How to download and install ExpressVPN on Mac
ExpressVPN for Mac comes from ExpressVPN’s website as an installer app, and connecting needs an ExpressVPN subscription. Here is where to get it, how to install and sign in, and which permissions to allow.
ExpressVPN
- macOS 11 or later
- One file for Apple Silicon and Intel
- Subscription. 30-day money-back guarantee
The links go to the developer’s website (expressvpn.com). MacWashing is not affiliated with the developer and keeps no installers.
Open Terminal (Applications › Utilities) and run:
brew install --cask expressvpnHomebrew downloads the app from the developer’s server, checks the file and puts the app in Applications.
No Homebrew yet? How to install Homebrew: one command from brew.sh.
Before you download
ExpressVPN for Mac needs macOS 11 Big Sur or later, and one installer works on Apple Silicon and Intel Macs. To connect, you need an ExpressVPN account with a subscription. Buy it on expressvpn.com first if you don’t have one.
The installer is on ExpressVPN’s «latest» page, in the ExpressVPN for Mac block. ExpressVPN’s own guide sends you to the setup page in your account instead: there the download sits next to your activation code, and you may be asked to sign in.
Download ExpressVPN only from expressvpn.com or the App Store. «Free» or «cracked» VPN apps can read and sell everything you do online.
How to install ExpressVPN
- On ExpressVPN’s «latest» page, under ExpressVPN for Mac, click Download Now.
- Open the downloaded ExpressVPN
.zipin Downloads to get ExpressVPN Installer, open it and click Open when macOS asks about an app downloaded from the internet. - Enter your Mac password and click Install Helper. The app opens when the installation is complete.
- Click Sign In and sign in with your activation code, an email sign-in link or your account password.
- When your Mac asks permission to complete the configuration, click Continue, then choose whether ExpressVPN launches on startup.
ExpressVPN is in the App Store too. This guide covers the version from ExpressVPN’s website.
What to set up after the first launch
- VPN configuration. macOS asks to add ExpressVPN’s VPN configuration. Click Allow, or the VPN can’t connect.
- Split tunneling. It works through a system extension. If macOS asks when you turn it on, allow the extension.
- Opening at login. You chose this during setup. Change it later in ExpressVPN’s settings, under startup.
- The installer. Move the
.zipand ExpressVPN Installer from Downloads to the Trash once ExpressVPN runs.
If ExpressVPN won’t install or connect
- «ExpressVPN Installer is damaged and can’t be opened». The download was incomplete. Delete it and download it again from ExpressVPN’s website.
- ExpressVPN can’t connect. Check that its configuration is allowed in System Settings › VPN, disconnect, and pick another protocol in the app: VPN › VPN Protocol.
- Your Mac runs macOS 10.15 or older. The current app won’t install. ExpressVPN’s setup guide for Mac links a legacy version for macOS 10.13 and later.
Alternatives to ExpressVPN
Keep your Mac tidy
System Junk in MacWashing finds the caches apps build up over time and shows how much space they take. And if you switch VPNs, the Uninstaller removes ExpressVPN with its helpers.
Free trial · macOS 14 or later
Questions and answers
Is ExpressVPN for Mac free?
No. The app is free to download, but connecting needs a subscription. ExpressVPN gives new users a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Do I need to sign in to download ExpressVPN?
The download on ExpressVPN’s «latest» page works without signing in. The setup page in your account may ask you to sign in. To use the app, you sign in either way.
Where do I find my activation code?
On the setup page of your ExpressVPN account on expressvpn.com, in the activation code field next to the download. You can also sign in with an email link or your password instead.