Easy VPN Setup For Mac OS: Secure Your Digital Footprint (2024)

There are many things to look out for when choosing the right VPN and then setting it up and making it ready to be used. However, there are many principles to understand regarding its working. So, before we dive in, we’re going to quickly discuss what a VPN is and why you might want to use one on your Mac now. So, first off, how can a VPN benefit you?

The VPN is like having your own secret passage or a private lane on the Internet. So, when you connect to the Internet through a VPN, all your online activities are shielded by strong encryption. This means that no one can see what you’re doing online or access your personal information.

Try to think of it as a virtual shield that keeps your online presence private and secure no matter where you are or what you’re doing. So, with the VPN, you can browse the web, and you can also check your e-mail online, stream your favorite content, and don’t have to worry about anyone else snooping on your activity or stealing any of your sensitive or personal information.

In short, the VPN sort of acts as a tunnel between you and the Internet, ensuring that your online activity is private, secure, and protected. VPN stands for Virtual Private Network. When you use a VPN, your Internet service provider, you no longer know what websites you’re visiting. Also, the websites that you visit now only know the location of the VPN server. They can no longer see what the actual city and country is that you’re visiting from.

First off, it may give you access to additional entertainment content. There are many other entertainment sources that might not be available for your region, so if you could make your location connect to that specific location, you can watch more movies and TV shows.
Second, you can also get around local censorship, just as an example, if you happen to live in China. You don’t have access to a lot of major platforms, but if you connect to a VPN, the government only knows that you’re connecting to a VPN, and you can now use all those different services.
Third, you also get some security and privacy benefits. Your Internet service provider no longer knows what websites you’re visiting, but doesn’t the VPN know what websites you’re visiting? Most VPNs claim that they don’t keep any logs. However, this could be changing. So, depending on your market, this may change.

It sounds like there are some good benefits. Are there any downsides to using a VPN? And yeah, there are a few.

First off, you must install an app on your computer, and that’s going to consume some system resources. Also, because you’ve now introduced an extra step, every single time you say head to a website, it’s going to slow things down. There’s going to be a little bit more latency. Your upload and download speeds won’t be quite as fast. Now that we know what the VPN is and what some of its benefits are Let’s look at how to set up a VPN on Mac OS.

Now, let’s move on to setting up a VPN for your Mac, which is rather simple.

How To Setup A VPN On Mac?

We’re now going to show you how to set up the VPN on your Mac using either the built-in VPN settings or a third-party app. So, whether you’re new to VPNs or simply looking for a step-by-step guide, we’ve got you covered without further ado. Let’s get going now.

In this guide, we’re going to cover two methods for setting up a VPN on your Mac,

Using the built-in VPN settings.
Using a third-party VPN app.

Without any further ado, let’s begin.

1. Setting Up A VPN In Mac’s Built-in Settings:

So first, we’re going to discuss how to set up a VPN using your Mac’s built-in settings.

Let’s go ahead and start by going into your System Preferences and then clicking on the Network tab.
After that, you’ll see a little plus button in the bottom left corner, which is going to allow you to add a new connection.
Next, you’ll want to select “VPN” from the interface drop-down menu and this is going to give you the option to choose the type of VPN that you want to set up.
After you’ve made your selection, you’re going to go ahead and click the “Create” button and create a new VPN connection.
Then, you’ll be prompted to enter the server address in your account name.
Now, after that, you’ll need to enter your VPN password and shared secret, to do that, simply just click on the Authentication settings button and enter the required information
After that, you’ll want to click the OK button to save your authentication settings and the Apply button to apply your changes.
Finally, connecting to your VPN is easy. All you must do is click a single button, find the connect button in the settings, and give it a click, and that’s it.
Your online activities are now private and protected.

2. Setting Up A VPN Through A Third-Party Application:

Now, getting a VPN up and running on your Mac using a third-party app is even easier than doing it with the built-in settings.

Start by finding the right VPN provider for you among the many options available. Take your time and explore your options.
Once you’ve chosen a provider, all you must do is head over to their website and then download the appropriate app for your Mac device.
Next, all you must do is launch the application installer to begin the installation process on your Mac.
Now, before you do that, consider yourself warned that some VPNs do require you to grant certain permissions and consume your system’s resources to operate.
Now, the last thing you must do is once the app is installed launch it, you’ll be ready to start using the VPN. Just choose a VPN server location and then connect to the server, and now your Mac’s going to be secure, and you’ll be able to browse the web completely privately.

So, to sum it up, setting up a VPN on your Mac is an effortless task that can provide you with the Peace of Mind you need while browsing the web. But you might be wondering which VPN is the right choice for you or your situation; well, the short answer is, that’s entirely up to you. Many different VPNs offer different perks for their use. Choosing the right one is, hence, subjective. You will have to do your fair share of research before you arrive at a conclusion on which you can base your final verdict.

Detailed Pros and Cons Of Using A VPN:

Using a VPN is helpful in a lot of ways. But there are times when you may not want to use a VPN, and we’ll be showcasing those situations:

1. Pros Of Using A VPN:

But first, let’s discuss the pros of using a VPN.

Now, obviously, we’re using a VPN; it will encrypt all Steal sensitive data or hack into your accounts, especially if you’re on public Wi-Fi.
Now, another Pro is access to restricted content. Let’s say you’re in a restrictive country, and some content is just censored away from your network. You can connect to a VPN server, which will be encrypted and give you access to websites and services that may not be available in your country.
Another Pro is well, protection from Wi-Fi snooping because when you connect to Wi-Fi hotspots, your data can be vulnerable to snooping by other users. The VPN encrypts your internet traffic, making it much harder for anyone to intercept your data. Another pro is increased anonymity because by routing your traffic through a VPN server, you can hide your IP address, which makes it much harder for websites and services to track your online activity, and it also minimizes targeted advertising servers. You can hide your IP address, which makes it much harder for websites and services to track your online activity, and it also minimizes targeted advertising.
The final pro for using a VPN is the improved online experience by reducing lag, improving speeds, and bypassing ISP throttling. Now, you can reduce lag if you’re particularly experiencing terrible lag when you’re trying to play games on your ISP servers. You can connect to the VPN server that’s closest to your game server in order to hopefully improve ping, and you can improve your speed if the ISP throttles your speed after reaching a specific daily quota because a lot of ISPs do that, they decrease it significantly if you reach let’s say the 20 GB quota of internet. But a lot of ISPs will set the threshold of which when you pass, you’ll have very slow speeds. So, with a VPN, you can just bypass that altogether.

2. Cons Of Using A VPN:

Now, one con of using a VPN is reduced speed; the first is reduced speed because encrypting your traffic and routing it through a VPN can slow down your Internet speeds, especially if the server is located far away
Another con is possible trust issues. Since VPN providers have access to your Internet traffic, it’s important to choose a reputable provider that you trust because some providers might collect data activities and sell it to third parties, especially free or unreliable. And this is exactly why you should investigate the services before you move further and start using them. Ensure they’re about as safe as it can get when using VPNs because they do have a very solid strict policy.
The third column is just configuration incompatibility issues because configuring a VPN can be challenging, especially for less technical users, and some devices might not even be compatible with VPNs, in which case you will have to install a VPN on your router and your router must be compatible with VPNs. So on and so forth.
The 4th is potentially the cost because many VPNs charge a monthly fee for their services, which can add up overtime. But again, if you want to save as much money as possible, just go for the longest-term plan. This will save you a whole lot more money.
And, of course, you do have different price ranges. You should always investigate and figure out which one provides the best cost-to-performance ratio and opt for that one.
The final con is about potential legal issues because, depending on the laws of your country, using a VPN may be frowned upon, and you could face potential penalties, especially if you’re using a VPN to engage in unlawful activities. Given it’s considered potentially unlawful in your country, be sure to check your local laws and make sure that everything that you’re doing, even when you’re connected to the VPN, is within the bounds of the law.

Conclusion:

A VPN is generally used for the purpose of formulating a digitally secure tunnel to process and deal with information while stopping it from being leaked or taken advantage of. Using a VPN comes with many perks and advantages, which include the security of many aspects of day-to-day use of the internet. That said, the idea of “sole advantages” doesn’t exist in this system, and there are some disadvantages to consider before setting it up for use, as well. All these points are mentioned in detail above.

Moreover, there are mainly two methods of setting up a VPN on devices based on Mac OS. One of them includes the activation and utilization of the built-in VPN facility of Mac OS. The other one includes the utilization of a Third-Party Application that installs the VPN software on the device and consumes the device’s resources to operate and function.

FAQs:

1. Do I Need A VPN In 2023?

The need for a VPN is on the rise, especially in 2023. Using a good VPN for everyday use is strongly recommended.

2. Is A Free VPN Safe For Mac?

You should have a free VPN if your requirements don’t demand exceptional security and anonymity and you don’t require a lot of extra features. Besides, it’s better to have a Free VPN than no VPN at all.