Skip to main content

Install Mullvad app on Windows

Mullvad app Windows Installation Desktop 

Last updated:

This guide explains how to install and uninstall the Mullvad VPN app for Windows.

What this guide covers

Installation requirements

Windows 10 (64-bit/ARM) or newer.

If you are still using Windows 7 or Windows 8/8.1 then you can use the WireGuard app or OpenVPN app instead.

Have a problem? Find solutions under Troubleshooting.

Install and start the Mullvad VPN app

This applies to the Mullvad VPN loader. For the classical installer, see Alternative installation method.

  1. Download the latest version from the Download page on our website.

  2. Navigate to the folder where the file "Install Mullvad VPN.exe" is and double-click it.

    The Install Mullvad VPN exe file highlighted in the downloads folder.

  3. If you see a warning about allowing changes to your device, click Yes.

    A UAC prompt requesting administrator access when the loader is started.

  4. Click the Download & install button in the opened window. This will download and verify the Mullvad VPN app.

    The Mullvad VPN loader, showing the version details and a highlighted button to download and install the Mullvad VPN app.

  5. When the installation is complete, click on Finish to start the Mullvad VPN app.

    The Mullvad VPN setup showing completion view with the Finish button highlighted.

Read more about how to use the Mullvad app in the guide Using the Mullvad VPN app.

Uninstall the app

To uninstall the app from your computer, you'll need to access the Windows settings.

Windows 11

  1. Attention! Make sure that you have written down your Mullvad account number (if you have time left).

  2. Click on the Windows Start button.

  3. Click on the Settings icon in the left column. Click on Apps and then go to Installed apps.

  4. In the list of programs that appears, find Mullvad VPN and click on the "…" to the right of it.

  5. Click on the Uninstall button and confirm that you want to uninstall the app.

  6. Windows will proceed to uninstall the Mullvad VPN app and erase its local log files and cache. You'll also have the option to remove your settings.

  7. Click on OK once it's complete.

Windows 10

  1. Attention! Make sure that you have written down your Mullvad account number (if you have time left).

  2. Click on the Windows Start button.

  3. Click on the Settings icon in the left column, click on Apps.

  4. In the list of programs that appears, find Mullvad VPN and click on it to select it.

  5. Click on the Uninstall button and confirm that you want to uninstall the app.

  6. Windows will proceed to uninstall the Mullvad VPN app and erase its local log files and cache. You'll also have the option to remove your settings.

  7. Click on OK once it's complete.

Troubleshooting

If you have a third-party anti-virus, it could interfere with the Mullvad installer. Try to disable it while you install Mullvad.

Internet blocked? Unable to download? Find solutions below.

Error: "Mullvad VPN cannot be closed".

The installer can fail to update the app and blocks the Internet if the app fails to close properly during the installation. If this happens, do not close the Mullvad VPN client in Task Manager. Closing it can cause the Internet to remain blocked. Instead you can try these two options:

Using the loader

Run the loader again and if the installer was downloaded you can start the installer from here.

Using the downloaded installer

  1. Locate the installer. It should be located in one of the following folders (depending on which version you have of the loader):
    C:\ProgramData\Mullvad VPN\cache
    C:\Users\USERNAME\AppData\Local\Temp\mullvad-updates
  2. Double-click the installer to open it.
  3. Follow the instructions for installing the update.
  4. Your app is now updated!

Internet is still blocked

If the Internet is still blocked after following the steps provided above under Error: "Mullvad VPN cannot be closed" and the app cannot be installed, you can try these options in order:

Restarting your computer

If Lockdown mode and/or Auto-connect were not enabled when trying to install the update you can reset the Mullvad firewall configurations by restarting your computer.

Warning: This will unblock Internet which will cause you to be "unsecured" and exposed.

Using another device

You can use another device to re-install the app.

  1. On a different device, download the alternative installer from the Downloads page on our website, underneath the "Alternative installation" title. Not the loader! This is also available on our GitHub.
  2. Save the downloaded installer to a USB stick or other physical media.
  3. Transfer the installer to the PC that has Internet blocked.
  4. Start the installer by double-clicking it on the affected PC and follow the instructions to install the app.

Error: "Failed to load version details"

Failed to load version details error text, with two buttons to cancel or try again.

This usually happens because of network issues or trying to use an outdated version of the loader. If you have this problem then try the following:

    • Click Try again.

    • Restart the Mullvad VPN loader.

    • Download a newer version of the loader from our website.

If none of these steps work, you can download the standalone installer by following these steps.

Error: "Download failed"

Download failed error text, with two buttons to cancel or try again.

An error occurred during download, which could be due to network issues or not enough space on the hard drive. If you have this problem then try the following:

    • Click Try again.

    • Check if there is enough space on your hard drive, otherwise free up some space.

    • Restart the Mullvad VPN loader.

If none of these steps work, you can download the standalone installer by following these steps.

Error: "Failed to verify download"

Failed to verify download error text, with two buttons to cancel or try again.

An error occurred during verification, this can happen because the file was corrupted during download. If you have this problem then try the following:

    • Click Try again.

    • Restart the Mullvad VPN loader.

If none of these steps work, please send an email to our support support@mullvadvpn.net with a description of what happened. You can also download the standalone installer by following these steps.

Error: "Failed to uninstall a previous version"

Error dialog showing an error about failing to uninstall the previous version.

  1. Try to restart the computer and then install Mullvad VPN again.

  2. Third-party anti-virus software may also conflict with the installation process. Try uninstalling or disabling such software.

If it doesn't help then delete these two folders and then install Mullvad VPN:
C:\ProgramData\Mullvad VPN
C:\Program Files\Mullvad VPN

Alternative installation method

  1. Download the alternative installation method from our Download page on the website, underneath the "Alternative installation" title.

  2. Open the folder that you downloaded the installer to and double-click on MullvadVPN-xxxx.x.exe ("xxxx.x" is the version number).

  3. If you get a warning about allowing changes to your device, click Yes.