On this occasion, you will be able to connect to a VPN from a Chromebook without problems. In addition, if you do not have a VPN service or are not satisfied with the one you have, we recommend the VPN service provided by Private Internet Access which works perfectly with the Chrome OS operating system.
In this way, there are some different ways to connect to your free VPN using a Chromebook. So we will show you 2 types of connections. One is to configure the connection manually and the other, using an Android application.
How to manually configure the VPN from a Chromebook
First, click on the time in the lower right corner of your Chrome operating system’s screen and then click on the Settings button. It is the button that looks like a gear. Then, select the “Network” option in the Configuration column on the left. Then, click Add connection from the Network section, which you just clicked.
Select the plus ( ) symbol next to “Add OpenVPN / L2TP”. Now, you must complete each of the fields according to the configuration of your free VPN provider: they will provide you with all the information, with the exception of the field «Service Name». Which can be anything you want. A descriptive name is probably the best you could give it.
Now, activate the option «Save identity and password» and set it to «Yes». You can do this if you do not want to enter your VPN username and password every time you log in. Then, you must click on the Connect button.
In the same way, you can confirm the connection by selecting the newly created VPN profile in the Network section. This will ensure that the status is set to Connected. The Wifi icon in the system tray will also have a small, small “key” next to it, which indicates that you are currently connected to a VPN.
Then, open your browser and go to any site: on this occasion, you must show the IP information of your VPN and not the information of your network connected to the WiFi. Later, you can connect and view your VPN settings through the “control panel” that you will find within the notifications section.
Configure the VPN application from Android
For starters, this method involves the use of a Google Play Store application. Almost all the most used VPN providers offer an Android application and therefore, you should be able to use that application on your Chromebook. To illustrate, we will use the Android application for Private Internet Access.
While on your Chromebook, go to the Google Play Store page to get the Android Private Internet Access application. You just have to click on the big green button to start installing it.
Once the installation is complete, click on the Open button. Then, click on “Next” several times. Now, all you have to do is click on the “Login” section. Enter your Private Internet Access username and password and then click the Login button again.
Similarly, you must click OK. Then, you just have to press the Accept button to allow Private Internet Access a VPN profile on your Chromebook. Finally, the main connection window will appear. Then click on the big yellow button. Once you’re connected, that yellow button will change to green and your IP information will be displayed at the bottom of the application.
In the same way, you can confirm that the connection is working by opening your browser and visiting a site like whatsmyip.com: this site must show the IP information of your VPN and not the information of your network connected to WiFi. Also, you can get information about your VPN connection through the Chrome OS Notification section, including the ability to disconnect from it.