Safe Mode Reinstallation

If you're unable to use the PIA app normally, reinstalling it in Safe Mode with Networking can help eliminate software conflicts that may be preventing the app from working correctly.

Boot Into Safe Mode with Networking

  1. Open the Start menu and select Settings.

    Windows 11 Start menu with the "Settings" app highlighted in a green box within the "Pinned" section.

  2. Navigate to System > Recovery.

    Windows Settings menu with "System" selected in the left sidebar and "Recovery" highlighted in a green box in the main view.

  3. Under Advanced startup, select Restart now.

    Windows Settings menu with "System" selected in the left sidebar and "Recovery" highlighted in a green box in the main view.

  4. If prompted, select Restart now.

    Windows Settings menu with "System" selected in the left sidebar and "Recovery" highlighted in a green box in the main view.

  5. After your PC restarts, select Troubleshoot > Advanced options > Startup Settings > Restart.
  6. When the Startup Settings screen appears, press 5 or F5 to enable Safe Mode with Networking.

Remove the PIA App Manually

Once you're in Safe Mode with Networking:

  1. Press Windows + R, type %PROGRAMFILES%, and select OK.

    Windows Settings menu with "System" selected in the left sidebar and "Recovery" highlighted in a green box in the main view.

  2. Delete the Private Internet Access folder.

    Windows Settings menu with "System" selected in the left sidebar and "Recovery" highlighted in a green box in the main view.

Important: Delete only the Private Internet Access folder. Don't remove any other folders from the Program Files directory.

Remove the PIA Network Adapter

After deleting the application files, remove the PIA network adapter to ensure Windows no longer uses any components from the previous installation. This helps provide a clean environment before reinstalling the app. 

  1. Press Windows + R, type devmgmt.msc into the field, then select OK.

    Windows "Run" dialog box with the command "devmgmt.msc" entered in the open field, highlighted in a green box.

  2. In the Device Manager window, expand the Network adapters section.

    Windows "Run" dialog box with the command "devmgmt.msc" entered in the open field, highlighted in a green box.

  3. Locate Private Internet Access Network Adapter or PIA Tunnel.

    Windows "Run" dialog box with the command "devmgmt.msc" entered in the open field, highlighted in a green box.

  4. Right-click the adapter and select Uninstall device.

    Windows "Run" dialog box with the command "devmgmt.msc" entered in the open field, highlighted in a green box.

  5. If prompted, check Attempt to remove the driver for this device and click Uninstall.

    Windows "Run" dialog box with the command "devmgmt.msc" entered in the open field, highlighted in a green box.

If you don't see the adapter listed, check the Other devices or Unknown devices sections. If no PIA or TAP adapter is present, you can proceed directly to cleaning up the registry.

Clean up the Registry

After deleting the installation folder, remove any remaining PIA registry entries. This helps clean up leftover references from the manual uninstall. 

  1. Press Windows + R, type regedit, then select OK.

    Windows "Run" dialog box with "regedit" typed into the open field, which is highlighted in a green box.

  2. If prompted by User Account Control (UAC), select Yes.

    Windows "Run" dialog box with "regedit" typed into the open field, which is highlighted in a green box.

  3. In the top-left corner, click Edit and select Find…

    Windows "Run" dialog box with "regedit" typed into the open field, which is highlighted in a green box.

  4. Type Private Internet Access and click Find Next.

    Windows "Run" dialog box with "regedit" typed into the open field, which is highlighted in a green box.

  5. If you find a registry key that belongs to PIA, right-click it and select Delete.

    Windows "Run" dialog box with "regedit" typed into the open field, which is highlighted in a green box.

  6. Press F3 to continue searching and remove any remaining PIA registry keys.
Important: Only delete registry keys that belong to Private Internet Access. Deleting other registry entries may cause Windows or other applications to malfunction.

Shut Down Your PC

When you've finished removing the app and network adapter, shut down your computer completely. Wait at least 30 seconds and then turn your computer back on.

Reinstall the PIA App

After completing the manual cleanup, reinstall the latest version of the app by following our PIA installation guide. Once the installation is complete, sign in to your account and verify that you can connect to the VPN. If the issue persists, contact PIA Support for further assistance.

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