How to Setup VPN on Mac for MacOS X

The Virtual Private Network (VPN) is a prominent mode to keep you secure and anonymous over the internet with the help of your computer or similar devices. To accomplish such a task using your computer or laptop with a LAN or Wifi network, varied operating systems can be leveraged, foremost of them being Windows, Linux or Mac. Let us get into the deeper details on how you can setup VPN on Mac OS.

VPN Settings on Mac OS

To setup a VPN on your MacOS operating system, you need to provide the requisite configuration settings that include the server address of your VPN provider, your account  name, password and an authentication certificate provided by the network administrator among the other necessities. Be it a Mac OS X 10.3, 10.4, 10.5 or any other version, the process is more or less similar; in this post, we will discuss about MacOS 10.5.x and higher.

Setup VPN on MacOS 10.5.x

To configure a VPN connection from a Mac OSX10.5 client computer you need to go through the below mentioned steps:

Step1: Select Network

Go to the Apple menu and choose “System Preferences” pane or alternatively, you can also choose it from the dock. Click “Network” icon under Internet & Network.

Step2: Start setting up new VPN connection

In the resultant window of Network Configuration, move to the left side to click the ‘+’ icon to setup a new VPN connection.

Step3: Enter the VPN information

Click the interface menu to provide the desired detail for Interface (select VPN), VPN type (which is automatically set to L2TP over IPSec) and provide your VPN service name after selecting ”VPN (L2TP)”. Next, click” create”.

Step4: configure the new connection

In the next window, you will be asked to provide the configuration details. Type the server address in the “Server Address” field   and the user id in the “Account name” field, respectively, as given by your VPN provider.

Step5: Configure Authentication Settings

Click the “Authentication Settings” button after mentioning connection details to move to the authentication window.  Click the “Password” option and fill in your password. Then, type the IPSec Preshared Key, which is emailed to you by your VPN provider, click OK.

Step6: Change the “Advanced” settings

Next, click the “Advanced” button in the Network configuration window. In the “Options” tab, check the option for “Send all traffic over VPN connection”. You can also check “Use verbose logging” option if you feel the need for the same. Click OK.

Step7: Apply the settings

Click the “Apply” button at the bottom right of the window.

Step8: Connect to VPN

Finally, click the “connect” button whenever you want to establish connection with your VPN. Alternatively, you can also choose the VPN configuration in the VPN menu.

Once you are done with all the above-mentioned steps successfully, you are free to enjoy safe, secure and anonymous VPN connection.