How to use McAfee VPN

Whether you're working from a café or streaming content from the comfort of your home, you’ll want a secure internet connection and anonymous browsing. This is where the McAfee® VPN comes into play.

At Asurion, our experts have the know-how to help with most tech dilemmas—including your digital protection. From malware cleanups to showing you how to surf the internet privately, we’ve got you covered. Here’s everything you need to know about using the McAfee VPN.

What’s a VPN?

A VPN, or virtual private network, is a secure tunnel between your device and the wilds of the internet. It encrypts your online activity, making it unreadable to others and masking your IP address. This dual function enhances your online privacy and security, so you can surf the web anonymously and securely.

Does McAfee have a VPN?

McAfee includes a VPN feature in its security offerings, particularly within the McAfee+®, McAfee LiveSafe®, and McAfee Total Protection® plans. This inclusion allows users to protect their devices from malware and viruses and keep their online activities private.

What are the benefits of using the McAfee VPN

McAfee VPN enhances user security by encrypting internet traffic and safeguarding data from being intercepted by cybercriminals. A VPN is doubly important when using public Wi-Fi networks.

Using a VPN offers the significant advantage of concealing your browsing location and activities. By routing your internet traffic through a secure connection to a server in a different location—potentially even abroad—it not only masks your real location, making it seem as though you're accessing the internet from elsewhere (which lets you enjoy international content like your favorite K-drama on Netflix®), but it also enhances your digital privacy by providing online anonymity.

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How to set up McAfee VPN

You’ll need an active McAfee subscription to set up the McAfee VPN. Also, check that your device meets the system requirements for installing McAfee software. If your subscription covers multiple devices, you can add them to McAfee VPN.

How to set up McAfee VPN on Windows

The following steps are for Windows™ 11, 10, and 8.1 devices.

1. Go to protection.mcafee.com, and click Get started. Then, sign in with your McAfee account's email address and password.
2. Go to the Device section, and click Secure VPN > Download on this device.
3. From the PC tab on the screen, click Download.
4. Next, you’ll accept the license agreement, and click Download.
5. Double-click the downloaded file to start the installation. Follow the instructions to complete the installation.

How to set up McAfee VPN on MacOS

1. Go to protection.mcafee.com, and click Get started. Then, sign in with your McAfee account's email address and password.
2. Go to the Device section, and click Secure VPN > Download now. If you see a screen asking to add a device you want to protect, click Download on this device.
3. From the Mac® tab on the screen, click Download.
4. Next, you’ll accept the license agreement and take note of the serial number displayed, which you’ll need to complete set up. Then, click Download.
5. Open your Downloads folder or whichever folder you chose to save the mcafee-macinstaller-x.x.x.dmg file to, and double-click the file to start the installation. Follow the prompts to complete installation.

How to set up McAfee VPN on iOS

1. Open the App Store® on the iOS® device you want to use.
2. In the search bar, enter “McAfee Security” and select McAfee Security: Privacy & VPN.
3. Tap Get. After downloading, open the app and accept the license agreement.
4. Tap Sign in. Then, enter the email address and password for your McAfee account. Follow the on-screen prompts to complete the activation.

How to set up McAfee VPN on Android and ChromeOS

1. Open the Google Play Store® on the device you want to use.
2. In the search bar, enter “McAfee Security” and select McAfee Security: Antivirus VPN.
3. Tap Install. After downloading, open the app and accept the license agreement.
4. Tap Sign in. Then, enter the email address and password for your McAfee account. Follow the on-screen prompts to complete the activation.

How to turn McAfee VPN on and off

Turning the newly installed VPN on and off is simple.

How to turn on McAfee VPN on a PC or Mac

1. Open the McAfee app.
2. On the Home tab, click the Secure VPN tile. If you don’t see the tile, click My Protection (the icon with four squares) on the left menu > Secure VPN.
3. Click the VPN button to turn Secure VPN on or off.

How to turn on McAfee VPN on an iOS or Android device

1. Open the McAfee Security app.
2. Tap Services at the bottom of the screen
3. Tap Secure VPN > Protect my data.

How to connect to a different server location

Within the McAfee VPN, you can connect to various server locations. This feature is handy if you want to access content that's restricted in your current location, like that Netflix show that’s only available in Asia.

How to change the server location on a PC or Mac

1. Open the McAfee app.
2. On the Home tab, click the Secure VPN tile. If you don’t see the tile, click My Protection (the icon with four squares) on the left menu > Secure VPN.
3. Click Change to open a country selection list for your VPN connection. Then, select the country you want to use as your online location.

How to change the server location on an iOS or Android device

1. Open the McAfee Security app.
2. Tap Services at the bottom of the screen
3. Tap Secure VPN > Protect my data.
4. Tap the Fastest Country button, and select a new country.

How to troubleshoot common issues

If you encounter issues while using McAfee VPN, like connection problems or an inability to change locations, start by checking your internet connection. If your internet works fine, try turning the VPN off and on.