How to Set Up OpenVPN Server on a Windows VPS Print

Setting up your own OpenVPN server on a Windows VPS gives you full control over your VPN connection for secure internet access, remote access to internal services, or bypassing restrictions.

???? Requirements

• A Windows VPS (Server 2019, 2022, or 2025)

• Admin/root access

• Internet connection

• OpenVPN Community Edition

???? Step-by-Step Guide

1. Download OpenVPN

• Visit the official OpenVPN website:

  https://openvpn.net/community-downloads

• Download the Windows installer under OpenVPN Community Edition.

⚠️ Choose the correct version for your system (usually Windows 64-bit).

2. Install OpenVPN

• Run the downloaded .exe file as Administrator.

• Accept the license agreement and use default installation options.

• Allow installation of any virtual network drivers (TAP-Windows Adapter).

3. Configure EasyRSA for Certificate Management

OpenVPN uses certificates for secure authentication. Use EasyRSA (included in installation) to generate these:

a) Navigate to EasyRSA directory:

C:\Program Files\OpenVPN\easy-rsa

b) Open Command Prompt as Admin and run:

cd "C:\Program Files\OpenVPN\easy-rsa"
EasyRSA-Start.bat

c) Initialize PKI and build certificates:

./easyrsa init-pki
./easyrsa build-ca nopass
./easyrsa gen-req server nopass
./easyrsa sign-req server server
./easyrsa gen-dh
./easyrsa gen-crl

These commands create the Certificate Authority (CA), server certificate, and Diffie-Hellman parameters.

4. Configure OpenVPN Server

a) Create server config file:

Navigate to:

C:\Program Files\OpenVPN\config

Create a file named server.ovpn with the following content:

port 1194
proto udp
dev tun
ca ca.crt
cert server.crt
key server.key
dh dh.pem
crl-verify crl.pem
server 10.8.0.0 255.255.255.0
push "redirect-gateway def1 bypass-dhcp"
push "dhcp-option DNS 8.8.8.8"
keepalive 10 120
cipher AES-256-CBC
persist-key
persist-tun
status openvpn-status.log
log openvpn.log
verb 3

Make sure to copy the generated .crt, .key, .pem, and .crl files into this folder.

5. Allow OpenVPN Port in Windows Firewall

• Go to Control Panel > Windows Defender Firewall > Advanced Settings.

• Add an Inbound Rule to allow UDP port 1194.

6. Start OpenVPN Server

• Right-click the OpenVPN GUI icon on the desktop.

• Select Run as Administrator.

• Right-click the OpenVPN tray icon > Connect.

✅ The server will now start running on port 1194.

7. Create Client Config File

Create a .ovpn file for each client using the certificates and include:

client
dev tun
proto udp
remote YOUR_SERVER_IP 1194
resolv-retry infinite
nobind
persist-key
persist-tun
ca ca.crt
cert client.crt
key client.key
cipher AES-256-CBC
verb 3

Send the .ovpn config and the corresponding certificate files to your client device.

???? Security Tips

• Use a strong password for your VPS.

• Don’t share your .ovpn file publicly.

• Consider changing the default port for additional security.