How to install ExpressVPN on Mac: Encrypt everything on your MacBook with a VPN

How to Install ExpressVPN on a Mac

Before you decide to buy a subscription, plan or download the device, one thing to check is whether your Mac devices or macOS is compatible with ExpressVPN. One important thing to note is that ExpressVPN support for Mac OS X 10.11 and macOS 10.12 is limited, meaning users might want upgrade to macOS 10.13 or above to use the full version of the ExpressVPN Mac app.

Here are all the devices and macOS that are compatible:

Supported Mac models:

• MacBook
• MacBook Air
• MacBook Pro (including Apple silicon Macs)
• iMac
• iMac Pro
• Mac Pro
• Mac mini

Supported macOS versions:

• macOS Sequoia (version 15)
• macOS Sonoma (version 14)
• macOS Ventura (version 13)
• macOS Monterey (version 12)
• macOS Big Sur (version 11)
• macOS Catalina (version 10.15)
• macOS Mojave (version 10.14)
• macOS High Sierra (version 10.13)

Choose your ExpressVPN price plan and go through payment

As we mentioned earlier, ExpressVPN has slashed 78% off its VPN plans, including its affordable Basic, Advanced, and pricier Pro plans. Each of these tiers arrives with different features.

While the Basic plan, priced at £1.99 per month, offers access to the same award-winning VPN with no limitations on speed or downloads on up to 10x devices, it misses out on some of the other trimmings.

For example, the ExpressVPN Advanced plan, priced at £2.79 per month, allows for the use of 12 devices with the program and provides advanced protection from ads, websites, and trackers.

It also comes bundled with its Keys password manager to encrypt and store login details for all of your online accounts, so you never reuse a password across different websites or online services, as well as threat protection features and its Identity Defender suite — monitoring your credit rating, removing your data from brokers, and immediately alerting you to Dark Web breaches.

Meanwhile, the ExpressVPN Pro plan, priced at £4.39 per month, comes bundled with everything we’ve mentioned, plus a dedicated IP address, 75% off an Aircove router, and an eSIM provided by holiday.com for five days of 5G data to use abroad — rather than paying extortionate roaming fees with your current provider.

After you complete the purchase, you will be prompted to create an account.

ExpressVPN will also send an activation code to your email which you should take note of. When you log into the ExpressVPN dashboard, find the button that says Download for Mac.

Install ExpressVPN

After the download has completed, locate the downloaded file on the Mac and open it. Users will get a pop-up that says “This package will run a program to determine if the software can be installed”.

Keep clicking ‘Continue’ until you’re greeted to an installation screen. Choose where to install the program and click install. If you’ve used ExpressVPN before, you might see a window asking you to keep your existing account or remove the previous one.

Select ‘Keep existing account’ if you are reinstalling ExpressVPN with the same activation code as before and select ‘Remove existing account and let me switch to another account’ if you are using a new activation code.

If this is the first time you’ve used ExpressVPN, you won’t see this prompt.

Click ‘Continue’ and wait for the installation to complete. You’ll see a window telling you that the installation was a success.

When it has been installed, the ExpressVPN app will open automatically. Click Sign In. Enter the activation code that you noted down.You can paste it by pressing Command + V, then sign in.

You might be prompted to add ExpressVPN IKEv2 to VPN configurations. Simply click Allow to continue.

During the installation process, you might see some prompts asking you to anonymously share analytics with ExpressVPN. Don’t worry because ExpressVPN doesn’t collect your private data and anonymises it before it reaches ExpressVPN servers.

Enjoy using ExpressVPN and start browsing anonymously

After being installed, you can now take advantage of ExpressVPN’s award-winning services and lightning-fast VPN connectivity.

Simply click the On/Off button on the ExpressVPN app to connect using Smart Location, which connects to a server that will provide the optimal experience.

If you want to connect to one of the 105+ countries that ExpressVPN provides, simply click the … button and choose the server that’s right for you. If you want to disconnect from the server, click the On/Off button once again to disable ExpressVPN.

The great news about ExpressVPN it offers a quibble-free 30-day guarantee on all of its subscriptions. It also has 24/7 customer support, so you'll be able to talk to someone from any time zone to get a full refund if you're unhappy with the experience on your devices or if the installation goes wrong.

Benefits of ExpressVPN

ExpressVPN is particularly well-suited for streaming as it boasts VPN server locations in 105 countries, providing access to global coverage. It offers ultra-fast speeds on a 10-Gbps network, essential for high-quality streaming without buffering.

With military-grade encryption, a strict no-logs policy, and features like split tunnelling and a kill switch, your online activity stays private.

Based in the British Virgin Islands — outside Five Eyes jurisdiction — it avoids mandatory data retention laws, which means that even if the company were collecting data (it's not), law enforcement from the UK and US would be unable to compel ExpressVPN to hand over any information about its subscribers.

ExpressVPN supports a wide range of devices, including smartphones, tablets, laptops, smart TVs, and routers. There's no limit on the number of ExpressVPN apps that you can download on your devices, and with a single subscription, you can connect to the VPN on up to 10x gadgets at once.

It also has a dedicated team that optimises the service for major streaming platforms. Round-the-clock customer support is available if you encounter any issues during race weekend.

When it comes to buying a cheap VPN, ExpressVPN isn’t one of the cheapest. However, its 30-day money-back guarantee makes it a risk-free choice for privacy-conscious users and frequent streamers.

It should also give new customers the confidence to subscribe to one of its longer contracts, which unlock the biggest discounts.

What is a VPN?

A Virtual Private Network (VPN) is software that protects and anonymises everything you do online.

VPNs can conceal your online activities by routing traffic through an encrypted tunnel that connects to secure servers worldwide. The most reliable VPNs employ the same encryption standard as governments in the United Kingdom and the United States, ensuring that even your Internet Service Provider (ISP) can't keep tabs on the websites you visit, the duration of your sessions on each site, or your current location.

This protection extends to advertisers, trackers, and hackers, preventing them from monitoring your online behaviour. Furthermore, personal information entered into online forms and sensitive data transmitted to and from your device will be safeguarded from hackers using strong encryption provided by a VPN.