ExpressVPN: The first 5 settings you need to change

ExpressVPN has long been one of the very best VPNs thanks to its huge server network, great speeds, and strong privacy practices. Not satisfied with perfecting the art of the VPN, in recent years the company has begun adding some nifty additional features to bolster an already impressive service.

Below I’ll discuss the top five settings that I think everyone should change in ExpressVPN to get the most from their service. These tweaks will help you optimize privacy, increase connection security, and take full advantage of the powerful features ExpressVPN has to offer.

ExpressVPN is one of my picks for best VPNs overall, but if you’re interested in other great services check out the list of best VPNs for even more options.

Set up automatic updates

Turning on automatic updates might seem like a no-brainer to some, but it’s an easy thing to overlook. ExpressVPN offers regular updates to its VPN app that should be a priority for all users. The easiest way to make sure you have the latest version is to turn on the option to download and install updates automatically.

Not only will this keep you up to date with much needed improvements, but it’ll save a lot of time over the long run—ExpressVPN pumps out updates seemingly every week or two. 

To turn on automatic updates navigate to the Options menu from the homescreen and under the General tab make sure the box for “Automatically download and install updates” is selected.

Turn on Advanced Protections

ExpressVPN has become more than just a VPN in recent years, quickly becoming a one-stop shop for all privacy and security needs. It now offers an entire set of features to help you stay safer online including an ad- and tracker-blocker, password manager, parental controls, and identity-theft monitoring.

Thankfully, all of these features are included in your VPN subscription so you don’t need to pay extra for add-ons. Instead of opting for separate services or apps for all of these, it’s easier to just let ExpressVPN do it all for you.

Some of these features such as the password manager and identity-theft monitoring can be set up under your account on the ExpressVPN website. Others such as the ad- and tracker-blocker and parental controls will need to be turned on in the app.

To do this, open up the ExpressVPN app and navigate to the Options menu. Here, go to the Advanced Protections tab and you’re then able to check the options for “Block trackers,” “Block malicious sites,” and “Block ads.” I recommend that you turn on all of these options as they’re quick and easy ways to instantly keep you safer online.

Make sure Lightway is your default protocol

VPN protocols are critical to the speed and security of your connection. Think of them like simultaneously both the traffic laws and road map helping your traffic navigate through a VPN tunnel.

Most VPN providers are happy sticking with the same old standard protocol options—OpenVPN, IKEv2, and WireGuard. However, instead of resting on its laurels, ExpressVPN decided to try something new and made its own proprietary open-source protocol called Lightway.

The advantage ExpressVPN has by offering Lightway is complete control over upgrades to the protocol. For example, just recently it integrated full post-quantum encryption support into the Lightway protocol, making it one of the only protocols available right now with this advanced security feature.

In my own testing I’ve noticed that Lightway provides significantly faster speeds than OpenVPN. So considering the speed and security advantages that Lightway brings, I recommend that everyone use it as the default protocol option while connected to any of ExpressVPN’s servers.

To select Lightway as your default protocol, open up the Options menu from the home screen and then go to the Protocols tab. Select one of the Lightway protocols, either Lightway – UDP or Lightway – TCP based on your personal needs. I recommend that you usually stick with Lightway – UDP as it provides the best mix of speed and security while Lightway – TCP is generally only used to help access restrictive networks.

Set up your apps with split tunneling

Split tunneling is one of the most useful VPN features that the majority of VPN users aren’t taking advantage of. It gives you the ability to pick and choose which apps or websites you want to run through the encrypted VPN tunnel and which you wish to keep outside of it.

ExpressVPN offers a split-tunneling feature that can be easily set up with just a little bit of time. From the home screen, click on the Options menu and then navigate to the General tab. From here, check “Manage connection on a per-app basis” and then Settings to choose the type of split tunneling you wish to use.

“All apps use the VPN” will designate everything to run through the encrypted VPN tunnel while connected. If you want to run everything except for one or two apps through the VPN then choose “Do not allow selected apps to use the VPN” and designate those specific apps. Finally, if you want to only run a few apps through the VPN and keep everything else separate, choose “Only allow selected apps to use the VPN” and afterwards select the apps you wish to protect while connected.

Personally, I choose to have all of my apps except a few run through the VPN to maximize my privacy and protections. For example, I run my browser through the VPN, but keep my online videogames separate. This is because I want protected browsing but don’t want the VPN to accidentally slow my connection speeds while gaming.

Download ExpressVPN for all devices

OK, I’ll admit, this isn’t really a setting you can change, but it’s important enough that I thought it was worth mentioning. One of the biggest perks of opting for ExpressVPN over many other VPN services is the absolutely huge range of platforms it supports. 

All of us access the internet through a variety of devices and opting to protect just one of them is like putting a lock on only one of your doors. Sure, you’ll be safe from threats coming through that door, but what about the other doors, or windows? Because all of our devices are so interconnected nowadays, it may only take a third party accessing one device to then begin monitoring all of your activity.

Take advantage of ExpressVPN’s wide platform support and protect everything. Not just your Windows PC, but your smartphone, your work computer, your smart TV, your browser, and even your entire home network with a router-based VPN. It only takes a few minutes to set up ExpressVPN on all of your devices, but the privacy and security benefits you’ll enjoy as a result are more than worth it.

You can find download links to all of ExpressVPN’s supported platforms on its website under your account page. Just be aware that the service imposes a limit of eight simultaneous device connections.