Contents
- Kaspersky VPN overview
- FAQ
- Subscription & account
- Data provision
- Get started with Kaspersky VPN
- Perform common tasks
- Activate VPN connection
- Select a VPN server
- View the amount of used and available traffic
- Protect your connection to an unsecured Wi-Fi network
- Select the action Kaspersky VPN performs when you join an unsecured Wi-Fi network
- Protect your data if your secure connection is lost
- Set up VPN preferences for known Wi-Fi networks
- Enable or disable sending data for marketing purposes
- Enable tracing
- How to get technical support
- Known issues
- Sources of information about the application
- Legal
Kaspersky VPN overview
Kaspersky VPN Secure Connection (hereinafter – Kaspersky VPN) hides your real location and encrypts all data sent and received by your Mac. You can install Kaspersky VPN on desktop computers, laptops, and mobile devices running Microsoft Windows, macOS, Android, or iOS. You can use Kaspersky VPN for different types of network connections, for example, Wi-Fi, local internet connections, or USB modem connections.
Note: You can find information about features and improvements of the current and previous versions of the application on the App Store.
Don't give up your privacy on the internet
Public Wi-Fi networks may be under-protected, for example, if a Wi-Fi network uses a vulnerable encryption protocol. Kaspersky VPN establishes an encrypted secure connection with websites that you visit so that no hackers can intercept your encrypted data.
Choose the optimal route to websites that you visit
When you use Kaspersky VPN, you can select a VPN server and appear to the internet as a visitor from another country.
Let Kaspersky VPN automatically protect unsecured connections
You can set the application to automatically turn on VPN when you join unsecured Wi-Fi networks.
Let Kaspersky VPN automatically protect your connection
You can set the application to automatically turn on VPN when your Mac starts.
Protect your data if your secure connection is lost
You can use Kill Switch to set the application to automatically cut the internet connection entirely if your VPN connection drops.
Hardware and software requirements
Kaspersky VPN has the following hardware and software requirements:
- 1 GB of memory (RAM)
- 200 MB of free disk space
- macOS 10.14, 10.15, 11, or 12
- Internet connection
- Processor type: Intel, Apple silicon
Install and uninstall the application
You can install Kaspersky VPN from the App Store.
To install the application:
- Open the App Store application.
- Find Kaspersky VPN and install the application.
The App Store may prompt you to enter your Apple ID credentials.
Note: For more information on using the App Store and installing applications, refer to the relevant user guides for your Mac.
To uninstall the application:
- Locate the application in the Finder.
- Open the shortcut menu and choose Move to Trash.
Note: For more information on uninstalling applications, refer to the relevant user guides for your Mac.
Connect to My Kaspersky
When you open Kaspersky VPN, you can sign in to
with a . If you have used another Kaspersky application, for example, Kaspersky VPN for another device or Kaspersky Internet Security, you probably already have a My Kaspersky account. Use it to sign in. If you don't have an account, you can create one.
Note: If you have signed in to My Kaspersky in another Kaspersky application on your Mac, Kaspersky VPN prompts you to sign in to My Kaspersky using the same account after the application installation.
Sign in to My Kaspersky using your existing account
Create a My Kaspersky account from the application interface
Important: internet access is required to connect to My Kaspersky.
Kaspersky VPN versions
Kaspersky VPN is available in free and premium versions.
Free version:
- Free of charge.
- Always available.
- Limited amount of secure traffic per day.
- You can't choose the VPN server. It is selected automatically.
You can switch from free to premium version by purchasing a subscription.
Premium version:
- Unlimited daily traffic.
- You can choose the VPN server.
- Kill Switch.
- Available via a subscription.
- The application may be installed on several devices (Mac, mobile, tablet, PC) under one subscription.
For more information on Kaspersky VPN versions, visit My Kaspersky.
Note: When you use Kaspersky VPN Premium, the application may notify you that another subscription is available. This notification appears only if the found subscription applies to fewer devices than your current subscription. If you switch to this subscription, Kaspersky VPN installed on some of your devices will switch to the free version.
Upgrade to Premium
If you want unlimited secure traffic and freedom to choose VPN servers, you can upgrade to the premium version of Kaspersky VPN. If you have already been using the premium version and your subscription has expired or the grace period has started, you can renew it.
You can also buy a subscription for Kaspersky VPN on My Kaspersky or on the Kaspersky website:
- If you purchase the subscription on My Kaspersky, the subscription will be activated automatically as soon as you complete the purchase.
- If you purchase the subscription on the Kaspersky website, you will receive an activation code in an email sent to the email address you specified. To activate the subscription, you need to add the activation code to your My Kaspersky account and connect Kaspersky VPN to My Kaspersky. For detailed information on how to manually add your activation code to your My Kaspersky account, see the My Kaspersky help.
Protect your connection to an unsecured Wi-Fi network
When joining any Wi-Fi network, Kaspersky VPN checks the status of the Wi-Fi network in accordance with data from Kaspersky Security Network and other criteria such as whether a vulnerable encryption protocol or a common network name (SSID) are used. Using this information, Kaspersky VPN determines whether or not the Wi-Fi network is secure.
If you have already connected to an unsecured Wi-Fi network, you can protect your connection using Kaspersky VPN.
Protect your connection to an unsecured Wi-Fi network
Enable detection of unsecured Wi-Fi networks with Kaspersky Security Network
Why is it impossible to open a website with Kaspersky VPN enabled?
Some websites and web services deny access when you try to connect to them through a VPN. Websites and web services may deny VPN access for the following reasons:
- Website owners want the licensed content they publish to only be available for a certain country, since there are different offers and prices for different countries.
- Website owners want the website to only be visited from a certain region. For example, a lottery is drawn only for a certain country, so access from other regions is forbidden.
- There are web services that, for legal reasons, are only available in a particular region (for example, some media services providers or news broadcasters). These web services resist anonymizers and are not available when you use a VPN (or another anonymizer) to reach them.
- These web services not only determine the location of the client, but also determine if the client uses an anonymizer. If an attempt to access the web service via an anonymizer is detected, access to the web service is blocked.
- If you cannot access a certain website or web service by using a Kaspersky VPN, we recommend contacting Kaspersky Technical Support. Report the web service that is unavailable and from which location. Kaspersky will do our best to resolve the issue.
Kaspersky VPN versions
Kaspersky VPN is available in free and premium versions.
Free version:
- Free of charge.
- Always available.
- Limited amount of secure traffic per day.
- You can't choose the VPN server. It is selected automatically.
You can switch from free to premium version by purchasing a subscription.
Premium version:
- Unlimited daily traffic.
- You can choose the VPN server.
- Kill Switch.
- Available via a subscription.
- The application may be installed on several devices (Mac, mobile, tablet, PC) under one subscription.
For more information on Kaspersky VPN versions, visit My Kaspersky.
Note: When you use Kaspersky VPN Premium, the application may notify you that another subscription is available. This notification appears only if the found subscription applies to fewer devices than your current subscription. If you switch to this subscription, Kaspersky VPN installed on some of your devices will switch to the free version.
Upgrade to Premium
If you want unlimited secure traffic and freedom to choose VPN servers, you can upgrade to the premium version of Kaspersky VPN. If you have already been using the premium version and your subscription has expired or the grace period has started, you can renew it.
You can also buy a subscription for Kaspersky VPN on My Kaspersky or on the Kaspersky website:
- If you purchase the subscription on My Kaspersky, the subscription will be activated automatically as soon as you complete the purchase.
- If you purchase the subscription on the Kaspersky website, you will receive an activation code in an email sent to the email address you specified. To activate the subscription, you need to add the activation code to your My Kaspersky account and connect Kaspersky VPN to My Kaspersky. For detailed information on how to manually add your activation code to your My Kaspersky account, see the My Kaspersky help.
Restore your subscription
When you sign in to your My Kaspersky account, the details of your subscription automatically appear on My Kaspersky. If you want to apply this subscription to Kaspersky VPN installed on another Mac device, you only need to sign in to My Kaspersky.
If you haven't signed in to My Kaspersky and you want to apply your subscription to the free version of Kaspersky VPN on another Mac device, you may need to restore your subscription.
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Change the My Kaspersky account
If you want to use a different My Kaspersky account, you can sign out of the current My Kaspersky account from the application interface and sign in to another My Kaspersky account.
Change the My Kaspersky account
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About the subscription
A subscription for Kaspersky VPN Premium is the purchase of the right to use the application according to specific parameters (for example, subscription expiration date, number of devices). You can order a subscription for Kaspersky VPN from a service provider (for example, on App Store or another online store).
You can manage your subscription via your personal account page on the service provider's website (for example, via your Apple account or Google Account).
Before buying a subscription, you can try the trial version of Kaspersky VPN Premium free of charge. The trial version of Kaspersky VPN Premium remains functional during a short trial period. When the trial period ends, you will be charged for a subscription. If you do not want to use Kaspersky VPN Premium, you must cancel the subscription before the trial period ends.
A subscription can be renewed automatically or manually. An auto-renewed subscription automatically renews at the end of each subscription period until you cancel it. A manually renewed subscription must be renewed at the end of each subscription period. After your subscription for Kaspersky VPN Premium expires, you may be offered a grace period, during which you can continue using the application without limitations. If you don't renew your subscription by the end of the grace period, the application will switch to the free version. To switch back to the premium version, buy a new subscription.
Important: Buying a license or ordering a subscription for Kaspersky VPN Premium does not cancel your other subscriptions that include Kaspersky VPN Premium. To avoid additional charges, make sure you have canceled or disabled autorenewal for subscriptions that you don't need.
Cancel a subscription for Kaspersky VPN Premium or switch to manual renewal:
- Go to your personal account page on the service provider's website.
- Check if there are any active subscriptions that include Kaspersky VPN Premium.
- Cancel or disable autorenewal for subscriptions that you don't need.
About anonymous subscriptions
Your subscription is considered "anonymous" if you purchased a subscription for Kaspersky VPN Premium from the App Store while not signed in to your My Kaspersky account or when you didn't have a My Kaspersky account. An anonymous subscription is associated with your App Store account, but not with your My Kaspersky account.
You can associate your anonymous subscription with your My Kaspersky account at any time. After you sign in to My Kaspersky on the device with Kaspersky VPN Premium, your subscription is automatically associated with your My Kaspersky account. This process may take some time, and active VPN sessions on your devices may be stopped. After that, you can use My Kaspersky to manage your subscription. All devices that use this subscription will be automatically connected to your My Kaspersky account. You will also be able to use your My Kaspersky account to apply your subscription to Kaspersky VPN on new devices (if the device limit has not been reached).
When you restore an anonymous subscription from Kaspersky VPN while signed in to your My Kaspersky account, your subscription is automatically associated with your My Kaspersky account as well. All devices that use this subscription will be automatically connected to it.
Note: After your subscription is associated with your My Kaspersky account, you need to confirm all your automatically connected devices on My Kaspersky.
You can disconnect the subscription from My Kaspersky by contacting Kaspersky Technical Support.
Disconnect an anonymous subscription from your device
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About data provided
Data provided to Kaspersky by using Kaspersky VPN 2.11
Kaspersky protects any information received in accordance with law and applicable Kaspersky rules. Data is transmitted over a secure channel.
Personal data provided
You agree to provide Kaspersky with personal data by accepting the End User License Agreement, Privacy Policy, Statement Regarding Data Processing For Marketing Purposes (Marketing Statement), Statement Regarding Data Processing For Purpose Of Completing A Purchase (Purchase Statement), or Statement Regarding Data Processing For Purpose Of Using Web-Portal (Web-Portal Statement). You can view the list of data provided under the terms of each legal document in the corresponding legal document.
You can view the License Agreement in the App Store.
Read the Marketing Statement and disable sending data
If you don't want Kaspersky to receive and process the data provided under the Purchase Statement, you can revoke your acceptance by disconnecting your subscription.
Disconnect an anonymous subscription from your device
Important: After you disconnect Kaspersky VPN from the subscription, the subscription remains active. For more information about the subscription terms, see About the subscription.
If you don't want Kaspersky to receive the data provided under the Web-Portal Statement, you can revoke your acceptance signing out of My Kaspersky.
If you don't want Kaspersky to process the data provided under the Web-Portal Statement, you need to delete your My Kaspersky account. For more information about deleting a My Kaspersky account, see the My Kaspersky help.
Important: When you sign out of or delete a My Kaspersky account, Kaspersky VPN switches to the free version.
Non-personal data provided
You agree to provide Kaspersky with non-personal data by accepting the End User License Agreement.
Non-personal data provided for improving software quality:
- Information about the End User's Computer on which the Software is installed: device model; OS build number; extended information about the OS edition; operating system family; OS Service Pack version; version of the operating system installed on the user's computer; OS bit size; OS edition; Software localization; device type (laptop, desktop, tablet); OS type (server, workstation, domain controller).
- Information about the Rightholder's Software: Software operating mode; full version of the Software; Software ID; Software localization; Software rebranding ID; Software group; the result of the Software action; error code; Software installation/uninstallation status; installation error code; flag indicating whether the installation was aborted by the user; duration of Software installation in seconds; installation type (new installation, update).
- Information about the use of Kaspersky Security Network (KSN): the config identifier; protocol used to exchange data with KSN; ID of the KSN service accessed by the Software; date and time when statistics stopped being received; number of KSN connections taken from the cache; number of requests for which a response was found in the local request database; number of unsuccessful KSN connections; number of unsuccessful KSN transactions; temporal distribution of canceled requests to KSN; temporal distribution of unsuccessful KSN connections; temporal distribution of unsuccessful KSN transactions; temporal distribution of successful KSN connections; temporal distribution of successful KSN transactions; temporal distribution of successful requests to KSN; temporal distribution of requests to KSN that timed out; number of new KSN connections; number of unsuccessful requests to KSN caused by routing errors; number of unsuccessful requests caused by KSN being disabled in the Software settings; number of unsuccessful requests to KSN caused by network problems; number of successful KSN connections; number of successful KSN transactions; total number of requests to KSN; date and time when statistics started being received.
- Reason for VPN session interruption; VPN session duration; ID of the topic in the Software help; link name; volume of inbound traffic; volume of outbound traffic; exit country of VPN traffic; ID of the starting scenario of VPN connection.
Compliance with European Union law
When distributed in the European Union, Kaspersky VPN complies with the terms of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
When you accept the End User License Agreement, you confirm that you are of the required age to install Kaspersky VPN within the European Union territory. After Kaspersky VPN is installed, you will be asked to read and accept the terms and conditions required for initial setup and use of Kaspersky VPN: the Conditions Regarding Data Processing and the Privacy Policy and the Statement Regarding Data Processing For Marketing Purposes (Marketing Statement).
Also you will be asked to read and accept the terms and conditions required for use of Kaspersky VPN: Statement Regarding Data Processing For Purpose Of Completing A Purchase (Purchase Statement) and Statement Regarding Data Processing For Purpose Of Using Web-Portal (Web-Portal Statement).
If you choose to accept these statements, you can still revoke your acceptance in the application preferences at any time.
Important: If you have an earlier version of Kaspersky VPN installed on OS X 10.11 (El Capitan) and you intend to use the application within the European Union, then you should upgrade your operating system to macOS 10.14 and then upgrade Kaspersky VPN. If you do not want to upgrade your operating system right away, remove Kaspersky VPN from your computer.
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Contents of trace files, dump files, and settings files
Note: All files described in this section can be accessed only by the system administrator of the computer and the owner of the computer account with Kaspersky VPN installed.
1. Trace files
Trace files contain information about events that occur during the operation of Kaspersky VPN. Trace files are stored locally on your computer in the following folder:~/Library/Group Containers/2Y8XE5CQ94.com.kaspersky.ksec/Library/Application Support/KSEC/Logs/
Traces are contained in the following files:
- ksec_agent_<timestamp>.log
- ksec_app_<timestamp>.log
- ksec_daemon_<timestamp>_pid_<PID>.log
- ksec_networkextension_<timestamp>.log
Trace files may contain the following information:
- Information about the device and operating system (unique device ID, device type, MAC addresses of network devices, operating system type, operating system version)
- Information about applications being loaded by the user (URL, attributes, file size, information about the process that loaded the file)
- Information about launched applications and their modules
- Information about the operation of the application and its modules
- Information about errors in and the use of the graphical user interface of the installed Kaspersky application
- Information about network connections and network settings: the IP address of the remote computer and the user's computer, the IP address of DNS servers, MAC address of the access point, network name, signal strength, port numbers of ports used to establish the connection, network protocol, connection status at time of file generation, network reputation, proxy server settings – the user name/password hash
- Information about settings for connecting to Kaspersky servers
- Information about connections to Pango servers
- Information about the license type (license type, region)
- Information about network packets received and sent by the computer over the telecommunications network
- Information about sent and received emails and instant messages
- Information about My Kaspersky: information about the website user names and passwords, and contents of cookie files
- Server's public certificate
- Information about the language locale, software ID, software customization, software version, unique software installation ID, unique computer ID
Trace files contain only the information necessary to fix defects in the application. Kaspersky uses trace files to investigate incidents associated with errors in the operation of Kaspersky VPN.
By default, the creation of trace files is disabled. You can enable generation of trace files in the application preferences.
Trace files can only be sent to Kaspersky manually. Kaspersky VPN does not send trace files to Kaspersky automatically.
You can choose how trace files are sent to Kaspersky.
Before sending trace files to Kaspersky, please review their contents.
Important: Trace files may contain personal or sensitive information. By sending trace files to Kaspersky, you agree to provide to Kaspersky all data contained in the trace files you send, and you consent to the method used to send them.
2. Dump files
Dump files contain all information about the working memory of the application's processes at the time the dump is created. Dump files may contain confidential data.
Dump files are generated by the operating system and are sent to Apple servers only with your consent. Before sending a dump file, please review its contents.
3. Additional files
In addition, Kaspersky VPN generates additional settings files that are stored on the user computer. These files may contain information necessary for operation of the Software: settings, internal databases, configuration files.
Technical Support specialists might ask you to provide the additional files in order to shorten the time required to process requests associated with errors in the Software. The user sends this data manually at the request of a Technical Support specialist.
By sending the additional settings files to Technical Support, you agree to provide all data they contain and you consent to the method used to send them. Before sending these files, please review their contents.
These additional files may contain the following information:
- Proxy server settings – the user name and password hash
- Credentials for connecting to My Kaspersky
- Names of Wi-Fi networks for which the rules of enabling secure connection are configured
Hardware and software requirements
Kaspersky VPN has the following hardware and software requirements:
- 1 GB of memory (RAM)
- 200 MB of free disk space
- macOS 10.14, 10.15, 11, or 12
- Internet connection
- Processor type: Intel, Apple silicon
Install and uninstall the application
You can install Kaspersky VPN from the App Store.
To install the application:
- Open the App Store application.
- Find Kaspersky VPN and install the application.
The App Store may prompt you to enter your Apple ID credentials.
Note: For more information on using the App Store and installing applications, refer to the relevant user guides for your Mac.
To uninstall the application:
- Locate the application in the Finder.
- Open the shortcut menu and choose Move to Trash.
Note: For more information on uninstalling applications, refer to the relevant user guides for your Mac.
Start the application for the first time
When you start Kaspersky VPN on your computer for the first time, the application prompts you to accept the terms and conditions required for initial setup and use of Kaspersky VPN.
Start Kaspersky VPN for the first time
Connect to My Kaspersky
When you open Kaspersky VPN, you can sign in to My Kaspersky with a My Kaspersky account. If you have used another Kaspersky application, for example, Kaspersky VPN for another device or Kaspersky Internet Security, you probably already have a My Kaspersky account. Use it to sign in. If you don't have an account, you can create one.
Note: If you have signed in to My Kaspersky in another Kaspersky application on your Mac, Kaspersky VPN prompts you to sign in to My Kaspersky using the same account after the application installation.
Sign in to My Kaspersky using your existing account
Create a My Kaspersky account from the application interface
Important: internet access is required to connect to My Kaspersky.
About two-step verification
Important: Two-step verification may be unavailable in your region. For more details, see the My Kaspersky help.
Two-step verification prevents bad guys from signing in to your My Kaspersky account even if they know your password. To verify your identity, we also send a unique security code to you via SMS. We use the phone number you save on My Kaspersky. This means that both your password and your phone are needed to sign in to your account.
You can turn on two-step verification on My Kaspersky. If you change your phone number, you can update it on My Kaspersky. If you are already signed in to your account on a device, nothing will change for you. For detailed instructions, see the My Kaspersky help.
Note: The security code sent to your phone number in an SMS message is valid for a short period. If it expires, request another security code.
If you haven't received an SMS message with a security code
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Activate VPN connection
Use one of the following methods to activate a secure connection in Kaspersky VPN:
- You can turn VPN on/off from the application interface or in the menu bar.
Note that when you quit Kaspersky VPN, the application stops running and the secure connection turns off.
- You can let Kaspersky VPN run in the background.
If this option is enabled, the application will always monitor your Wi-Fi connections and warn you if you join an unsecured Wi-Fi network. You can set up Kaspersky VPN to automatically turn VPN on when an unsecured network is detected. We recommend using this option.
If you want to stop the application, you can quit it manually.
- For maximum protection, you can set Kaspersky VPN to automatically turn VPN on when your Mac starts.
Note: A secure connection can be lost due to an unstable internet connection or when switching between networks. In this case, the transmitted data is not protected. Kaspersky VPN restores the secure connection after reconnecting to the internet. If the secure connection cannot be restored, Kaspersky VPN will notify you. To protect your data if the secure connection is lost, you can use Kill Switch. It completely blocks the transfer of data until the secure connection is restored.
Select a VPN server
If you want to hide your IP address and appear to the internet as a visitor from a different place, you can change your location by selecting a different VPN server.
Kaspersky VPN at the moment supports the following VPN server locations.
Note: The locations in the list are determined based on the VPN server's IP address and don't necessarily match the physical location of the VPN server.
Note: Only the premium version of the application allows you to select the VPN server that you want to use. In the free version, Kaspersky VPN selects the location of your free VPN server automatically.
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View the amount of used and available traffic
Kaspersky VPN displays the amount of used and available traffic in the free version of the application.
If you are using the free version of Kaspersky VPN, your use of secure traffic is limited each day. If you exceed your limit on secure traffic, the application notifies you that a secure connection is unavailable. It may take several minutes after the notification is displayed before your secure connection is actually disabled.
You can remove the limitation by upgrading to the premium version of the application.
View the amount of used and available traffic
Information about available and used traffic is updated no more than once per minute. After a secure connection is disabled, information about used secure traffic is updated within 30 seconds.
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Protect your connection to an unsecured Wi-Fi network
When joining any Wi-Fi network, Kaspersky VPN checks the status of the Wi-Fi network in accordance with data from Kaspersky Security Network and other criteria such as whether a vulnerable encryption protocol or a common network name (SSID) are used. Using this information, Kaspersky VPN determines whether or not the Wi-Fi network is secure.
If you have already connected to an unsecured Wi-Fi network, you can protect your connection using Kaspersky VPN.
Protect your connection to an unsecured Wi-Fi network
Enable detection of unsecured Wi-Fi networks with Kaspersky Security Network
Select the action Kaspersky VPN performs when you join an unsecured Wi-Fi network
You can select whether you want Kaspersky VPN to prompt you for action or secure the connection automatically when you join an unsecured Wi-Fi network.
Select the action Kaspersky VPN performs when you join an unsecured Wi-Fi network
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Protect your data if your secure connection is lost
When you turn on VPN, your data is reliably protected while you surf the internet. However, if the VPN connection drops, your data will be unprotected, and attackers can steal it. To ensure that your data is always protected, you can use Kill Switch. Kill Switch will cut off data transfer over the internet when VPN is reconnecting. Your internet connection will be restored as soon as VPN turns on.
Important: To protect your data, Kill Switch blocks data transfer via the internet entirely, until VPN is restored. This doesn't affect data transfer on your local network. Your Mac can interact with other devices in your local network without any limitations.
By default, Kill Switch is turned off and Kaspersky VPN does not block your internet access if the VPN connection is interrupted.
Note: Kill Switch is available only in the premium version of Kaspersky VPN on computers running macOS 10.15 and 11.
Set up VPN preferences for known Wi-Fi networks
If you regularly connect your Mac to a specific Wi-Fi network, you can configure VPN preferences for that network.
Configure VPN preferences for a specific Wi-Fi network
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Enable or disable sending data for marketing purposes
You can enable or disable sending data that helps Kaspersky improve the quality, appearance, and performance of its applications. You can learn what kind of data is sent to Kaspersky by reading the Marketing Statement.
Enable or disable sending data for marketing purposes
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Enable tracing
Tracing is a way to record detailed information about the application's activity. Kaspersky Technical Support specialists use trace files to troubleshoot issues. You can enable application event logging to create trace files and send them to Technical Support if requested. By default, application event logging is disabled.
Enable logging of data to trace files
Important: Turn on tracing only when a Technical Support specialist asks you to do so.
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How to get technical support
If you cannot find a solution to your issue in the documentation or in any of the sources of information about the application, we recommend that you contact Technical Support. Visit the Technical Support website to contact our Technical Support experts, who can answer all your questions about installing and using the application.
Note: Before contacting Technical Support, please read the support rules.
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Known issues
While using Kaspersky VPN, you may encounter the following known issues:
- If Power Nap is enabled on your Mac, Kaspersky VPN does not protect all information updates as the program does not run while your Mac is sleeping. If you need to protect all your data sent and received through the internet, we recommend that you disable Power Nap on your Mac.
- If Kaspersky Security Cloud / Kaspersky Internet Security for Mac is installed on your Mac and Kill Switch is turned on, then Kaspersky VPN can't establish an encrypted secure connection. To establish a secure connection, turn off Kill Switch or quit Kaspersky Security Cloud / Kaspersky Internet Security for Mac. This is due to certain macOS issues. We've contacted Apple regarding this issue and are doing our best to fix the problem as soon as possible.
- Kaspersky VPN does not work with connections through proxy server.
- An encrypted secure connection cannot be established from the macOS system preferences.
- The volume of used secure traffic displayed in the application may differ from the amount of secure traffic actually used. This may be the case when you use a high-bandwidth connection.
- When the application changes the virtual server, the secure connection may be briefly interrupted. Transmitted data will not be protected until the secure connection has been reestablished.
- After purchasing a subscription, there may be a delay of several minutes before the application switches to the extended version.
- If your Mac changes the network when connecting to the internet, the secure connection may be briefly interrupted. Transmitted data will not be protected until the secure connection has been reestablished.
- Changing the virtual server when visiting the websites of banks or payment systems, booking websites, social networks, chats, and email websites could possibly trigger anti-fraud systems (systems intended for analyzing online financial transactions for signs of fraudulent operations).
- When your Mac changes its power source (battery/plugged in), the secure connection may be briefly interrupted. The transmitted data is not protected until the secure connection is reestablished. The Kill Switch doesn't cut off data transfer in this case. This is due to certain macOS issues. We've contacted Apple regarding this issue and are doing our best to fix the problem as soon as possible.
You may experience problems when connecting to certain websites through a VPN.
Some websites and web services deny access when you try to connect to them through a VPN. Websites and web services may deny VPN access for the following reasons:
- Website owners want the licensed content they publish to only be available for a certain country, since there are different offers and prices for different countries.
- Website owners want the website to only be visited from a certain region. For example, a lottery is drawn only for a certain country, so access from other regions is forbidden.
- There are web services that, for legal reasons, are only available in a particular region (for example, some media services providers or news broadcasters). These web services resist anonymizers and are not available when you use a VPN (or another anonymizer) to reach them.
- These web services not only determine the location of the client, but also determine if the client uses an anonymizer. If an attempt to access the web service via an anonymizer is detected, access to the web service is blocked.
- If you cannot access a certain website or web service by using a Kaspersky VPN, we recommend contacting Kaspersky Technical Support. Report the web service that is unavailable and from which location. Kaspersky will do our best to resolve the issue.
- Your internet connection speed may be reduced by more than 50 percent with Kaspersky VPN running. We cannot guarantee a minimum internet connection speed.
- Kaspersky VPN can't establish an encrypted secure connection for web traffic sent and received via the IPv6 protocol. IPv6 web traffic is blocked while VPN is active. On devices that only support the IPv6 protocol, Kaspersky VPN can't establish an encrypted connection and protect your web traffic.
- If an IPv6 connection was established before VPN was turned on, IPv6 web traffic will briefly not be blocked.
Sources of information about the application
Kaspersky VPN page on the Kaspersky website
On the Kaspersky VPN page on the Kaspersky website, you can view general information about the application, its functions, and features.
Kaspersky VPN page in the Knowledge Base
The Knowledge Base is a section on the Kaspersky Technical Support website.
On the Kaspersky VPN page in the Knowledge Base, you can read articles that provide useful information, recommendations, and answers to frequently asked questions on how to buy, install, and use the application.
Articles in the Knowledge Base may provide answers to questions that relate both to Kaspersky VPN as well as to other Kaspersky applications. Articles in the Knowledge Base may also contain Technical Support news.
Go to the Knowledge Base from the Help pull-down menu
Discuss Kaspersky applications with the community
If your question does not require an immediate answer, you can discuss it with Kaspersky experts and other users in our community.
In the community, you can view discussion topics, post your comments, and create new discussion topics.
Go to the community from the Help pull-down menu
Note: An internet connection is required to access website resources.
If you can't find a solution to your problem, contact Technical Support.
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View the terms and conditions of the End User License Agreement and the Marketing Statement
You can review the terms of the License Agreement using the following methods:
- On the App Store
- By reading the license.txt file in the folder where the application has been installed
Read the Marketing Statement and disable sending data
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Information about third-party code
Information about third-party code is contained in the legal_notices.txt file in the folder where the application has been installed.
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Trademark notices
Registered trademarks and service marks are the property of their respective owners.
App Store, Apple, Finder, iTunes, Launchpad, Mac, macOS, OS X and Touch ID are trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries.
IOS is a registered trademark or trademark of Cisco Systems, Inc. and/or its affiliates in the United States and certain other countries.
Android, Google, and Google Play are trademarks of Google, Inc.
Microsoft and Windows are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and other countries.
JavaScript is a registered trademark of Oracle and/or its affiliates.
Intel is a trademark of Intel Corporation in the U.S. and/or other countries.
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The "Create a My Kaspersky account" window
Enter email address field
Email address that you want to use with your new My Kaspersky account.
This email address is used to recover your password and receive communications from Kaspersky.
Choose password field
Password for your new My Kaspersky account. The password must contain a minimum of eight characters, including at least one digit, one lowercase letter, and one uppercase letter. Spaces are not allowed.
Confirm password field
Confirmation of the password for your new My Kaspersky account.
By default, the password characters are hidden for security reasons. To view the password, click 
.
Country selection pop-up menu
A pop-up menu from which you can choose the country for My Kaspersky. This option determines the regional settings for your My Kaspersky account, for example, the display language and available Kaspersky applications. You can change your country for My Kaspersky later only by contacting Technical Support.
I confirm that I have fully read, understand, and accept the terms and conditions of the Privacy Policy describing the handling of data
If this checkbox is selected, it means that you agree with the terms of the Privacy Policy, which describes how data is handled.
Note: The Create button becomes available only if you confirm that you have fully read, understand, and accept the Privacy Policy.
I agree to provide Kaspersky with my email address to receive personalized marketing offers
This checkbox enables/disables delivery of email messages with information and promotions from Kaspersky to the specified email address.
Create
Clicking this button creates your new My Kaspersky account.
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The "Sign In to My Kaspersky" window
Email address field
Email address associated with your My Kaspersky account.
Password field
Password for your My Kaspersky account.
By default, the password characters are hidden for security reasons. To view the password, click .
Forgot your password?
Clicking this link opens a browser window where you can reset the password for your My Kaspersky account.
Sign In
Clicking this button connects Kaspersky VPN to My Kaspersky.
Create Account
Clicking this button opens a window where you can create a My Kaspersky account.
Application preferences window
On the General tab, you can set application preferences.
In the Run in background section, you can configure whether Kaspersky VPN will run in the background and establish a secure connection right after your Mac starts.
Let Kaspersky VPN run in the background (recommended)
This checkbox enables/disables running Kaspersky VPN in the background.
Turn on VPN automatically when your Mac starts
This checkbox enables/disables establishing a secure connection right after your Mac starts.
This checkbox is available if the Let Kaspersky VPN run in the background (recommended) checkbox is selected.
In the Unsecured Wi-Fi section, you can select an action that Kaspersky VPN performs when you join an unsecured Wi-Fi network.
Prompt for action
Kaspersky VPN prompts you to choose an action when you join an unsecured Wi-Fi network.
This action is selected by default.
Turn on VPN automatically
Kaspersky VPN automatically turns on VPN when you join an unsecured Wi-Fi network.
Enable detection with Kaspersky Security Network
This checkbox enables/disables detection of unsecured Wi-Fi networks with Kaspersky Security Network. When you select this checkbox for the first time, you need to enable Location Services for Kaspersky VPN.
Note: macOS requires Location Services to be enabled for Kaspersky VPN to obtain a Wi-Fi network name (BSSID). Kaspersky Security Network will use this to detect unsecured Wi-Fi networks. It wonʼt be used to determine your real location.
In the Kill Switch section, you can configure whether you data will be protected when the VPN connection is interrupted.
Turn on Kill Switch
This checkbox enables/disables Kill Switch. Kill Switch cuts off data transfer over the internet when VPN is reconnecting. Your internet connection will be restored as soon as VPN turns on.
In the Improved experience section, you can read the terms of the Marketing Statement and agree or disagree to send the information listed in the Marketing Statement to Kaspersky.
Help Kaspersky improve its products by sending information about the application and its operating environment
This checkbox enables/disables sending information listed in the Marketing Statement to Kaspersky.
Show Marketing Statement
Clicking this link opens a window that displays the text of the Marketing Statement.
On the Wi-Fi Networks tab, you can configure VPN preferences for the Wi-Fi networks you often connect to.
Network Name
This column displays the name of the Wi-Fi network.
Last Connected
This column displays the date of the last connection to the Wi-Fi network.
Upon Connecting to Wi-Fi Network
This column displays the action Kaspersky VPN performs upon connecting to the Wi-Fi network.
Not Specified
If the specified Wi-Fi network is unsecured, the application applies the preferences specified for unsecured Wi-Fi networks. If the specified network is secure, the application does nothing.
Turn VPN On
The application turns on VPN when you connect your Mac to the specified Wi-Fi network.
No Action
The application does not turn on VPN when you connect your Mac to the specified Wi-Fi network.