How to set up OpenVPN on Ubuntu

To set up OpenVPN to work on Ubuntu. you will need:

  • A secure FastVPN connection (Don’t have one? Sign up here!);
  • Access to your FastVPN account panel to get your network credentials;
  • A working installation of Linux Ubuntu (this guide uses Ubuntu 22.04 LTS version).
Follow the steps below to configure FastVPN OpenVPN client in Ubuntu:

1. Choose an administrator-enabled account and login to your main desktop. Select and click the Terminal icon from the screen:

A screenshot of the Linux Ubuntu 18 main desktop, with the Terminal icon in focus.

2. You will be redirected to a Terminal window spawning a new shell and waiting for further input. Make sure the terminal window is in focus and enter the following command:

cd Documents/


Press the Enter key:

A screenshot of the Linux Ubuntu 18 Terminal window.

3. Enter the following command in the terminal window:

wget https://vpn.ncapi.io/groupedServerList.zip

This will download and save the FastVPN OpenVPN configs zip file from our repository. Click the Enter key and proceed to the next step:

A screenshot of the Linux Ubuntu 18 Terminal window with the VPN client installation process in progress.

4. Unzip the configs files into your Documents directory by entering the following command:

unzip groupedServerList.zip


Press the Enter key:

A screenshot of the Linux Ubuntu 18 Terminal window with a VPN configuration in progress.

5. The previously entered commands will unzip the downloaded configuration files and they will be shown in the terminal window. Read the output and report any error messages to our Support Team. After the download is complete and the prompt appears, move to the next step:

A screenshot of the Linux Ubuntu 18 Terminal window with an example of configuration files.

6. Now you need to install a mandatory package required to import and use the OpenVPN config files you have downloaded previously. This package will allow you to import the config file(s) via the graphical user interface (GUI) very easily. To proceed, use the following command:

sudo apt-get install network-manager-openvpn-gnome


Press the Enter key and continue to the next step:

A step in the process of installing FastVPN on Linux Ubuntu 18 is shown.

7. Type your Linux Ubuntu 22 password and press the Enter key. Check if there are any error messages in the resulting output and report them to our Support Team for further assistance. Once the prompt appears, the terminal may be closed:

A screenshot of the Linux Ubuntu 18 shows where to enter your password when setting up OpenVPN.

8. To restart the network manager and apply your VPN configuration, use the following command:

sudo systemctl restart NetworkManager.service

Note: For older Ubuntu versions, use this alternative command instead:

sudo service network-manager restart

A screenshot of the Linux Ubuntu 18 shows how to restart the network manager.

Note: During the restart process, networking will be temporarily unavailable until the network manager fully restarts.

9. Navigate to the home screen and click on the Network icon in the top right of the screen as shown below. Click on the Wired Settings option under the Wired Connected menu:

A screenshot of the Linux Ubuntu 18 desktop shows the Wired Connected settings options.

10. Click the Add (+) button on the right from VPN:

A screenshot of the Linux Ubuntu 18 VPN settings where FastVPN can be added.

11. Once the Add VPN window pop-ups, click on the drop-down menu and select the Import from file… tab:


12. Select your preferred OpenVPN configuration file downloaded earlier from your Documents folder. In our example, we selected the NCVPN-CA-Toronto.ovpn item. The servers can be selected based on your preferences. Our server naming format is Country-Location-Server address. Once the configuration file has been chosen, click the Open button in the top-right corner:


13. The previously selected OpenVPN config file will be imported into the Network Manager as an unsaved session. Make sure the server address is correct in the Gateway field and enter your credentials from the FastVPN Account Panel into the Username and Password fields.

Select the Store the password for all users option in the password field. Once you've entered all required details, click on the Add button on top right of the window:


14. Now you should see the newly created FastVPN OpenVPN session listed in the main selection area of the VPN menu. Put the button in the VPN section to the position ON to connect to FastVPN:


15. You can also enable/disable the VPN connection from your home screen as shown below:


To confirm that your IP address has been changed to an anonymous and private FastVPN IP, open your favorite web browser and visit https://www.namecheap.com/vpn/what-is-my-ip/

If you need any further assistance, please contact our Support Team.
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