Free VPNs for Windows

The short answer

Five providers in our files offer a free VPN plan that you can use on a Windows PC. Four of them protect the whole computer. The fifth, Opera's, protects only the Opera browser. We ranked them on each company's record first, because a VPN sees everything your PC sends, and on the plan's limits second.

Proton VPN Free is the one to install first. Windscribe is the best choice if you need to cover several devices on a small data allowance. All limits below come from the providers' own pages, read on 2026-11-13. Tunnelcheck hasn't tested these apps.

Free Windows VPNs compared

1. Proton VPN Free for Windows

Proton's free VPN page lists Windows among the platforms where the free plan works. The pricing page sets the limits: one device at a time, medium speed and servers in 10 countries chosen at random. Proton's FAQ says there's no data limit, and its free page says it never shows ads. Streaming and P2P are paid features.

All of Proton's apps are open source, so outside researchers can read the Windows client's code. Every Proton app has a kill switch. On the paid plan, the Windows app also gets port forwarding on P2P servers. Securitum has audited Proton's no-logs claim every year from 2022 to 2026.

2. Windscribe Free for Windows

Windscribe publishes the source code for its Windows, macOS and Linux apps on GitHub, and says it has done so since 2021. The free plan gives 10 GB a month once you confirm your email address. Windscribe says it has no device limit. Its kill switch is called Firewall and blocks all connections outside the VPN tunnel.

Windows users on locked-down networks may find its Stealth and WStunnel options useful; they wrap VPN traffic to look like ordinary web traffic. Windscribe's no-logs claim held when a Greek case against its CEO was dismissed in 2025, but its audit record is one unnamed third-party audit.

3. TunnelBear Free for Windows

TunnelBear has a Windows app, and its pricing page doesn't limit the free plan to particular platforms. The free plan gives 2 GB a month. Since December 2025 free users can't pick a country or use split tunneling, but they keep the VigilantBear kill switch and GhostBear, which disguises VPN traffic. Cure53 audits of its apps and servers go back to 2016.

4. Opera's browser VPN on Windows

Opera for Windows includes a free VPN that you switch on from the VPN badge left of the address bar. It needs no account, and Opera says there's no data cap. It encrypts only traffic inside the Opera browser. Windows Update, other browsers, games, chat apps and anything else on the PC still use your normal connection. Opera's paid VPN Pro covers the whole device on Windows. Tunnelcheck isn't affiliated with Opera; see our Opera VPN review.

5. Hotspot Shield Free for Windows

Hotspot Shield's free VPN page says the app is available for Windows, and its help center says free users can link one device. The same free page lists "No ads" and also says "We're ad supported". Our review found no independent no-logs audit, and ownership is unclear. It's on this list because it is a real free Windows plan, not because we'd pick it over the four above.

Setting up a free VPN on Windows

1. Download from the provider's own site Get the installer from the provider's website, not a download portal, so you know the installer is the provider's own.
2. Turn on the kill switch Proton, Windscribe and TunnelBear all have one. It stops your PC sending traffic outside the tunnel if the connection drops. See kill switch.
3. Check for leaks Connect, then use our WebRTC leak test and what is my IP tool, and follow the leak test guide.
4. Watch your data On Windscribe and TunnelBear, Windows updates and cloud backups can use up a monthly allowance quickly. Split tunneling can keep big downloads off the VPN on plans that include it.

What a free Windows VPN won't do

A free plan is fine for a laptop on hotel or café Wi-Fi; see public Wi-Fi safety. It's a poor fit for torrenting, which Proton's free plan bans and the others don't clearly allow (see free VPNs for torrenting), and for streaming, which streaming services block and usually forbid in their terms. For a whole household, see the best VPNs overall, and read are free VPNs safe? before you install any free app we haven't listed.