VPN for Mac: install NvoVPN on macOS 12+ in 4 steps, plus manual AmneziaWG setup
Download the disk image, drag NvoVPN into Applications, sign in and let macOS add the VPN configuration. What to do about the "developer cannot be verified" window, what's different in Russia, and connecting with an AmneziaWG file.
A VPN for Mac from NvoVPN installs just as easily as any app from the internet: download the disk image, drag the icon into Applications, sign in and press the shield. The only difference from Windows is that macOS will ask once for permission to add a VPN configuration. The whole thing takes about three minutes; it works on macOS 12 and later. If you are in Russia, there is a separate block below — everything there works the same way.
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Download the .dmg disk image
Click Download for Mac — the file
NvoVPN-macOS.dmg(about 134 MB) starts downloading. A .dmg disk image is the "box" apps are usually shipped in on a Mac. Safari saves it to Downloads; the icon appears in the Dock on the right. -
Drag NvoVPN into Applications
Double-click the downloaded file — a window with two icons opens. Drag the NvoVPN icon onto the Applications folder next to it. Close the window and eject the disk image: in Finder, click ⏏ next to "NvoVPN" in the sidebar. You can then delete the .dmg file itself.
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Open the app and sign in
Launch NvoVPN from Applications or Launchpad, not from the disk image window — otherwise macOS will ask about the image again next time. Sign in the same way as on the website: "Sign in with Apple", "Sign in with Google", or email and password. No password? Click "I have a login code" and enter the six digits from your account, Connection tab; the code is valid for 10 minutes.
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Allow the VPN and press the shield
Press the shield. The first time you connect, macOS shows a system window: the app wants to add a VPN configuration. Click "Allow" and confirm with your Mac password or Touch ID — needed only once. The shield turns green: a server is chosen for you, and traffic goes through the tunnel. Check it on the "What is my IP" page. Press the shield again to disconnect.
Won't the Mac open the app?
The app is signed and notarized by Apple, so it normally opens right away. If you still see a window saying "NvoVPN cannot be opened because the developer cannot be verified" or "Apple could not verify that NvoVPN is free of malware" — that is Gatekeeper, macOS's built-in protection, and it greets many apps from outside the App Store this way. Click "Done" in that window (not "Move to Trash").
Then open the Apple menu → "System Settings" → "Privacy & Security" and scroll down to the "Security" section: there will be a line about NvoVPN and an "Open Anyway" button. Click it and enter your Mac password. After that, the app opens normally, and you will not need to do this again.
Are you in Russia? A VPN on a MacBook installs the same way — no extra setup
Downloading with the button on this page, installing and signing in from Russia all work with no extra setup. The app picks its own server and route out of your network, and switches on stealth mode by itself if the network throttles VPN traffic. Stealth mode disguises the connection as an ordinary website; there is nothing to turn on by hand.
Option 1 — the app, same as everyone else
Download the disk image with the button below or the link from our email, then follow steps 1–4 above. There is nothing extra to turn on.
Download for MacOption 2 — manually, with a configuration file
If you cannot install the app, get a file from your account — but in Russia you need the AmneziaWG version of the file specifically: plain WireGuard is throttled there. How to do this is under "Manual setup" below.
What you need
- A Mac on macOS 12 Monterey or later — both Apple Silicon (M1–M4) and Intel work.
- An NvoVPN account, the same one you use on the website. No account? Sign up: you only need an email address, no card required.
- Your Mac password: the system will ask for it once, when it adds the VPN configuration.
If something is not working
- Connected, but websites will not open. Reconnect or choose another server. Check that a second VPN is not on — a work one, for example.
- iCloud Private Relay. It conflicts with any VPN — Apple itself recommends keeping only one of the two switched on. Turn it off: "System Settings" → your name → "iCloud" → "Private Relay".
- After a macOS update. Major updates sometimes reset permissions. Open the app again and confirm the system prompt once more.
- Where the configuration lives. "System Settings" → "VPN". You can also remove it there if you ever decide to uninstall the app.
- Is the network throttling VPN traffic? The app notices on its own that no data is flowing and switches to stealth mode, which disguises the connection as an ordinary HTTPS website. There is nothing to turn on. How this works is in "Why VPNs stop working and how stealth mode works".
- The shield will not turn green. A step-by-step breakdown is in "What to do if the VPN will not connect".
Manual setup: an AmneziaWG configuration file
You need the file if you cannot install the app — for example, on a restricted work Mac — or you prefer your own client. NvoVPN runs on the AmneziaWG protocol (WireGuard with traffic obfuscation), so on networks where VPNs are throttled you specifically need an AmneziaWG client; plain WireGuard only works where there is no blocking.
- In your account → "Connection" → "Manual", choose a server, name the device and click "Create", then download the
.conffile. - Install the AmneziaVPN app for macOS from the official site amnezia.org.
- On the start screen, choose the option with a connection settings file, point it to the downloaded
.confand connect. The system will again ask once for permission to add the VPN configuration.
FAQ
macOS has a built-in VPN — why not use that? "System Settings" → "Network" only lets you set up L2TP/IPsec and IKEv2. These protocols are easy to detect and block, and AmneziaWG and stealth mode are not supported there.
Can the VPN turn on by itself when I log into macOS? Yes: "Settings" → "Application" → "Autostart" and "Auto-connect".
Does a VPN drain a MacBook's battery much? Noticeably less than a browser with a dozen tabs open: WireGuard encryption is very light.
Can I use the same subscription on an iPhone? Yes, up to five devices at once. There is a separate guide for iPhone: VPN on iPhone and iPad.
Connected, but sites will not load? Press the shield twice (disconnect and reconnect), choose another server, and check "Private Relay". The full breakdown is in "What to do if the VPN will not connect".
Related guides: What to do if the VPN will not connect · Kill Switch: what it is and how to turn it on · How to set up a VPN on a router
Ready to connect?
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