How to Use a VPN on Mac:
A Beginner’s Guide to macOS

Know the difference between native VPN settings and subscription-based clients

macOS’s built-in VPN settings are for connection types supported by the system. You’ll need the corresponding server address, authentication details, and configuration requirements from your provider. Subscription links, on the other hand, are usually imported into a dedicated client to fetch routes and connection settings, and sometimes routing rules. They can’t be pasted into the server address field in macOS VPN settings.

Protocols such as Shadowsocks, VMess, Trojan, VLESS, Hysteria2, and TUIC require a client that supports them. Files with the same extension aren’t necessarily compatible, and a client that can open a file may not be able to parse every subscription. This guide doesn’t make assumptions about which protocols VPN73 supports; check the download instructions in your account and the subscription import prompts.

Get the macOS client and subscription

Get the VPN73 macOS client from your account dashboard. Go to the client download page and choose the macOS version as instructed. No email address is required to create an account; use a username and password. You’ll also need to sign in to get your subscription. Avoid downloading installers or using shared configurations from unfamiliar sites.

1. Open About This Mac to check whether your device has an Apple chip or an Intel processor. If the download page offers builds for different architectures, choose the one that matches your Mac.
2. Check the system requirements on the download page before installing. If a universal build is available, follow the instructions provided rather than guessing compatibility from the filename.
3. If you downloaded a disk image, open it and follow the instructions to move the app into Applications. If you downloaded an installer, follow its steps to complete the installation.
4. Launch the client from Applications, then return to your account dashboard to get the subscription link for that client.

A subscription link may contain access credentials, so treat it like a password. Don’t post the full link in a public forum, online conversion tool, or troubleshooting screenshot. Installers, subscription links, and account passwords serve different purposes; support teams generally don’t need you to share these sensitive details publicly.

Review system permissions—don’t approve prompts blindly

The first time you launch an app, macOS may warn that it was downloaded from the internet or ask to allow a VPN configuration or network extension. Prompts vary by client, so don’t assume every authorization dialog is always required. Check which app is requesting access and confirm that the permission matches the feature you’re enabling.

If the app won’t open

Check the download source, file integrity, and system requirements first. For an app from a verified source, see whether System Settings → Privacy & Security offers an option to proceed; menu locations vary by macOS version. If macOS explicitly warns that the app is malicious or the file is damaged, stop and verify the source again. Don’t run quarantine-removal commands you found online.

If a network feature won’t turn on

System proxy mode may need a helper component to change proxy settings; tunnel mode may require a network extension or permission to add a VPN configuration. Grant only the permissions required for the feature you’re using. If you previously denied a prompt, check the relevant system settings and have the client request access again. Reinstalling repeatedly won’t resolve a permissions issue.

Import a subscription and choose a route

Open the subscription or configuration section in your client and import it using the method provided in your account dashboard. Some links open the client automatically; others need to be copied and pasted. Button labels vary, so follow the client’s interface rather than treating this guide as a fixed menu-by-menu walkthrough.

1. Make sure you copied the subscription link, not the dashboard URL. When pasting it, watch for extra spaces, line breaks, or characters added by a chat app.
2. Import or update the subscription, then check that a list of routes appears. If parsing fails, first check that the subscription format matches the client.
3. Choose a route to test, then check the subscription status, plan data usage, and validity information.
4. Turn on the system proxy or the tunnel feature you need, then test the target app. Don’t stop at confirming that the configuration was imported.

Choose a route in a region where the target service is available; the geographically closest option isn’t always best. IEPL dedicated lines, relay routes, and direct connections describe how traffic is routed: direct connections typically connect straight to an overseas node, relay routes forward traffic through an intermediate entry point, and IEPL uses a dedicated Ethernet link. These labels alone don’t guarantee end-to-end performance. The destination site, congestion at the exit node, and your local network can all affect the connection.

For your first test, keep the same network and destination page, and change only the route. Don’t change DNS, routing rules, and traffic handling mode at the same time; otherwise, even if the connection comes back, you won’t know which change made the difference. See the server page for VPN73 route coverage. Actual access performance depends on your connection.

Verify your connection, routing, and DNS

Before connecting, note how your network performs, then connect with the client and visit the same destination. Use the IP lookup page to check your browser’s public IP, and test the target app as well. IP geolocation databases can lag behind changes, and a change in your browser’s public IP doesn’t prove that other apps, such as terminal tools or games, are using the VPN.

• ✅ The browser opens the target site, and you can sign in and complete the next steps—not just load the homepage.
• ✅ The public IP matches the route you selected. If it doesn’t, check whether the lookup page is set to bypass the proxy under your routing rules.
• ✅ The app you’re testing can make ongoing requests. If needed, check the client’s connection log for the matching rule and route.
• ✅ Your local connection works again after disconnecting the client. Before quitting, confirm that its proxy settings have been cleaned up properly.

A DNS leak means DNS requests are bypassing the expected route; seeing a local resolver doesn’t automatically mean something is wrong. With split routing, resolving local domains through local DNS may be intentional. Check whether domains expected to use the tunnel are being resolved directly by mistake. Review the client’s DNS policy, the browser’s secure DNS settings, and the test results together—don’t rely on the public IP alone.

Browsers may use their own encrypted DNS, and apps may have independent proxy settings, so a browser test can’t cover every app. Global mode usually means that traffic already handled by the client uses the same route; it doesn’t automatically bring apps that ignore system proxy settings into the client. Tunnel mode covers more traffic, but you’ll still need to check exclusions and DNS settings.

Troubleshooting: what to check first

Subscription won’t update

First, check whether regular websites load, then review the subscription status in your account dashboard and the format required by your client. Identify whether the error is a download failure or a parsing failure: download failures are more likely to involve the network, link, or authentication; parsing failures more often point to an incompatible format. Some clients route subscription updates through the active proxy. Check the client’s instructions for the update route, and don’t reset subscription credentials unless you’ve confirmed they need to be changed.

Browser still doesn’t work after connecting

Check that the system proxy is actually enabled, that no browser extension is overriding it, and that the target domain isn’t matching an unexpected rule. If another proxy app is running, quit it normally first to avoid conflicts with system settings. Before switching routes, note the error so you can distinguish a DNS failure, a connection timeout, and a site refusing the connection.

Browser works, but other apps don’t

First check which traffic the client is handling rather than assuming the route is broken. The target app may ignore the system proxy or have its own proxy settings. Try tunnel mode only if the client supports it, the required permissions are in place, and you need it. Then check whether access to local devices or your workplace network has been affected.

No internet after quitting the client

Reopen the client, turn off the proxy from within the app, and quit normally. If the connection still doesn’t recover, check whether the current network service has leftover proxy settings pointing to a local proxy that’s no longer running. Remove only settings you’ve confirmed belong to that client. If your Mac is managed by your organization, contact your administrator; don’t remove organization-installed network settings or certificates.

Startup settings and routine maintenance

Test connecting and disconnecting manually before enabling startup options. “Launch at login,” “connect automatically,” and “set system proxy automatically” may be separate settings; read their descriptions before turning them on. Allowing an app to launch at login doesn’t mean it has loaded your subscription or connected to the network.

If the connection doesn’t recover after waking from sleep or switching Wi-Fi networks, first check your network and route status, then reconnect. After updating the client or subscription, run through your verification steps again. Don’t copy menu labels from a Windows guide or paste an entire configuration made for a different client core into your current app.

When reporting an issue, use a support ticket in your dashboard to share your system type, client name, error message, traffic handling mode, and steps to reproduce the problem. Hide subscription links, account details, and tokens in screenshots, and check logs for sensitive fields before sharing them. Explaining exactly where something fails is more useful than saying only that it “doesn’t work.”