Using NordVPN on Linux 2026

One of the most popular VPN service providers, NordVPN is known for its safety, privacy, and strong connections. If you’re looking to set up NordVPN on Linux, you’ve come to the right place. NordVPN is a Panama-based virtual private network service provider, so it doesn’t have to follow any mandatory data retention laws. It also blocks suspicious sites, ads, and trackers, and deletes malware so that no malicious software can infect your device. Overall, NordVPN offers unrivaled service to enjoy the best internet experience.

The VPN is compatible with both iOS and Android, along with Linux, among others. So, when it comes to configuring NordVPN on your Linux device, in this article, we will help you keep your device safe online.

Why Use NordVPN on Linux

Linux is a popular, accessible, and open-source software operating system that powers 96% of the top 1 million websites and the world’s top 500 most powerful supercomputers.

NordVPN is fully compatible with a Linux operating system. It even has a native application for Linux devices. The application gives you easy access to its different advanced features such as CyberSec, AutoConnect, and automated Kill Switch on different Linux systems such as Ubuntu, Fedora, Debian, Linux Mint, and OpenSUSE.

There are tons of other reasons to use NordVPN on Linux. Let’s take a look at them!

READ: NordVPN Review

Global & Faster: Speedy Downloads and Streaming

If you want no restriction regarding streaming or downloading internet content, then NordVPN is a pretty great choice for you. NordVPN allows you to bypass content restrictions worldwide with its more than 5200 servers located across 60 countries for safe and reliable internet service. Its servers are dedicated, physically located where they claim to be, and aren’t just virtual locations.

Having a vast network of servers further translates to fast connections because the closer you are to the server, the faster the internet speed. NordVPN also has the TCP/UDP protocols to switch between the protocols depending on your need for connection speed and level of security.

For the best performance on Linux, NordVPN’s standout technology is NordLynx, its proprietary protocol built on top of WireGuard. NordLynx is significantly faster than traditional OpenVPN in most real-world tests, making it the best default choice for everyday browsing, streaming, and torrenting. If you want the fastest, most stable connection, set your protocol to NordLynx with this command:

nordvpn set protocol nordlynx

That said, OpenVPN UDP is a solid alternative when you need broad compatibility with specific network configurations, and OpenVPN TCP is useful on restrictive networks where UDP traffic may be blocked. To switch to either, use:

nordvpn set protocol udp

or

nordvpn set protocol tcp

While VPNs sometimes slow down our internet speed, NordVPN on Linux still allows you to experience breakneck speed while your device is connected to this VPN.

Easy to Use: An A+ Experience

Another reason why NordVPN is a good match for Linux is its ease of use. NordVPN now offers two ways to use it on Linux: a command-line interface (CLI) client and a dedicated Linux GUI app. The GUI app is available through the Snap Store and is officially supported on GNOME and KDE desktop environments, giving you a fully graphical experience for connecting, switching servers, and adjusting settings.

The CLI client remains the better choice if you prefer working in a terminal, run a headless or server installation without a desktop environment, or want to script and automate your VPN connections. The GUI app is the better fit if you’re coming from another platform and want a familiar point-and-click experience, or if you’re new to Linux and would rather not memorize commands right away. Both clients are official and fully featured. The CLI also includes several autocomplete widgets that provide suggestions when you type in commands, allowing you to have the best VPN experience from the terminal.

Minimal Logging: Your Data Stays Yours

When you don’t use a VPN, your internet service provider (ISP) gets access to all your internet activities, which can then be shared with third parties. A VPN, meanwhile, protects all data that you receive or send over the internet and surf the web anonymously.

NordVPN follows a no-logging policy thanks to being located in Panama, which does not fall within Five-Eyes, Nine-Eyes, and Fourteen-Eyes jurisdiction. These are surveillance groups in countries that are not VPN friendly and could force VPN providers to hand over their user data.

However, there is some information such as your email address, payment data, and the time of your last session that NordVPN stores to keep your account as functional as possible. It also gathers data that helps it improve its user experience.

Military-grade Encryption: Guarding Your Activities

NordVPN uses AES 256-bits Advanced Encryption Standard to secure your online activities. To establish secure connections to its services even if the internet connection is interrupted, it uses two internet protocols: IPSec and IKEv2. It can be helpful when you use your iPhone or Android, especially on public WiFi.

NordVPN also has a Double VPN feature to ensure maximum security. With this multihop connections feature, you get multiple layers of encryption. This tool routes your connection through another VPN server instead of just one to ensure your connection remains secure in case the first leg of it is somehow compromised.

Data Usage: Unlimited

NordVPN is also a good choice if you love torrenting and streaming online. Not only can you binge-watch your favorite TV shows and movies, but you also don’t have to wait for the episode to buffer due to a poor connection. No data cap options limit you to download only a certain amount of data each month.

Moreover, geo-restrictions aren’t a concern when you have NordVPN. It efficiently unblocks a range of streaming services abroad, including Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, BBC iPlayer, Disney+, HBO Max, and YouTube.

Additional Features: Confidential and Incognito

NordVPN is all about privacy and security, and for that, it offers a built-in kill switch. If your VPN connection drops, this feature blocks your computer from accessing the internet outside the encrypted VPN tunnel, ensuring security.

It also offers exceptional P2P support while the DNS leak protection allows you to surf the internet incognito. NordVPN further provides direct access to the Tor anonymization network for free, making it harder to trace your connection and allowing you to access hidden websites.

Split-tunneling is another feature that lets you designate the apps you want to route through the VPN connection. Additionally, it allows you to route traffic to the VPN server and a public WiFi network both simultaneously.

Cost-effective: Money-saving for the Win

Besides offering you some great features, NordVPN is also pretty affordable. The 1-year plan comes at $6.99/month, while the one-month plan costs $11.95, which allows you to connect up to six devices simultaneously.

Most exciting of all, these plans come with a 30-day money-back guarantee for you to test out the features in detail and risk-free. You can get static IP addresses for $5.83 per month or $69.96 per year as a subscription add-on. You can choose this address for the UK, the US, Germany, France, and the Netherlands. Besides, for an additional fee, you get to secure your passwords with its NordPass password manager and encrypt your files with NordLocker.

As for customer support, NordVPN offers several options, including a FAQ section, 24/7 live chat, and email support.

How to Install NordVPN on Linux

Now that you know why NordVPN on Linux is perfect for protecting your device, let’s help you with step-by-step instructions on how to install NordVPN on supported distributions and start using it.

NordVPN officially supports the following Linux distributions and versions: Debian 11+, Ubuntu 20.04+, Fedora 32+, Linux Mint 21+, and Raspberry Pi OS. The Linux GUI app is officially supported on GNOME and KDE desktop environments. Other distributions may work but are community-supported, meaning NordVPN’s official troubleshooting resources may not fully apply to them. If you’re running a supported distro, you can expect a smooth install experience and full access to NordVPN’s official support channels.

You can connect to NordVPN from your Linux operating system through OpenVPN or the native NordVPN application. The latter will optimize your experience.

Set up NordVPN on Linux Using the Native Application

NordVPN’s current recommended install method uses a single script that handles everything automatically. Follow the steps below depending on whether you want the CLI or GUI client.

CLI Installation

1. Open the Terminal (keyboard shortcut: Ctrl + Alt + T) and run the following command to download and install NordVPN using curl:

sh <(curl -sSf https://downloads.nordcdn.com/apps/linux/install.sh)

If curl is not available on your system, use the wget fallback instead:

sh <(wget -qO – https://downloads.nordcdn.com/apps/linux/install.sh)

2. Once installation completes, log in to your NordVPN account by running:

nordvpn login

This will open a browser-based sign-in flow. Complete authentication in your browser, then return to the terminal.

3. Now connect to the NordVPN server using the following command, with the server selected automatically:

nordvpn connect

If you want to connect to a specific country and city, you would have to provide the additional info:

nordvpn connect United_Kingdom Manchester

Using the following commands, you can get a list of all the available countries and cities:

nordvpn countries

nordvpn cities

GUI Installation

1. Open the Terminal and run the following command to install the NordVPN GUI app:

sh <(wget -qO – https://downloads.nordcdn.com/apps/linux/install.sh) -p nordvpn-gui

2. Once the installation is complete, open the NordVPN app from your application menu.
3. Click Log In and complete the browser-based sign-in flow using your NordVPN account credentials.
4. Once logged in, click the Connect button to connect to the fastest available server, or browse the server list to choose a specific country or city.

Setup NordVPN on Linux using OpenVPN

1. First, launch the VPN terminal (you can run the VPN terminal by pressing the Ctrl + Alt + T keys).
2. Now, install the OpenVPN client using the following command:

sudo apt-get

If you are asked to enter your password, put in the one you used to create your account.

3. Connect to an OpenVPN server using this command:

cd /etc/OpenVPN

4. Get the OpenVPN configuration files for NordVPN by using the following command:

sudo wget https://downloads.nordcdn.com/configs/archives/servers/ovpn.zip

In case you encounter an error during the download step that says, “The certificate of ‘nordvpn.com’ is not trusted,” it may be necessary to install the ca-certificate package using this command:

sudo apt-get install ca-certificates

5. If you don’t have Java installed, you’ll need to download the zip package, which can be done using this command:

sudo apt-get install unzip

6. Now, extract this ZIP file:

sudo unzip ovpn.zip.

7. To safely remove the files you no longer need, enter this command:

sudo rm ovpn.zip

8. After unzipping ovpn.zip there will be a folder ovpn_tcp and ovpn_udp, containing the NordVPN server configuration files for OpenVPN. Now you can connect to OpenVPN through one of the NordVPN servers:

OpenVPN /etc/openvpn/ovpn_udp/de442.nordvpn.com.udp.ovpn

9. OpenVPN will prompt you to enter your credentials for NordVPN. It will successfully grant you a secure connection with the VPN.

Connect NordVPN on Linux via the Network Manager

Much like what you did using Terminal, you can do it with Linux Network Manager and set up a manual NordVPN OpenVPN protocol on Linux using the command line method.

1. First, download the OpenVPN Configuration File Package and extract them into a folder.
2. Click on the network selection button present in the screen’s upper-right corner.

• Click the VPN Off.
• From the drop-down menu, select VPN Settings.

3. Once a configuration window has opened, press the + icon next to VPN to add the VPN configuration.
4. You will be prompted to choose a connection type. Select the option “Import from file…”
5. You have to select a file you would like to import. Go to the folder where you have extracted the configuration files, choose one of the files from the list, and click Open.
6. Enter your NordVPN username and password in the pop-up window, then click on Add.
7. Now click on the toggle switch under the VPN section to connect to a NordVPN server. Once the VPN is connected, the toggle switch will turn green.

Despite the NordVPN native Linux application being much easier to install and operate than the other methods, many users prefer to rely on the Network Manager and Terminal method to connect NordVPN on Linux with the VPN tunnel.

Essential NordVPN Linux Commands and Troubleshooting

Once NordVPN is installed and you’ve logged in, here are the commands you’ll use most often. These apply to the CLI client.

Basic connection commands

• nordvpn login — Authenticate your NordVPN account via browser-based sign-in.
• nordvpn connect — Connect to the fastest available server.
• nordvpn disconnect — Disconnect from the VPN.
• nordvpn status — Check your current connection status, server, IP address, and protocol.
• nordvpn settings — View all current NordVPN settings and their values.
• nordvpn countries — List all available countries.
• nordvpn cities <country> — List available cities in a specific country, for example: nordvpn cities United_States

High-use settings commands

• nordvpn set killswitch on — Enable the Kill Switch so your internet is blocked if the VPN drops.
• nordvpn set autoconnect on — Automatically connect to NordVPN when your system starts.
• nordvpn set threatprotectionlite on — Enable Threat Protection Lite to block ads, trackers, and malicious domains at the DNS level.
• nordvpn set protocol nordlynx — Switch to NordLynx (WireGuard-based) for maximum speed.
• nordvpn set protocol udp — Switch to OpenVPN UDP for broad compatibility.
• nordvpn set protocol tcp — Switch to OpenVPN TCP for restrictive networks.
• nordvpn set dns 1.1.1.1 1.0.0.1 — Set custom DNS servers (here using Cloudflare’s servers as an example).

Troubleshooting: socket permission error

If you see an error like permission denied for /run/nordvpn/nordvpnd.sock after installation, it means your user account has not yet been added to the nordvpn group. Fix it by running:

sudo usermod -aG nordvpn $USER

Then reboot your system. After rebooting, your user will have the correct permissions and the NordVPN CLI should work without errors.

Is NordVPN Free to Use?

NordVPN offers free VPN trials for you to try out all of its features utterly risk-free through its 30-day money-back guarantee. To avail of this option, you have to first subscribe to a plan.

Once paid for, download the NordVPN app on your device and test its security features with no limits on your bandwidth or speed. Once 30 days are over, you can either continue using NordVPN or cancel your subscription and get your money back.

Does NordVPN have a Kill Switch?

NordVPN offers a built-in Kill Switch feature integrated into its Linux, iOS, and macOS apps. The Kill Switch continuously observes your connection to a NordVPN server, looking for changes. If the connection drops, it instantly detects that and blocks your device from accessing the internet. When the tunnel to a NordVPN server is reestablished, the Kill Switch restores your internet access too.

The feature is not automatically activated when you download the app. Instead, you would have to go to the app settings to turn it on. You can keep it on at all times, as Kill Switch won’t impact your connection quality.

Can you Install NordVPN on more than one Linux Device?

Yes, you can install and use NordVPN on more than one Linux device. In fact, one NordVPN account covers 10 devices at the same time. Besides Linux, NordVPN also protects other devices like Android, Windows, macOS, and Apple. Your simultaneous connections can be all different devices to shield your IP address and encrypt the traffic. NordVPN can even be set up on a router for many more connections.

Conclusion: Stay Protected with NordVPN on Linux

Once successfully installed and running on your Linux device, NordVPN will start protecting you online.

Besides being a popular VPN provider in the market, NordVPN is pretty affordable. It is a reliable and trustworthy option that also offers a free trial for you to test out the service before deciding on the subscription plan. NordVPN also offers a 30-day money-back guarantee, so if you don’t like the service, you can always ask for a refund. There is a 24/7 customer support service to help you with all your concerns.

Interested in what more a VPN like NordVPN can do for you? See our guide on how to access blocked sites on Linux.

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