Linux - Set Up a Manual OpenVPN Connection Through Terminal

This guide explains how to set up a manual OpenVPN connection on Linux. This is an alternative way to connect to Private Internet Access (PIA) VPN servers when you cannot install the PIA app or the app doesn’t work as expected.

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Get Your Credentials

You need your PIA VPN service credentials to connect with a manual OpenVPN connection.

You can find these credentials in the email sent to the address you used to purchase and register your PIA VPN subscription. 

Install the OpenVPN Package

  1. Open Terminal. You can press Ctrl + Alt + T or open Terminal from your apps menu.
  2. Install OpenVPN for your Linux distribution.
  • Debian/Ubuntu-based: sudo apt install openvpn
  • SUSE/openSUSE-based: sudo zypper install openvpn
  • Red Hat/Fedora-based: sudo dnf install openvpn
  • Arch-based: sudo pacman -S openvpn
  1. Enter your computer password if prompted, then press Enter.

Download the Configuration Files

  1. Create the OpenVPN directory, then direct Terminal to it:
sudo mkdir -p /etc/openvpn 
cd /etc/openvpn
  1. Download the default PIA OpenVPN configuration file:
sudo wget -O openvpn.zip https://www.privateinternetaccess.com/openvpn/openvpn.zip
  1.  Extract the downloaded file:
sudo unzip -o openvpn.zip

Connect to the VPN

  1. View the available configuration files in the cd/openvpn folder by running this command:
 ls
  1. Choose the server configuration file you want to use and connect to it with this command:
sudo openvpn --config config-filename.ovpn

Replace config-filename.ovpn with the exact file name for your chosen server. You will find these filenames in the VPN configuration archive you downloaded previously. 

Example:

sudo openvpn --config us_california.ovpn
  1. Enter your PIA VPN service credentials if prompted.

If the connection succeeds, OpenVPN is configured and connected to PIA VPN.

Try Alternative Configuration Files

Some networks are more restrictive than others, which can interfere with VPN connections. If the default configuration files don't work, repeat the download and extraction steps with an alternative OpenVPN configuration file.

Try these configuration direct download links until one works:

After you download and extract a new configuration file, repeat the connection steps.

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