- Mullvad is removing OpenVPN support from its desktop apps
- Full shutdown of OpenVPN is expected on January 15, 2026
- Mullvad says the switch will improve performance and security
Mullvad has officially removed OpenVPN support from its desktop apps with the release of version 2025.14 – a big step in its long-planned shift towards a WireGuard-only future.
With this change, users can no longer select OpenVPN in the Mullvad VPN app, and anyone still relying on the older protocol will have to stay on version 2025.13 for now.
OpenVPN servers aren’t going away just yet. However, Mullvad says they will be shut down completely in January 2026. This gives desktop users, routers and external VPN clients a short time before the protocol stops working altogether.
The update completes a transition that Mullvad first announced last year, closing the door on OpenVPN after more than a decade.
What’s changing in the Mullvad desktop app
With the new 2025.14 update is The OpenVPN protocol option has been completely removed from Mullvad’s desktop settings. Anyone who previously chose the OpenVPN option will now be automatically migrated to WireGuard with no action required in most cases.
However, some users may encounter problems during the transition. If you were connected to an OpenVPN-only server, or if you built a custom location list that only contained OpenVPN endpoints, your connection may suddenly fail until you manually select a new location. Also, OpenVPN servers no longer appear in custom lists.
Our latest desktop release, 2025.14, completely removes support for OpenVPN. If you trust OpenVPN, you should stay on 2025.13 until the OpenVPN servers shut down in January 2026. Read more here: https://t.co/qxXLay0IeX10 December 2025
The change goes beyond the desktop app. External VPN clients, scripts and routers configured with Mullvad’s OpenVPN profiles will stop working when the remaining OpenVPN servers are shut down on January 15th. Mullvad has also warned that the ability to generate new OpenVPN configuration files may be removed even sooner.
For those who relied on OpenVPN-specific tweaks like Mssfix to control packet sizes, Mullvad recommends adjusting WireGuard’s MTU settings instead, which can be found at the bottom of the VPN settings menu.
What’s next for Mullvad VPN?
For most Mullvad users, the transition from OpenVPN to WireGuard should be smooth. The app will migrate everyone automatically, and anyone on a typical home network will hardly even notice, except for improved speeds and fewer protocol options.
However, users in more restrictive environments may need to manually adjust Mullvad’s anti-censorship settings. Settings like UDP-over-TCP or Shadowsocks are designed to mimic OpenVPN’s behavior and can help restore connectivity where WireGuard’s default settings fail. The biggest impact will be felt by power users who may need to make manual adjustments.
Mullvad frames the change as a necessary step towards a cleaner, faster and more censorship-resistant service – one that has become at work for a while.
With WireGuard now offering comparable obfuscation capabilities, as well as significantly better security and performance, retiring OpenVPN now allows the company to simplify its infrastructure and focus on a single modern protocol.
In early 2026, Mullvad will be Wireguard-only, completing the transition the company has been preparing for since 2017.
