ExpressVPN has lengthy been one of many highest VPNs due to its large server community, nice speeds, and robust privateness practices. Not happy with perfecting the artwork of the VPN, in recent times the corporate has begun including some nifty further options to bolster an already spectacular service.
Below I’ll focus on the highest 5 settings that I believe everybody ought to change in ExpressVPN to get essentially the most from their service. These tweaks will enable you to optimize privateness, improve connection safety, and take full benefit of the highly effective options ExpressVPN has to supply.
ExpressVPN is certainly one of my picks for finest VPNs general, however if you happen to’re excited by different nice providers try the record of best VPNs for much more choices.
Set up automated updates
Turning on automated updates may appear to be a no brainer to some, but it surely’s a simple factor to miss. ExpressVPN provides common updates to its VPN app that must be a precedence for all customers. The best strategy to ensure you have the newest model is to activate the choice to obtain and set up updates mechanically.
Not solely will this hold you updated with a lot wanted enhancements, but it surely’ll save numerous time over the long term—ExpressVPN pumps out updates seemingly each week or two.
To activate automated updates navigate to the Options menu from the homescreen and beneath the General tab be sure the field for “Automatically download and install updates” is chosen.
Turn on Advanced Protections
Sam Singleton
ExpressVPN has change into greater than only a VPN in recent times, rapidly turning into a one-stop store for all privateness and safety wants. It now provides a complete set of options that can assist you keep safer on-line together with an ad- and tracker-blocker, password supervisor, parental controls, and identity-theft monitoring.
Thankfully, all of those options are included in your VPN subscription so that you don’t must pay further for add-ons. Instead of choosing separate providers or apps for all of those, it’s simpler to only let ExpressVPN do all of it for you.
Some of those options such because the password supervisor and identity-theft monitoring may be arrange beneath your account on the ExpressVPN web site. Others such because the ad- and tracker-blocker and parental controls will have to be turned on within the app.
To do that, open up the ExpressVPN app and navigate to the Options menu. Here, go to the Advanced Protections tab and also you’re then in a position to test the choices for “Block trackers,” “Block malicious sites,” and “Block ads.” I like to recommend that you simply activate all of those choices as they’re fast and simple methods to immediately hold you safer on-line.
Make positive Lightway is your default protocol
Choosing the Lightway – UDP protocol offers you the optimum mixture of velocity and safety.
Sam Singleton
VPN protocols are important to the velocity and safety of your connection. Think of them like concurrently each the visitors legal guidelines and highway map serving to your visitors navigate by means of a VPN tunnel.
Most VPN suppliers are pleased sticking with the identical previous commonplace protocol choices—OpenVPN, IKEv2, and WireGuard. However, as a substitute of resting on its laurels, ExpressVPN determined to strive one thing new and made its personal proprietary open-source protocol known as Lightway.
The benefit ExpressVPN has by providing Lightway is full management over upgrades to the protocol. For instance, only in the near past it integrated full post-quantum encryption support into the Lightway protocol, making it one of many solely protocols obtainable proper now with this superior safety function.
In my very own testing I’ve observed that Lightway gives considerably sooner speeds than OpenVPN. So contemplating the velocity and safety benefits that Lightway brings, I like to recommend that everybody use it because the default protocol choice whereas related to any of ExpressVPN’s servers.
To choose Lightway as your default protocol, open up the Options menu from the house display after which go to the Protocols tab. Select one of many Lightway protocols, both Lightway – UDP or Lightway – TCP primarily based in your private wants. I like to recommend that you simply normally stick to Lightway – UDP because it gives one of the best mixture of velocity and safety whereas Lightway – TCP is usually solely used to assist entry restrictive networks.
Set up your apps with cut up tunneling
ExpressVPN’s split-tunneling function is simple to arrange and may also help you optimize your connection.
Sam Singleton
Split tunneling is among the most helpful VPN options that almost all of VPN customers aren’t profiting from. It offers you the power to select and select which apps or web sites you need to run by means of the encrypted VPN tunnel and which you want to hold exterior of it.
ExpressVPN provides a split-tunneling function that may be simply arrange with just a bit little bit of time. From the house display, click on on the Options menu after which navigate to the General tab. From right here, test “Manage connection on a per-app basis” after which Settings to decide on the kind of cut up tunneling you want to use.
“All apps use the VPN” will designate the whole lot to run by means of the encrypted VPN tunnel whereas related. If you need to run the whole lot aside from one or two apps by means of the VPN then select “Do not allow selected apps to use the VPN” and designate these particular apps. Finally, if you wish to solely run a number of apps by means of the VPN and hold the whole lot else separate, select “Only allow selected apps to use the VPN” and afterwards choose the apps you want to defend whereas related.
Personally, I select to have all of my apps besides a number of run by means of the VPN to maximise my privateness and protections. For instance, I run my browser by means of the VPN, however hold my on-line videogames separate. This is as a result of I would like protected shopping however don’t need the VPN to by chance sluggish my connection speeds whereas gaming.
Download ExpressVPN for all units
OK, I’ll admit, this isn’t actually a setting you may change, but it surely’s vital sufficient that I assumed it was price mentioning. One of the most important perks of choosing ExpressVPN over many different VPN providers is the completely large vary of platforms it helps.
All of us entry the web by means of quite a lot of units and opting to guard simply certainly one of them is like placing a lock on solely certainly one of your doorways. Sure, you’ll be secure from threats coming by means of that door, however what in regards to the different doorways, or home windows? Because all of our units are so interconnected these days, it might solely take a 3rd social gathering accessing one machine to then start monitoring all your exercise.
Take benefit of ExpressVPN’s large platform assist and defend the whole lot. Not simply your Windows PC, however your smartphone, your work pc, your sensible TV, your browser, and even your complete dwelling community with a router-based VPN. It solely takes a couple of minutes to arrange ExpressVPN on all your units, however the privateness and safety advantages you’ll take pleasure in consequently are greater than price it.
You can discover obtain hyperlinks to all of ExpressVPN’s supported platforms on its web site beneath your account web page. Just bear in mind that the service imposes a restrict of eight simultaneous machine connections.