How do I use the PC Matic VPN for Windows?

To use PC Matic VPN for Windows, you will first need to download and install the application on your computer. See the instructions for how to install PC Matic VPN for Windows here.

1 - Logging Into the PC Matic VPN App

Enter the email address associated with your PC Matic account.
Enter the password for your PC Matic account.
Click the Log In button.

2 - Connecting to a PC Matic Server

2.1 - Using Quick Connect

Quick Connect will automatically connect you to the best available server.

To use Quick Connect, simply click the white Quick Connect button at the top of the window.

2.2 - Manually Selecting a PC Matic Server

You can also view a list of all available PC Matic Servers and select the one that you want to connect to.

Scroll through the list of available servers, or enter a server location in the search box.
Double-click the server to connect.

3 - Configuring PC Matic VPN Settings

You will find the configuration options for the PC Matic VPN on the Settings page. There are two tabs, General and Connection, with different configuration options. Below we will explain all of the options in detail.

3.1 - General

The General Tab contains language, startup, and closing options; as well as keyboard shortcuts.

3.1.1 - Language

Language Choice. Here you can change the language of the application. Choose English, Spanish, Hindi, Japanese, Portuguese, and Russian.

Enable Speech Feedback. Toggle audio speech feedback to hear audio indicators of the VPN status changes.

3.1.2 - System Startup

If you have the System Startup option set to Start application when user logs in, the application will automatically start once you login to Windows. With this option on, you can also hide the PC Matic VPN application window on startup, minimizing it in the system tray.

3.1.3 - Application Startup

Here you can choose whether to automatically connect to the last connected server or the fastest server when the application starts.

3.1.4 - Closing

Here you can configure what will happen when you close the PC Matic VPN window (clicking the X). By default, this is set to hide the application to the system tray, keeping the VPN active.

3.1.5 - Keyboard Shortcuts

Here you can enable/disable keyboard shortcuts. To view the available keyboard shortcuts, open the Help page.

3.2 - Connection

The Connection Tab contains settings for VPN protocols and connectivity options.

3.2.1 - VPN Protocol

You can select a the VPN protocol for the PC Matic VPN to use. The WireGuard® protocol provides the fastest speeds. When OpenVPN is selected you will also be able to select the TCP or UDP protocol option and be able to enable the Scramble option, which will mask the VPN traffic and help make it possible to connect if the network you are on is blocking VPN connectivity.

3.2.2 - OpenVPN Tap Adapter

Install the OpenVPN TAP Adapter driver if you receive TAP device errors when using the OpenVPN protocol.

3.2.3 - Connectivity

Turn on Auto Reconnect to allow the PC Matic VPN to automatically attempt to reconnect to the server if it loses connection. Set the number of retries to limit the number of times the app will try to automatically reconnect (recommended: 5).

By turning on the Kill Switch, if the VPN unexpectedly loses connection, the PC Matic VPN will disconnect your computer from the network. This will cause you internet connection to be unavailable until the VPN reconnects, potentially keeping your data more secure.

3.3 - Split Tunneling

Split Tunneling allows you to select which applications and websites will bypass the VPN and instead connected directly using your local internet connection. So while the VPN provides a secure “tunnel” for your internet traffic, Split Tunneling is like having a separate tunnel: one for all your secure and private traffic and another for regular internet traffic.

3.3.1 - Enable Split Tunneling

With the VPN connection OFF, navigate to the Settings > Split Tunneling tab
Locate the Enable Split Tunneling toggle, and click to switch it on
Once Split Tunneling has been enabled, you can proceed to add applications and websites to bypass the VPN

3.3.2 - Add an Application to Split Tunneling

To add an application to the Split Tunneling list:

Navigate to the Settings > Split Tunneling tab
Scroll to the bottom, and on the Application tab, click the Select Apps button
In the window that opens, navigate to the application folder containing the EXE file for the application you want to add
Select the EXE file and click on Open

The application has now been added to the Split Tunneling list.

3.3.3 - Add a Domain (website) to Split Tunneling

To add a website to the Split Tunneling list:

Navigate to the Settings > Split Tunneling tab
Scroll to the bottom, and click on the Domains tab
Type the domain of the website that you want to add (example: pcmatic.com)
Click the Add button
If you also want to include subdomains (i.e.: knowledgebase.pcmatic.com), check the Include Subdomains check box

The website has now been added to the Split Tunneling list.

4 - Help, Information, and Diagnostics

You can find information for support on the Information page. There are three tabs, Help, Licenses, and Diagnostics.

4.1 - Help Tab

The Help Tab contains a link to PC Matic Support, as well as the keyboard shortcuts that are available if toggled on (see 3.1.5).

4.2 - Licenses Tab

Contains information about the various licenses used in developing the PC Matic VPN.

4.3 - Diagnostics Tab

Diagnostic Log Window: Highlight, copy and paste the contents of this log in a reply to a PC Matic support ticket.

View Diagnostic Files: Clicking this button will open the folder containing the PC Matic VPN diagnostic log files. You can attach these logs to a reply to our support team.

4.4 - VPN Status

VPN Status Page: Using the link below, you can check the status of our VPN, including the servers, support, and API. If you're having trouble connecting to the VPN, check this page to ensure there are no performance issues from PC Matic's side.

https://www.pcmatic.com/vpn/status.asp