Many PC users are unaware that Windows 10 has a VPN tool built in. Can you immediately cancel your VPN subscription? We dive deeper into the possibilities of the VPN client in Windows 10.
To get straight to the point: the VPN function built into Windows 10 is not really a full-fledged service such as external companies offer in the form of a VPN subscription. Windows does not provide access to a Virtual Private Network. Microsoft’s tool only makes it easier to establish a VPN connection, which you purchase from a party such as CyberGhost, ExpressVPN or NordVPN. You do not have to run a separate app to use the VPN connection, because the Microsoft tool facilitates this.
If you use Microsoft’s VPN client, you still have to take out a subscription with an external provider to set up a secure connection. Earlier we compared the best VPN services, in principle you can use all services in combination with the client in Windows 10, as long as you make sure you can find out a server name or address.
Using VPN client in Windows
Once you have taken out a VPN subscription, you still have to connect to the VPN network via the Windows 10 client. You do this on the basis of a VPN profile on your PC, which you create via Settings, Network and internet, VPN and then Add a VPN connection. You can only enter one server name or address per profile and have one network protocol. As a result, you probably connect to the same pair of servers every time, while third-party providers of VPN services support more VPN protocols.
With the Windows VPN you do not have access to the hundreds of available connections that you would have with an external service. In many cases that is not a drama, but in some cases it can be inconvenient. Especially if you use a VPN to watch the Netflix offer of another country, for example. Sometimes the connection is too slow to be able to stream properly.
In addition, external providers of VPN services use their own DNS servers to prevent DNS leaks and intervene automatically if the VPN connection is lost. So you are more secure if you use this software instead of the built-in Windows tool.
Conclusion
The conclusion is therefore that the VPN tool built into Windows 10 is a nice function, for example if you do not want to use a separate VPN app, but that it is nevertheless not a worthy replacement for a VPN service that you purchase from an external party . Windows only offers a client to set up a connection instead of an underlying server network. Almost every VPN provider has a well-functioning desktop app that you can download from the Microsoft Store and that works a lot better than the Windows 10 client.
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