How to set up OpenVPN on Windows 8

This tutorial will show you how to set up OpenVPN on Windows 8 using the SmartyDNS VPN services. If you don’t have a SmartyDNS account, you can try our services for free for 3 days.

Here are the steps you should follow:

1. The whole process revolves around the OpenVPN GUI, so before anything else you’ll need to have it on your PC.
2. Thus, please download OpenVPN GUI.
3. As soon as the download finishes, go ahead and install it:
4. Hit the “Next” button (1).

   

5. After that, just click “I Agree” (2).

   

6. Again “Next” (3).

   

7. Now go ahead and click “Install” (4).

   

8. If you come across this security window, just click on “Install” again (5).

   

9. We know you did this two times already, but please go ahead and click that “Next” button one more time (6).

   

10. And now, the moment you’d been waiting for! Just click on “Finish” and wrap it up! (7).

    

11. Since everything ran so smoothly thus far, it would be a shame not to carry on until the end. All you have to do now is to download the config files, then simply unzip the downloaded file. You’d most probably find it in C:\Program Files\OpenVPN\config. If by any chance you encounter an error regarding privileges, you’ll need to relocate the archive to a temporary home: C:\folder, extract it and move it back to its original location C:\Program Files\OpenVPN\config\folder.
12. Next, you’ll need to instruct the OpenVPN software to “run as administrator”. It’s not as big of a deal as it sounds. Just Right-click on OpenVPN, then click “Properties”, select “Advanced”, then simply check the “Run as administrator” checkbox. From here on, the software will never again not run as administrator.
13. You’ve now reached the end of the journey (frenetic hand claping). To connect, right-click again on the OpenVPN icon, select the server of your choosing, then click “Connect”. You are given two options regarding which protocol you want to use for your version of OpenVPN: TCP and UDP. If you ask us, we’d go for UDP, as it is faster and more stable than its brother.

When you feel like you had enough for one session, you merely have to right click on the OpenVPN server and choose “Disconnect” and it will be all over.