NordVPN works the same way on most devices: install the app, sign in with your Nord Account, and press "Secure my connection." The differences are in the details, such as which Fire TV Sticks can run the app and how to point a torrent app at NordVPN's proxy instead. The steps below follow NordVPN's own help center as it stood on November 4, 2026. NordVPN updates its apps often, so a button may move or change its name.
Before you start
You need a paid NordVPN subscription. One account covers up to 10 devices at the same time, and a router you set up with NordVPN counts as one device however many gadgets connect through it. New subscriptions come with a 30-day money-back guarantee on the first purchase, so you have a month to check that it works on the devices you care about. Our NordVPN listing has the plans and the free trial rules.
NordVPN has apps for Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android, Android TV, Fire TV and Apple TV (tvOS 17 or later), plus browser extensions. NordVPN asks you to turn off any other VPN app before you connect.
Set up NordVPN on Windows or Mac
On Windows, NordVPN's app needs Windows 10 (64-bit) or Windows 11.
- Download the app from NordVPN's site and open NordVPNInstall.exe from your Downloads folder.
- Click "Yes" when Windows asks whether the app can make changes, then "Next."
- Untick the extra browser extensions if you don't want them, click "Install," then "Launch NordVPN."
- Click "Log In." Your browser opens the Nord Account page, where you sign in with your email and password, Google or Apple ID. Allow the browser to open the NordVPN link so the app finishes signing you in.
- Click "Secure my connection." The status changes from "Not connected" to "Connected."
If the installer won't open, right-click the file and choose "Run as Administrator."
On a Mac you need macOS 14 or later. Download NordVPN.pkg, save it to your Mac itself rather than a Dropbox or other synced folder, and double-click it. Click "Continue" and "Install," then enter your Mac password or use Touch ID. Open NordVPN from Spotlight (Command and Space), log in through the browser as on Windows, and let the short setup walk you through Real-time protection and Dark Web Monitor. Pick the fastest server or a country, then click "Secure my connection."
Set up NordVPN on iPhone or Android
On an iPhone or iPad, install NordVPN from the App Store, open it and tap "Log In" (or "Sign up"). Tap "Secure my connection" to join the best available server. The first time you connect, iOS asks to add a VPN configuration. Tap "Allow," or the app can't connect.
On Android, install it from Google Play, the Samsung Galaxy Store or, on a Fire tablet, the Amazon Appstore. NordVPN also offers an APK on its own site for phones without those stores. Tap "Log in," finish signing in through the browser, return to the app and tap "Secure my connection," or swipe up to the Countries list and pick one.
Settings worth changing
Kill Switch
On Windows, go to Settings, then Kill Switch, and turn on the Internet Kill Switch. It cuts your internet if the VPN drops, so your real IP address stays hidden. The App Kill Switch closes chosen programs instead and is off by default. On iOS and the App Store version for Mac, the equivalent is VPN bypass prevention, under Settings, VPN connection. On Android 8.0 or later, NordVPN's kill switch blocks all traffic when the VPN is down.
Auto-connect
On Windows, open Settings, then "Connection and security," and choose "On all networks" or only Wi-Fi, Ethernet or mobile networks. Turn on "Launch at Windows startup" too, so you are covered from the moment the computer starts. You can add your home Wi-Fi to a Trusted networks list if you don't want the VPN there. The Apple TV app can't auto-connect.
Real-time protection
Open the shield icon on the left of the desktop app and click "Turn on." It blocks ads, trackers, scam and phishing sites and malware, and puts harmful downloads in quarantine. NordVPN used to call its ad and malware blocking CyberSec; the Fire TV and Android TV apps now call it Threat Protection.
Local network discovery
With this off, other devices on your network can't see yours. Turn it on if you can no longer reach your printer or cast to your TV.
Check that it is working
The app shows a green "Connected" banner. To double-check, open NordVPN's website in a browser: the banner at the top should say "Your status: Protected." NordVPN's help center also links to a DNS leak test. Apple TV has no browser, so there you have to rely on the app.
Use NordVPN on a Fire TV Stick
The NordVPN app is in the Amazon Appstore, but not every Fire TV Stick can run it. NordVPN says the first-generation Fire TV Stick doesn't allow VPN connections at all, and the second-generation stick and the Fire TV Stick Basic Edition run Android versions too old for the app. Other Amazon Fire devices work. Newer sticks running Amazon's Vega OS are missing some NordVPN features for now.
- Open the Apps menu on the home screen, then the Appstore.
- Search for NordVPN, press "Get," then "Download," then "Open."
- Select "Log in." The TV shows a QR code to scan with your phone, or a code to enter at nordaccount.com/remote on another device.
- Fire OS shows one or two warnings about VPN connections. They are standard, and it is safe to continue. Tick the checkbox if one appears.
- Press "Quick Connect" to join the server NordVPN picks, or scroll down to Countries and choose one.
The Settings cog at the bottom left holds auto-connect, Threat Protection, protocol choice, split tunneling and a custom DNS option. NordVPN warns that a custom DNS can cause problems with streaming services. The kill switch is the one feature missing: NordVPN says it isn't available on the Fire TV Stick for technical reasons. Our guide to the best VPNs for Firestick compares NordVPN with other apps that run on the stick.
Use NordVPN with Kodi
Kodi has no working VPN add-ons, so you protect it by connecting the device it runs on. Install the NordVPN app on the computer, phone, Android TV box or Fire TV that runs Kodi, connect with "Secure my connection," then open Kodi. Its traffic goes through the VPN with everything else. A manual OpenVPN or IKEv2 connection works as well if your device has no NordVPN app. See our best VPNs for Kodi for other options.
Use NordVPN with uTorrent and other torrent apps
The easiest way to torrent is to connect the NordVPN app first and then open your torrent app. NordVPN no longer has a separate list of P2P servers; it says every standard server now supports peer-to-peer traffic, so any server will do. Turn on the Kill Switch so downloads stop if the VPN drops.
If you only want the torrent app covered, NordVPN offers SOCKS5 proxy servers. A proxy changes the IP address your peers see, but NordVPN points out that proxies generally don't encrypt traffic the way the app does. Here is the setup for uTorrent:
- In NordVPN's web dashboard (Nord Account), open NordVPN and click "Set up NordVPN manually." Enter the code NordVPN emails you, then copy your service username and password. They differ from your normal login.
- In uTorrent, open Options, then Preferences (Ctrl and P), then Connection.
- Under Proxy Server, set Type to Socks5. In Proxy, enter one of NordVPN's proxy addresses, such as us.socks.nordhold.net or nl.socks.nordhold.net. NordVPN lists the rest, including city servers like new-york.us.socks.nordhold.net. Set Port to 1080.
- Tick Authentication and enter your service username and password. Also tick "Use proxy for hostname lookups," "Use proxy for peer-to-peer connections," "Disable all local DNS lookups," "Disable features that leak identifying information" and "Disable connections unsupported by the proxy."
- Click Apply, then OK.
To test it, go to ipleak.net, turn on Torrent Address detection and open its magnet link in uTorrent. Keep the page open while the torrent fetches its details. The address it shows should be the NordVPN proxy's, not yours. NordVPN has matching guides for qBittorrent, BitTorrent, Deluge and Vuze.
NordVPN's terms say its service must not be used to get around copyright law, and that applies to everything above. Our best VPNs for torrenting guide covers other providers' rules on P2P traffic.
If you get stuck
NordVPN's help center has a guide for each app, and its support runs around the clock by live chat, starting with an AI chatbot before a person takes over, and by email. There is no phone support. If NordVPN turns out to be the wrong fit, our best VPN software guide and the Surfshark and ExpressVPN listings are good places to compare.
