Your isp (ISP) knows you're reading this right now. It's selling that information and a million other information points to third-party marketers so they can build a contour on you. They're going to use that eerily detailed profile to try to sell you things. Don't be surprised if y'all start seeing targeted ads for VPNs in the almost time to come.

Kind of creepy, right? That'due south not the one-half of it.

If you're connected to the unsecured internet, in that location's no telling who'south watching what you're doing. Overreaching authorities agencies who want to rail your activeness and shady hackers looking to get their hands on your sensitive information aren't uncommon. To get them off your back and out of your business organisation, y'all need to invest in a virtual private network (VPN).

FYI: The first VPN was built in the 1990s by engineers at Microsoft who were trying to keep data private on public networks. For more than information, cheque out our 2022 VPN heir-apparent'southward guide.

As a Windows user, yous obviously value systems that work well. You lot desire to customize your feel, and you lot desire to exist comprehensively protected. Before we talk about how to ready up a VPN, let'southward discuss what they are and why yous demand one.

How Does a VPN Work?

You tin check out our guide to how VPNs work if you lot're interested in the inner workings of a VPN, just for our purposes I'll give you a quick thirty,000-human foot overview.

Connected in Germany using NordVPN

Connected in Germany using NordVPN

VPNs substantially work in ii ways: They institute a private connection betwixt your computer and its destination, and they encrypt your traffic so it would be indecipherable fifty-fifty if it were to be intercepted.

Recall of information technology this way: If you accept your dog for a walk, your neighbors tin can glean a lot of information. They know what kind of dog y'all have, what fourth dimension you lot're not dwelling house, and what color shirt you're wearing. Your snooping ISP does the same thing with your cyberspace activity.

At present let'south say your lawn has a individual tunnel where you lot can walk your dog. Suddenly, no neighbors tin gather information on your activity. VPNs work in a similar fashion, but they also add additional layers of protection.

There's a lot of technical jargon we could go lost in, of course, simply that's generally how VPNs work.

FYI: At that place are lots of reasons people employ VPNs, simply the two big ones are privacy and security. There are a few added benefits, such as being able to stream Netflix from anywhere in the world or torrent in anonymity, merely VPN users generally are concerned with how vulnerable they are online.

Surfshark's UI and server list

Surfshark'south UI and server listing

How to Set Up a VPN on Windows 10

This may go without proverb, but the first stride is selecting the VPN provider that's right for yous, which means considering factors such as speed, privacy, and boosted features. If y'all want some guidance, then the best identify to start is our list of the top 10 all-time VPNs of 2022. If you desire to cut to the hunt, so you can read our comparison of NordVPN and ExpressVPN — two of our favorite services.

Once you lot've selected your service, head to the company's website and make your purchase. It will require you lot to select a username and password and enter your payment data. Once that's done, y'all'll download the .exe file and run the plan.

Seriously, that's all there is to it. No need to mess with network options or open a configuration window. This is actually simple stuff.

Pro Tip: Once your VPN is upward and running, give it a quick speed exam to make sure you're connected to a server that will give y'all the least latency.

If, for some reason, you lot're operating in S fashion on Windows 10 and you can't install apps from outside the Store, then you tin even so configure your VPN manually. To exercise that, open the Network and Internet configuration from the Settings option in the Start menu. Click Add VPN Connection.

Windows logo

Windows logo

Click the driblet-downwardly menu beneath the VPN provider, and click Windows (Born). Click the Connection field, and type in the name of the VPN connection. After that, click the Server Name or Address field and type the server'due south address (you'll find information technology in the VPN account itself). Click the drop-down beneath VPN Type to select your connection protocol, and then click the menu for Blazon of Sign-In Info to select your method. This will depend wholly on your VPN provider. Click Relieve, and yous're all prepare.

And there you accept it! You've purchased and fix up a VPN on your Windows 10 machine, and now you're surfing in digital anonymity.

The Concluding Discussion on Windows 10 VPNs

Our online privacy is eroding. The internet as we know it is a fraught and delicate thing, and, unless nosotros're proactive in protecting it, it won't exist a place to freely exchange data forever. 1 of the all-time means to button back and reclaim your privacy online is by using a VPN. I'd encourage you to wait at our guide to the best VPNs for Windows and take back your digital security.

Windows 10 VPN FAQs

Will a VPN work with Windows x?

Yep, nigh modernistic VPNs work well with Windows 10.

Practice I need a VPN with Windows ten?

Yous don't need a VPN for day-to-mean solar day functionality, but it will certainly go a long way toward increasing your privacy and security online.

Are VPNs hard to set up on Windows 10?

No, setting upwardly a VPN on Windows 10 is every bit like shooting fish in a barrel as downloading a file and executing it.

How much are VPNs?

It depends on the service yous select, only VPN service typically costs betwixt $3 and $xv per calendar month.

Are VPNs hard to use?

No. Modern VPNs are designed to be extremely user friendly. If you have basic competency with computers, using a VPN should be no problem.