try a different server — some IPs may be blocked
• Try at different times — censorship intensity varies
• Ensure you have the latest app version with current server list

9. Complete Reset Procedure

If nothing else works, perform a full reset:

1. Quit PremierVPN X (menu bar → Quit)
2. Run the following in Terminal:

# Stop any running XRay processes
pkill -f xray

# Disable all proxies
networksetup -setsocksfirewallproxystate Wi-Fi off
networksetup -setwebproxystate Wi-Fi off
networksetup -setsecurewebproxystate Wi-Fi off
networksetup -setproxybypassdomains Wi-Fi "localhost" "127.0.0.1" "*.local"

# Delete all app data
rm -rf ~/Library/Application\ Support/PremierVPN-XRay/

# Delete keychain entries
security delete-generic-password -s "PremierVPN-XRay" -a "auth_token" 2>/dev/null
security delete-generic-password -s "PremierVPN-XRay" -a "auth_email" 2>/dev/null
security delete-generic-password -s "PremierVPN-XRay" -a "credentials" 2>/dev/null
security delete-generic-password -s "PremierVPN-XRay" 2>/dev/null

3. Reopen the app from Applications
4. Log in with your email and password
5. Click Always Allow on the Keychain prompt
6. Select a server and connect
7. Verify at ifconfig.me

Also want to reinstall the app?

sudo rm -rf /Applications/PremierVPN\ X.app

Then download the latest DMG from premiervpn.net, drag to Applications, and log in.

10. Complete Uninstall

# 1. Quit the app first (Menu bar → Quit PremierVPN X)

# 2. Disable proxies
networksetup -setsocksfirewallproxystate Wi-Fi off
networksetup -setwebproxystate Wi-Fi off
networksetup -setsecurewebproxystate Wi-Fi off

# 3. Delete the app
sudo rm -rf /Applications/PremierVPN\ X.app

# 4. Delete app data
rm -rf ~/Library/Application\ Support/PremierVPN-XRay/

# 5. Delete keychain entries
security delete-generic-password -s "PremierVPN-XRay" 2>/dev/null

# 6. (Optional) Remove XRay binary
sudo rm -f /usr/local/bin/xray
sudo rm -f /usr/local/bin/geoip.dat
sudo rm -f /usr/local/bin/geosite.dat

11. Collecting Diagnostics for Support

From the app

1. Open PremierVPN X
2. Go to Diagnostics in the sidebar
3. Click Run Health Check
4. Click Export to save a diagnostics file
5. Attach it to your support ticket

From Terminal (if the app won't open)

# XRay version
xray version

# macOS version
sw_vers

# Processor type
uname -m

# Current proxy settings
networksetup -getsocksfirewallproxy Wi-Fi
networksetup -getwebproxy Wi-Fi
networksetup -getproxybypassdomains Wi-Fi

# Is XRay running?
lsof -i :10808

# App data
ls -la ~/Library/Application\ Support/PremierVPN-XRay/ 2>/dev/null || echo "No app data"

# Recent logs
cat ~/Library/Application\ Support/PremierVPN-XRay/Logs/premiervpn.log 2>/dev/null | tail -50

Copy all output and include it in your support ticket at premiervpn.net/support-help-centre.