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How do I enable port forwarding on my VPN? - Knowledgebase / Technical / Browsing and Internet / Torrents - PIA Support Portal

How do I enable port forwarding on my VPN?

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The port forwarding option in our application can be used for a variety of uses.  

Desktop

In order to enable port forwarding within the PIA application on the Desktop Client, first, you must disable the VPN connection. After doing this, select the 'Settings' option that appears after opening the drop down menu in the top right hand corner of the VPN client. 

 

 

From within the settings, select the Network tab and check the 'Request Port Forwarding' checkbox.  

 



When you connect to the server location of your choice that offers port forwarding, a random port will automatically be assigned.  

 



When selecting a server location to connect to after enabling  Port Forwarding, you may find that some options are greyed out and are unable to be selected.  Only specific locations support Port Forwarding  and those server options are the available servers to choose from. The locations that do not support Port Forwarding will have an icon next to them that warns that Port Forwarding is not available with the server location. 

 

 



Mobile

Enabling port-forwarding on mobile is done similarly to the desktop program. On your Android device, you will need to click the 3 lines at the top of the GUI. 

 



Scrolling down will reveal the settings button. You will need to click this to access all of the settings within the application. 

 



You will then see the Request port forwarding option, which will be green when toggled to the on position. 

 



You will now, after a connection has been established, see a forwarded port below the IP which you are assigned, in addition to your own IP.  

  

Alternative Port Forwarding Options

Although we suggest users use the PIA application and Port Forwarding method within the application, we do offer a manual Port Forwarding option as an alternative. You can use the following link to direct you to the setup guide for the manual option:
https://www.privateinternetaccess.com/helpdesk/kb/articles/manual-connection-and-port-forwarding-scripts 

If you run into any trouble setting up Port Forwarding on your device, our CS team would be more than happy to assist you or answer any question you may have!