VPN on a computer: which method for Windows and Mac

One LeoTun account gives a computer four device-wide methods and one that covers only the browser. A device-wide method routes everything the computer sends; the web proxy routes a single browser.

• Hiddify: paste one profile address to import; the server, credentials and routing rules are all inside. Fastest on lossy networks.
• Private network (Tailscale): log in once with your site account and stay online, change exit region from the menu, and reach your other computers, phones and NAS on the same account.
• Cisco (AnyConnect): the client is Cisco Secure Client; enter an address, a username and a password. It runs over TLS and is the steadiest on restricted networks.
• OpenVPN: install OpenVPN Connect and import one .ovpn file; the profile already carries your username and password.
• Web proxy: one browser extension, no client and no admin rights, and every other program stays as it is.

• Your own computer, everyday use: Hiddify or the private network. Inside China and wanting Chinese sites to go direct, switch Hiddify to “auto split” in the client.
• A company laptop without admin rights: web proxy — see the work laptop guide.
• A corporate VPN already running: web proxy. Two device-wide VPNs fight over network settings; the web proxy covers only the browser and stays out of the way.
• Dormitory, campus or office network that restricts UDP: Cisco. Hiddify, the private network and OpenVPN all use UDP and slow down or drop there.
• Broadband that keeps dropping, weak Wi‑Fi: web proxy. It works request by request with no long-lived connection, so by design there is no connection to drop.
• Apps with their own proxy settings, such as Dropbox or Steam: let Hiddify take the whole machine and set the app to “No proxy” — see the app proxy guide.
• Gaming, voice and video calls: Hiddify or the private network, with the lowest-latency region. The web proxy covers only the browser, so games and calling apps bypass it.
• An old PC on Windows 7 or 8: Cisco, on version 4.9, the last one that supports them.
• Several computers at home plus a TV and boxes: router — see choosing a VPN router. The full comparison is in which method fits which scenario.

Every method has an illustrated tutorial for Windows and for macOS; this section points to them. Installers are in the install area of each method’s page, and the download center on the contact page collects them in one place.

• Hiddify: the desktop app is on this site’s download page, with separate Mac packages for Intel and Apple Silicon; on the Hiddify page, tap a region flag and then the button that starts with Hiddify to copy the profile address. Screenshots are in importing a subscription link.
• Private network: install Tailscale from the download area of the private network page, then follow the steps there to point the login at this site. Screenshots are in the private network guide.
• Cisco: the installer is in the install area of the Cisco page, and the address for each region is in the region list. Screenshots are in the AnyConnect guide.
• OpenVPN: install OpenVPN Connect from the OpenVPN page, log in and click a region’s flag to download its .ovpn file, then import it. Screenshots are in the OpenVPN guide.
• Web proxy: the extension links are on the web proxy page, with a set of screenshots for Chrome, Edge, Firefox and other browsers in the web proxy guide.

• Administrator rights: a device-wide client changes the system’s network settings, so installing it needs admin rights. On a PC without them, use the web proxy.
• Security software: suites such as 360 and Kingsoft intercept encrypted connections, which shows up as a client that installs but will not connect. Uninstall the suite and reboot.
• Antivirus flagging Hiddify: in our tests the built-in Windows Security does not flag it. If a third-party antivirus does, verify the installer first, then mark Hiddify’s install folder as trusted — see verifying an installer.
• Import Hiddify by pasting: on a computer, the button that starts with Hiddify copies the https:// profile address; pasting that into Hiddify is the reliable way.
• Cisco error “VPN establishment capability for a remote user is disabled”: the PC is being controlled over Remote Desktop. Sit at the machine and log in locally — see the guide to this error.
• System version: Windows 10 and later use Cisco 5.x; Windows 7 and 8 stay on 4.9.

• Network extension approval: the first time the private network, Cisco or Hiddify client connects, macOS wants you to click “Allow” yourself in System Settings. Until you do, the icon spins and never connects — the most common reason a Mac VPN will not connect. The steps are in the network extension guide. OpenVPN Connect does not use this mechanism.
• “Damaged and can’t be opened” or “cannot verify the developer”: this is Gatekeeper holding back Hiddify because it was downloaded from the web; the file is intact. Verify first, then allow — see the “damaged” app guide.
• Prefer to skip that: the private network, OpenVPN Connect and Cisco clients open with a double-click on a Mac, on the same account.
• Chip: Hiddify has separate packages for Intel and Apple Silicon; pick the one for your Mac.
• Errors when reinstalling Cisco: dragging the icon to the Trash is not an uninstall. Clean up with the manual Cisco uninstall guide, then install again. A normal update needs no uninstall; install the new version over the old one.
• The web proxy extension runs in Chrome, Edge and Firefox. Safari has no such extension, so use another browser.
• A greyed-out “Allow” button on a company Mac: device management has locked that permission and only IT can approve it. On such a machine, use the web proxy.

1. Log in to this site and check the account expiry. Expiry is the most common cause; a new account needs a trial or a payment before it has any time.
2. Check that the computer’s clock is set automatically. Encrypted connections need the time to be within a few minutes, and a Cisco “untrusted certificate” prompt usually means this.
3. On a Mac, confirm the network extension is allowed; on Windows, check whether security software is blocking the client.
4. Try another region. If that one connects, only the first server was temporarily unreachable.
5. Change network: if broadband fails, try once through a phone hotspot. Interference differs between carriers.
6. Change method. If the UDP methods (Hiddify, private network, OpenVPN) fail, switch to Cisco over TLS; if device-wide methods keep dropping, switch to the web proxy.
7. Turn off any other VPN that is running. Two device-wide methods on one computer compete for DNS and routes.
8. Restart the router and the modem, then try again.
9. Still stuck: bring the method, the region, the exact error text and the time to a support group on the contact page. The longer checklist is in the troubleshooting guide.