Mullvad help center

WireGuard? #

The Mullvad VPN app makes it easy to use WireGuard.

If you prefer to use the WireGuard app or OpenVPN client, download configuration files (requires login).

Here’s why we use and recommend WireGuard.

I have lost my account number. How do I get it back? #

Follow the steps to recover your account.

App under Windows says: failed to apply firewall rules...? #

This mostly happens with third party security and firewall software that blocks WFP from working correctly. The error will often show up in the daemon.log as : [talpid_core::winnet][ERROR] Initiate WFP transaction: The call timed out while waiting to acquire the transaction lock.

App under Linux says: failed to apply firewall rules...? #

Please make sure you are running Linux kernel version 4.8.0 or newer. Check in a terminal with "uname -a".
If it is below 4.8.0 you can upgrade with "sudo apt-get install linux-generic-hwe-16.04"
After that reboot, and then try connecting with the app again.

App says “too many simultaneous connections” when only using 1? #

This can happen if the Mullvad VPN app can't find the TAP adapter. Solution: close and, re-install the latest Mullvad VPN App. Wait 5 mins (for the connection count to clear) and then try to connect, and see if this solves the issue.

Why can’t I use the internet after closing the Mullvad app on Windows? #

Go into the "Network & Internet settings" > "Change adapter settings" and then right-click the network adapter you use to connect to the internet and select "Properties" then double-click on "Internet Protocol version 4" and set it to "Obtain DNS server address automatically" Please make sure that you are running 2020.2 or later of our Mullvad VPN app.

Why do I get slow speeds? #

Our Connection Speed guide lists a variety of possible solutions. You can also read about throttling.

Why do I get CAPTCHAs all the time? #

This is a known issue that happens on many sites using Cloudflare. Please follow our SOCKS5 guide to reduce the occurrence of CAPTCHAs, or you can try switching to another server.

Do you offer discounts or have sales? #

We never have sales, but paying with one of the cryptocurrencies we accept is discounted at 10% due to lower fees and less administration. Read more about our pricing.

How many computers or devices can I use my Mullvad VPN account on? #

You can use your account on up to 5 devices.

How can I see if a payment is processed or how much time I have left on my account? #

Log in to the Account Status page of our website.

Do you offer a money back guarantee? #

Yes, we offer a 30-day money back guarantee, except for cash payments due to anti-money laundering regulations. Read our refund instructions.

I have paid but can't connect! #

If you get a message saying your account has expired, your payment is the problem. If you paid through your PayPal account, log in to PayPal and check the status of the payment. PayPal often changes its mind about transactions, sometimes days after a payment was made, without notification. For cryptocurrency payments, these do not get processed until the transaction has been confirmed. Bank wires can take 1–2 working days to get processed.

How do I cancel my PayPal subscription? #

To unsubscribe, first log in to the Account Status page of our website. Click on the PayPal Subscription icon and then on the Unsubscribe button.

Do you obey the EU Data Retention Directive? #

The directive does not apply to Mullvad because we are not considered an electronics communications service. This is also the case for Sweden's Lagen om elektronisk kommunikation (LEK). Swedish legislation .

How can I tell if I'm connected? #

Visit am.i.mullvad.net to easily check your connection status, or you can visit our website and it will display the server you are connected to at the top of the website.

Is all traffic protected or only web surfing? #

All internet traffic.

Am I anonymous when using BitTorrent? #

Please follow our BitTorrent guide on how to use it more securely.

What can I do about WebRTC? #

Read our guide on how to disable WebRTC.

Are you keeping logs? #

No, we do not store activity logs of any kind. Please read our privacy policy.

What if a court orders you to divulge sensitive user information? #

We don't collect or store such information. There is nothing to divulge. See our privacy policy.

What if the connection is broken? #

With the Mullvad VPN app, all Internet traffic is automatically blocked until either the VPN connection is reestablished or you disconnect from or quit the app. This built-in safety feature ensures that your traffic is not accidentally leaked outside of our secure tunnel.

I get warnings when installing your software! #

That's OK. Allow the software to install. The warnings occur either because your device requires admin authorization to install drivers or because some antivirus software gives a false positive on new app releases.

How do I turn on DNS leak protection in the app? #

DNS leak protection is always on. There is no option to disable it.

How do I force the Mullvad VPN app to use TCP protocol? #

Open the app's Settings, then click on Advanced. Here you can specify TCP.

After starting the Mullvad VPN app, I can't access local shares or services. What do I do? #

Open the app's Settings, then click on Preferences and turn on Local Network Sharing.

Do I get a shared or dedicated IP address? #

Shared.

Do you support port forwarding? #

Yes, inbound port numbers can be seen and managed when you are logged in to our website with your account number. Port forward guide

I can't send email! What do I do? #

Because of spam we block TCP port 25. Set your email program to send using SSL/TLS on port 465.

Which country will the IP address that I get be located in? #

The Mullvad app allows you to choose. Check out our full list of VPN servers and locations.

Do you limit speed/bandwidth or data volume? #

No.

Can I configure the VPN myself or do I have to use your software? #

We provide OpenVPN and WireGuard configuration files for any device that supports them.

How do I tunnel IPv6 traffic in the app? #

You can enable IPv6 communication in the Advanced settings menu.

Are you blocking any ports? #

Yes, because of spam we block port 25. Because of a Microsoft security issue, we also block ports 137, 138, 139, and 445. We reserve the right to block any port or IP address in order to protect ourselves, our customers, and the quality of our service.

Running Mullvad in a virtual machine drops the connection quite often. How do I fix that? #

Please make sure that your guest VM is using static IP addresses.

Which ports should I open in my firewall for OpenVPN ? #

TCP: 80, 443, 1401
UDP: 53, 1194, 1195, 1196, 1197, 1300, 1301, 1302, 1303, 1400
(Ports 1400 UDP and 1401 TCP do not have DNS hijacking enabled, which might work better for pfSense users)

Can I use Mullvad without the GUI? #

Yes, by using the Mullvad command line interface. We also provide OpenVPN and WireGuard configuration files for any device that supports them.

Do you support my OS or device? #

We support Windows 7 and newer, macOS X Yosemite (10.10) and newer, and Linux distributions such as Debian, Ubuntu, and Fedora running kernels 4.8.0 or newer. We also provide OpenVPN and WireGuard configuration files for any device that supports them.

Could I get a receipt that specifies VAT? #

Yes, please visit our Invoices guide for more information.

I have a business. How do I pay for your service without VAT? #

As we are a consumer retailer, we do not offer the option to buy our service without VAT.

I get Fatal error during driver installation. Failed to identify newly added TAP adapter. #

Please make sure that you do not have any antivirus or third party firewalls that might be blocking / restricting access for installing the TAP Adapter correctly.

How do I change the app's language? #

The language is automatically determined based on your computer's language settings. You can set the environment variable MULLVAD_LOCALE to the language you wish to use of the ones we have available:

If using Linux : MULLVAD_LOCALE=en-US ./mullvad-vpn

If using Windows you set it in: System -> Advanced system settings -> Environment Variables -> and then add a System variable called MULLVAD_LOCALE with the value of en-US for English.

If using macOS from a terminal: MULLVAD_LOCALE=en-US /Applications/Mullvad\ VPN.app/Contents/MacOS/Mullvad\ VPN

Keep in mind that you will need to restart the Mullvad VPN app for it to take effect.

Why does my iOS Devices get stuck at connecting after unlocking them ? #

One possible fix is to enable Seamless tunnel and also to have Reconnect on wakeup enabled.

Why do I get a TAP driver installation issue on Windows ? #

The error message "Fatal error during driver installation : failed to create virtual adapter: error 2" or "Fatal error during driver installation. Failed to identify newly added TAP adapter." when installing the Mullvad VPN app. This is commonly caused by firewall / internet security software, for instance Comodo, please disable them and then try installing the app again.

Why do I get a lot of connection drops after starting to download or stream content on Windows? #

This is an issue with the Windows TAP drivers, and it is seen more often when using torrents, what you can do is install the older TAP driver version 9.9.2_3 and see if that resolves the issue for you, remember to reconnect after installing it.

I use the WireGuard kernel module and can’t connect. Why do I get "Protocol not supported"? #

Make sure the kernels and kernel headers that you are running match those from when you installed the WireGuard packages. If not, then upgrade them.

Try rebooting to see if the kernel module loads correctly: in a terminal, issue sudo modprobe wireguard && lsmod | grep -i wireguard.

Try installing and compiling the WireGuard source. Distribution packages sometimes don’t set things up correctly.

wg-quick fails, with the message RTNETLINK answers: No such device #

This can happen if you set a MTU that is lower than 1280 in the WireGuard configuration file, make sure it is not set to lower than 1280 and then try again.

Who owns Mullvad? #

The Mullvad VPN service is operated by Mullvad VPN AB which is a subsidiary of Amagicom AB. Both companies are 100% owned by founders Fredrik Strömberg and Daniel Berntsson.

How do I multihop with the app? #

Activate Bridge mode to route your traffic through two servers.

Is Shadowsocks available in the app? #

Yes. By using Bridge mode you will be using the Shadowsocks proxy.

How can I circumvent censorship or get around a restrictive firewall? #

Activate Bridge mode in the app. This will make use of the Shadowsocks proxy.

Where can I find my app's local log files? #

Here's how to find openvpn.log, openvpn.old.log, daemon.log, and daemon.old.log.

Via the app
You can easily access them via the app by opening Settings > Report a Problem > View app logs.

Via your computer
Windows: C:\ProgramData\Mullvad VPN
macOS: /var/log/mullvad-vpn/
Linux: /var/log/mullvad-vpn/

What can I do to reduce disconnections ? #

Try connecting over TCP and port 443. This often helps.

Downloading the Mullvad app is slow. What can I do? #

Read about our alternative download option.

Installing Mullvad VPN app fails, what do I do ? #

If you get the error: "Fatal error during driver installation: Failed to enumerate network adapters: SetupDiOpenDevRegKey Failed" Then uninstall the TAP adapter from the system, reboot and then start the Mullvad VPN installation again.

Why am I leaking DNS requests to Cloudflare? #

Even when connected to Mullvad, this happens to Firefox users in the U.S. because of the browser’s default settings. To prevent this, open Firefox Options > General > Network settings > Settings, then deselect “Enable DNS over HTTPS.” Once you’ve done that, visit am.i.mullvad.net to verify that you’re no longer leaking information.

I get the error: "Failed to create virtual adapter: error 0" when installing what to do? #

* Open regedit * Edit Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\DeviceInstall\Parameters * Change DeviceInstallDisabled to 0 * Install the Mullvad VPN app * Change the value back to 1

Unable to connect under Windows 7, and Daemon.log shows Failed to determine alias of TAP adapter #

Stand Alone security updates KB4474419 and KB4490628 were released to introduce SHA-2 code sign support. Make sure you install them

What about the Swedish Covert Surveillance of Data Act? #

Read more: Swedish Covert Surveillance of Data Act.

Do you offer dedicated ip? #

No, it is not aligned with privacy since it somehow has to be linked to a user

Too many WireGuard keys ? #

Manage your WireGuard keys on our website (requires login) and remove a WireGuard key that you are not using.

Why do I get low speeds using WireGuard on pfSense (when using snort) ? #

If you use INLINE IPS then try setting it to Legacy mode and see if the performance improves after that.