How to set up a free VPN for Windows

VPNs (Virtual Private Networks) are used to protect your privacy while browsing the web. Basically, they encrypt your Internet traffic and redirect it to another server so that your computer doesn't appear to be the point of origin. There are various reasons why you would want to use a VPN: to access a website that's normally unavailable in your country, to have private Internet access, etc.

In a previous article, we showed you how to download data anonymously. In this guide, I will teach you how to set up free VPNs on your Windows PC. You can find a wide range of VPN services on the web, each with its own set of capabilities and subscription plans. Here, I used Windscribe, one of the most popular and best free VPN services, that gives you access to 11 server locations, a bandwidth of 10GB per month, ad-blocking abilities, and so much more.

Tutorial assets

You will need to download the following software to follow along with this tutorial.

Download Windscribe

Step 1

Using your default web browser, go to the Windscribe homepage. Create and validate a personal account on the Windscribe website.

Step 2

Download the latest program version from the homepage of the developer. Right-click the installer file and select the "Run As Administrator" option. Follow the steps presented by the wizard assistant to complete the installation of the utility.

Step 3

Launch the utility, enter your Windscribe account credentials, and click the "Login" button.

Windscribe Login Window

Step 4

Select the server location from the offered list and the program will immediately make the connection. The utility will let you know how much bandwidth you have left, display your new IP address, and allow you to enable the Firewall option if needed.

Windscribe Main Window

Optional: In the Preferences panel of the utility you will find additional connection settings. From there, you can configure advanced Firewall settings (for instance, you can switch from Automatic mode to Manual and select the preferred protocol and port), enable the proxy getaway feature, disable the IPv6, etc. Make sure you know what you're doing while configuring these settings as you might mess up your Internet connection.

Conclusion

As you can see, it's very simple to set up and use a VPN for free on your Windows computer. The question remains: which free VPN service is the one for you? Let us know in the comments section below.