
How to manage VPN Settings in Xfce
November 25, 2021
Popular distributions with Xfce include Kali Linux and Xubuntu.
In Xfce, networks are managed in the “Network Connections” window.
Install NetworkManager VPN plugin for OpenVPN
In order for you to have the menu item shown in this manual in NetworkManager, you must have the NetworkManager VPN plugin for OpenVPN installed.
Some distributions have it installed by default. If you don't have it, run one of the following commands to install it.
- Installation on Debian and derivative distributions (Linux Mint, Ubuntu, Kali Linux and others):
sudo apt install network-manager-openvpn-gnome
- Installation on Arch Linux and derivative distributions (Manjaro, BlackArch and others):
sudo pacman -S networkmanager-openvpn
In order for the changes to take effect (for NetworkManager to start using the installed plugin), restart the NetworkManager service with the following command:
sudo systemctl restart NetworkManager
How to add OpenVPN connection settings to Xfce
There are two ways to add a new OpenVPN connection:
1) Right-click on the network connection icon and select “Edit Connections”:
In the Network Connections, click the plus sign (+).
2) Or left-click on the network connection icon and select “VPN Connections”→ “Add a VPN Connection”.
Select your preferred VPN connection type.
To import a VPN connection from a file, select “Import a saved VPN configuration”.
Click the “Create” button and specify the settings file.
With manual configuration, you do not need to change anything on the “General”, “Proxy”, “IPv4 Settings”, and “IPv6 Settings” tabs. Some of the settings are located on the “VPN” tab, to access other settings, click the “Advanced” button.
How to connect to OpenVPN in Xfce
To connect to OpenVPN, left-click on the network connection icon and select “VPN Connections” and then select the desired connection.
If the connection is successful, a check mark will appear next to the VPN connection name.
How to change or remove OpenVPN connection settings in Xfce
To add, change and remove VPN connections, go to Network Connections, for this, right-click on the network connection icon and select “Edit Connections”.
Related articles:
- How to change configuration files when migrating from OpenVPN 2.4.* to OpenVPN 2.5.* (90%)
- How to use OpenVPN with TCP protocol (90%)
- Comparison of performance (data transfer rate) of OpenVPN over UDP and TCP (90%)
- Simultaneous use of multiple OpenVPNs on one server (90%)
- How to manage VPN Settings in Cinnamon (90%)
- How do I know if I am behind NAT? (SOLVED) (RANDOM - 3.8%)