- Most VPNs have a lot of features
and nuances to keep in mind.
So if you're a new user,
it's natural to wonder how to use NordVPN.
In this NordVPN tutorial,
I'll let you know how to use this app,
which features are very useful daily,
and which you probably won't end up using that much.
(upbeat music)
Before I begin, a note,
I'm using a Windows app for this tutorial.
But I will make sure to outline any differences
between the apps on various platforms.
Spoiler: There aren't many.
Okay, so first, the NordVPN installation guide.
If you're downloading the app on Windows, as I do,
this page is the place to go.
Just click Download here, and then launch the installer.
It'll take you a bit of time,
but the app installs in under a minute, fast and simple.
The process is even less work on macOS, Android, or iOS,
just a single click in the App Store.
Android users can even sign up for a seven-day free trial
on the first launch.
Now that I have it downloaded, how do I use NordVPN?
From the perspective of a casual user
who only needs, A, online privacy, and B, optimal speeds,
the Quick Connect button is enough.
Clicking it will instantly set me up
with the closest and fastest server,
most likely from my country or one nearby.
However, VPN users often need a specific location,
so this map you see on the screen is gonna come in handy.
I can easily navigate it to a country I need,
or, alternatively, there's a dropdown menu
with all the locations listed.
There are currently 60 available countries,
which is more than enough for some streaming shenanigans.
I know you're interested in those.
You might have noticed,
but the recently used servers will show up above the list,
so you don't have to fetch them every time.
How to connect to NordVPN servers:
Just click on 'em. It's that simple.
If this sounds useful to you as well,
you can get NordVPN with an exclusive discount
(mouse clicks) through the link below.
Now I'm gonna show you the features I use daily,
or to be more precise, the ones I never turn off.
One would be the Kill Switch. It has to stay on.
That's how I make sure that sudden network breaks
won't leak my personal details or other data.
If you are often on public Wi-Fi spots
or your ISP is not that reliable, it's indispensable.
Since I've had to work with such connections before,
I have auto-connect activated as well,
so that I'll get instantly connected to a VPN
when I connect to a public wifi or mobile network.
With that, I don't have to worry about launching the VPN
every time that I need to load a website
with any sensitive data.
Another feature I really like
that helps me enable the VPN only for certain apps
while others keep the usual connection,
I find split tunneling super helpful
since I can use the VPN just for streaming in my browser
while my banking apps remain on my usual connection.
One more feature I use all the time is Threat Protection.
It's pretty self-explanatory, really.
This feature gets rid of ads, trackers, and even malware,
all in the background without any direct input.
These are not all the NordVPN features.
There are a couple more.
These are useful, just more niche, like the Meshnet,
a feature that creates a secure
and encrypted LAN connection between connected devices.
Another feature that didn't get a lot of use
was the Dark Web Monitor.
I mean, yeah, it's great at letting me know
if any of my data gets leaked,
but I take my security seriously,
so it doesn't happen that much.
But, hey, it might be much more useful for you.
I could say the same about specialty servers.
I didn't use them as much, but you might.
For instance, some websites heavily dislike
when a user connects with a different IP address every time.
A lot of banking and financial websites are like that,
and even Netflix. (explosion thuds)
A dedicated IP will give you an IP address for every server,
so those services won't give you any trouble.
Double VPN and Onion Over VPN are great security features,
which routes your connection through an extra VPN server,
or even an array of secure nodes.
While this boosts privacy and security immensely,
it also shreds down the speed.
So I didn't get a lot of use from these servers either.
If you're torrenting a lot,
these P2P servers will probably come in handy as well
since they boost torrenting speeds.
But they're not available across all locations,
only specific ones, which is kind of sad.
So far, I've just been talking about Windows,
so let's get a quick look at some other platforms
and their differences also.
On macOS, NordVPN introduces a new feature: Presets.
You can use it to configure what apps to launch
when connecting to a specific server,
which is extremely convenient.
I used this one a lot.
And while the UI of NordVPN on macOS is a bit different,
all the major details are the same,
so you're not gonna get lost.
It goes the same for the NordVPN Android and iOS versions.
They have very simplistic UI designs,
with all important features available immediately.
One big difference of the NordVPN iPhone version
is the lack of split tunneling, though.
Plus, there's only Threat Protection Lite,
meaning it won't be active
unless you're connected to a VPN server.
At the end of the day, is NordVPN easy to use?
I'd say so.
I hope you can already see how to use NordVPN
and which NordVPN features are gonna be useful for you.
If you're going to get NordVPN, don't forget,
check out the link in the description below for a discount.
Thanks for watching this NordVPN guide,
and make sure to come back for more VPN content.
(gentle upbeat music)