- Mullvad has shut down its OpenVPN servers completely
- Desktop users had already migrated to WireGuard-only connections
- Mullvad says the move allows for better performance and stability
Mullvad’s long-planned transition away from OpenVPN is now coming to an end. As of today, all OpenVPN servers have been taken offline, meaning that connections still using the old protocol will no longer work.
The move was first announced at the end of 2024, with Mullvad VPN regularly warning users to migrate before today’s cutoff. Despite this, the timing appears to have caught many by surprise, with reports of disconnected connections as the years dawned on VPN setups that had suddenly stopped working.
The final switch marks a major milestone for Mullvad, who is now fully committed to one WireGuard-only future. For most users, the transition is already complete. But for others, especially those running older configurations or routers, today’s deadline is crucial.
What’s changing in Mullvad VPN
Mullvad’s OpenVPN shutdown has finally been completed. As shown by the provider’s official server list, all remaining OpenVPN servers are offline and the protocol has now been completely retired.
Most desktop users won’t notice the change, as Mullvad removed OpenVPN support from desktop apps in December and automatically moved everyone to WireGuard. The outage mainly affects those still using OpenVPN elsewhere: routers, external VPN clients and custom scripts or configurations.
Since the servers are now offline, OpenVPN connections simply fail as they no longer have anything to connect to. This is already causing a few problems in the real world, with some Reddit users reporting VPN setups breaking overnight.
To work again, all setups still relying on Mullvad’s OpenVPN infrastructure must now be migrated to WireGuard.
This is the final reminder that we will fully remove support for OpenVPN on January 15, 2026, one month from now. Read more here: https://t.co/FNX53XxAau15 December 2025
Mullvad has been clear about its reasoning for ending OpenVPN support: the protocol no longer fits its long-term technical direction. Mullvad says WireGuard offers better performance, security and a cleaner codebase.
This shift has been reinforced by Mullvad’s recent work on a Rust-based WireGuard engine, designed to improve speed, stability and reliability across its apps. From Mullvad’s perspective, focusing on a single modern protocol makes the service easier to maintain – and as a result more consistent for users.
However, OpenVPN’s role in bypassing censorship has not been ignored. Mullvad says these use cases are now covered by WireGuard-based alternatives, such as UDP-over-TCP, Shadowsocks, and automatic fallback modes that kick in when standard connections fail.
What Mullvad users need to do now – and what comes next
If your Mullvad connection stopped working today, the fix is straightforward for most users. Make sure you’re running the latest Mullvad app, confirm WireGuard is enabled, and try connecting again.
If you’re on a limited network and still can’t connect, it’s worth checking Mullvad’s anti-censorship settings, such as UDP-over-TCP or Shadowsocks, which can help restore your access.
For router users and power users, the change may be more disruptive. OpenVPN configurations no longer work at all and must be replaced with WireGuard compatible setups. Mullvad has also warned that OpenVPN configurations may already be unavailable, narrowing the window for delayed migrations.
Looking forward, Mullvad is now fully WireGuard-only. This means fewer protocol choices, but a simpler and more modern VPN stack. We will now have to wait and see if some of the best VPN apps will decide to follow Mullvad’s path.
While some users are understandably frustrated by the sudden break, the provider has mentioned the January 15th deadline regularly over the past year. And while there may be some friction during the transition, Mullvad says stability and performance should improve significantly.
