How to Set Up OpenVPN on macOS (Viscosity)

This guide shows you how to set up an OpenVPN connection on macOS using Viscosity, a third-party OpenVPN client.

Jump To …

• Download the OpenVPN Configuration Files
• Download and Install Viscosity
• Import the VPN Configuration
• Make Your First Connection
• Connecting from Different Countries

Download the OpenVPN Configuration Files

1. Log in to your CyberGhost VPN account.

2. Select VPN from the left menu, then scroll down to Manual setup and select Configure Device.

3. On the next page, configure the settings as follows:

• Protocol: Select either OpenVPN for a UDP connection or OpenVPN TCP for a TCP connection. UDP is faster but can occasionally interrupt downloads. TCP is more stable and slightly slower, so choose it if you get frequent disconnections.
• Country: Select the country you want to connect through.
• Server Group: Select a server group. This is the category of CyberGhost VPN servers you want to use, such as Premium or Standard. The available groups match the protocol you chose.

4. Your new configuration now appears under VPN in your device list. Select View next to it to see the generated connection details.

5. Then, make note of the following:

• Username: A username generated only for this connection. This is not your regular CyberGhost VPN account username; it's used only for manual configuration.
• Password: A password generated only for this connection. Use the copy icon to copy it. This is not your regular account password.
• Pre-Shared Key: A key used to authenticate the connection.

Once done, click Download Configuration and save the downloaded .zip file somewhere easy to find, such as your desktop. 

6. Extract the contents before continuing. The extracted folder contains:

• ca.crt: The certificate authority's certificate
• client.crt: Your user certificate
• client.key: Your private key
• openvpn.ovpn: Your OpenVPN configuration file

Download and Install Viscosity

1. Download Viscosity from the official Viscosity website.
2. Open the downloaded Viscosity.dmg file and drag Viscosity to the Applications folder.

Import the VPN Configuration

1. Open Viscosity, then select the Viscosity icon in the menu bar and click Settings.

2. Select the + button in the bottom-left corner. Then, select Import Connection > From File.

3. Click the OpenVPN configuration folder you saved earlier and select Open.  

Your connection should now appear in the Viscosity menu.

Make Your First Connection

1. Select the Viscosity icon in the menu bar, then select your OpenVPN configuration.

2. Enter your OpenVPN username and password. Don’t use your regular CyberGhost VPN account username and password here.

Note: To save them for next time, tick the box next to Remember details in my Keychain.

3. Select the Viscosity icon again to see the connection status. It turns green once you're connected.

You're now connected to the VPN server using Viscosity.

Connecting from Different Countries

To use more than one country, you need to generate and download a separate configuration file for each. It’s recommended to rename the openvpn.ovpn files so you can tell them apart. For example, if it’s a USA server, you can rename it to CG_USA.ovpn.

Once done, follow the same steps to import the VPN configuration file and connect.
 

Need assistance? Contact our Customer Support team:

• via email at support@cyberghost.ro 
• via online request at https://support.cyberghostvpn.com/hc/en-us/requests/new 
• via 24/7 Live Chat by clicking the Support button below