Psiphon for Windows is never distributed as an installable package. Each Psiphon for Windows client is a single executable file (".exe") that is digitally signed by Psiphon Inc. Windows automatically checks this signature when you run the client. You can also manually inspect the signature before running the client by invoking the Properties dialog for the file and inspecting the Digital Signatures tab. The SHA1 thumbprint for the Psiphon Inc. certificate public key is displayed in the Certificate dialog Details tab.

For the certificate valid for the period 2023-05-01 to 2026-07-28 the SHA1 thumbprint is:

1a 20 0c f5 cb 19 e7 2b fc cf 02 17 fd 4d 78 33 81 2d 3a 42

For the certificate valid for the period 2020-09-09 to 2023-11-02 the SHA1 thumbprint is:

07 89 b3 5f d5 c2 ef 81 42 e6 aa e3 b5 8f ff 14 e4 f1 31 36

For the certificate valid for the period 2017-07-05 to 2020-10-03 the SHA1 thumbprint is:

89 fd cd 09 65 f4 dd 89 2b 25 7c 04 d5 b4 14 c7 ac 2b 5f 56

For the certificate valid for the period 2014-05-08 to 2017-09-06 the SHA1 thumbprint is:

9b a0 bd 1c e4 ca f6 20 41 0d 46 47 ae 40 b0 7c 83 c7 31 99

For the certificate valid for the period 2012-05-21 to 2014-07-30 the SHA1 thumbprint is:

84 c5 13 5b 13 d1 53 96 7e 88 c9 13 86 0e 83 ee ef 48 8e 91

For the certificate valid for the period 2011-06-16 to 2012-06-21 the SHA1 thumbprint is:

8f b7 ef bd 20 a9 20 3a 38 37 08 a2 1e 0a 1d 2e ad 7b ee 6d

Psiphon for Windows auto-updates itself, and this process automatically verifies that each update is authentic.

Each Psiphon for Android client is shipped as an Android APK file (".apk") that is digitally signed by Psiphon Inc. The Psiphon Inc. certificate public key is as follows:

Owner: CN=Psiphon Inc., OU=Psiphon Inc., O=Psiphon Inc.,
L=Unknown, ST=Unknown, C=CA
Issuer: CN=Psiphon Inc., OU=Psiphon Inc., O=Psiphon Inc.,
L=Unknown, ST=Unknown, C=CA
Serial number: 349480e5
Valid from: Fri Jun 01 12:04:42 EDT 2012 until: Tue Oct 18 12:04:42 EDT 2039
Certificate fingerprints:
MD5:  BB:08:CD:91:22:FC:EB:17:1A:4A:3B:90:65:CE:2E:58
SHA1: 49:2C:3A:49:20:F3:6B:AE:95:90:EB:69:A6:36:E9:88:A7:41:7A:95
SHA256: 76:DB:EF:15:F6:77:26:D4:51:A1:23:59:B8:57:9C:0D:
7A:9F:63:5D:52:6A:A3:74:24:DF:13:16:32:F1:78:10
Signature algorithm name: SHA256withRSA
Version: 3

An APK may be validated by (1) extracting the certificate from the archive and checking that its fingerprints matches the value above and (2) verifying that the APK is signed with the certificate. For example, using Unix and Java command-line tools:

$ unzip -p PsiphonAndroid.apk META-INF/PSIPHON.RSA | keytool -printcert
$ jarsigner -verbose -verify PsiphonAndroid.apk

Psiphon for Android auto-updates itself, and this process automatically verifies that each update is authentic.

All data that goes through Psiphon is encrypted. This means that your ISP cannot see the content of your Internet traffic: web pages you browse, your chat messages, your uploads, etc.

However, please keep in mind that Psiphon is designed to be a censorship circumvention tool, and is not specifically designed for anti-surveillance purposes. Psiphon does not prevent your browsing history and cookies from being stored on your computer. And in some modes and configurations all of your Internet traffic might not be tunneled through Psiphon -- for example if your browser's proxy settings are misconfigured, or if you leave your browser open after exiting Psiphon.

There are also advanced techniques which can look at encrypted traffic and determine some things about it, such as what website is being browsed. The primary example of this is "traffic fingerprinting".

If you require anonymity over the Internet then you should use Tor instead of Psiphon.

Please see our Privacy Policy to learn about what information we collect.

Please see our security.txt file for contact information and details.

The platforms we support are those available on the Download page. We are constantly working to expand our platform support, so hopefully we'll support your desired OS in the near future!

“Sideloading” means installing an app on your device without going through the Play Store. This is desirable for people who do not have access to the Play Store, or when the app is not available in their region.

In order to install a direct download of Psiphon for Android, you must enable sideloading on your device. To do so, go into your Android settings, then into the “Security” section, then enable “Unknown sources”.

As of December 2019, Psiphon does not support Windows XP or Vista. A legacy build is available for download that will work on those platforms for the foreseeable future, but users are strongly encouraged to upgrade to a recent version of Windows.

As of April 2024, Psiphon does not support Windows 7, 8, or 8.1. A legacy build is available for download that will work on those platforms for the foreseeable future, but users are strongly encouraged to upgrade to a recent version of Windows.

When Psiphon starts, it displays the Client Version on the first line of log output.

The automatic update process in Psiphon for Windows renames its old version to “psiphon3.exe.orig”. Old files with the “.orig” suffix can safely be deleted.

Android: If you have installed Psiphon for Android through the Google Play Store, it will be automatically updated by the Play Store when an update is available. If you have sideloaded Psiphon for Android, the Psiphon client will download updates as they are available, and a notification will appear asking you to install the update.

Windows: The Psiphon for Windows client will download and install updates as they are available.

Manually updating: If the Psiphon self-updating mechanism isn't working (for example, if it's been blocked), you can find information about getting a fresh copy of Psiphon from the Download page.

Psiphon for Windows does not get installed, and won't appear in Windows’ “Add or Remove Programs” list. The executable file can be run from your “Downloads” directory, or it can be copied to a different directory and run from there. If you want to remove the program, you can simply delete the executable file.

Psiphon for Windows stores some data locally under the user's profile. It is located at a path like C:\Users\YourName\AppData\Local\Psiphon3; or, more generally, %USERPROFILE%\AppData\Local. You can delete the local data by going to that path in Windows Explorer and deleting it, or entering this command at a command prompt: rmdir /s "%USERPROFILE%\AppData\Local". There is also information stored in the system registry at HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Psiphon3. You can use the Windows regedit tool to delete those registry keys.

Your Psiphon client will automatically discover new Psiphon servers. When the last server used is currently unavailable, another one can be used instead.

Only in VPN mode. After a successful connection is established in VPN mode, your entire computer’s traffic will pass through the Psiphon network. When VPN mode is not enabled only applications that use the local HTTP and SOCKS proxies will be proxied.

Psiphon Browser for iOS is a browser-only application and so will only tunnel data that is loaded in the app itself, and will not tunnel your other apps (like your Facebook or Twitter apps) through the Psiphon network. So, for example, if you wanted to use the Psiphon network to access your Facebook account, you would use Psiphon Browser to go the Facebook website. If you were to open your Facebook app, it would use your direct internet connection, and would not be tunneled through the Psiphon network.

Psiphon uses SSH with the addition of an obfuscation layer on top of the SSH handshake to defend against protocol fingerprinting. A description of the protocol can be found here.

Psiphon uses the L2TP/IPsec VPN protocol.

With an account, your PsiCash balance is kept safe and can be shared between your devices. If you don't have a PsiCash account, your balance is specific to each device, and losing a device means losing your balance on that device. When you have an account, all you need to do is log in to restore your balance.

We will also be adding more benefits to having a PsiCash account in the future, such as transferring PsiCash between users and offering purchases that apply to all of your devices.

A pseudonym is an alias or handle that you use to identify yourself that is different from your real name. Using a pseudonym for your PsiCash account username helps prevent your real identity from being linked with your Psiphon or PsiCash usage. If revealing yourself to be a Psiphon user is dangerous or otherwise undesirable, then you should choose a username that cannot be linked to you, and instead you should use a pseudonym that you have not used with any other site or service.

When signing up for a new PsiCash account, it is possible for someone to check for the existence of a username by trying to create an account with it. If the attempt is successful, the username did not already exist. If the attempt failed, the username did already exist. Having your username discovered does not put your PsiCash account at risk, but your status as a Psiphon user may be revealed in this way.

If you wish to avoid the link to your real identity, it is important to note that using a pseudonym that you use on other sites or services is almost the same as using your real name. If that pseudonym has already been linked to your identity elsewhere, then very little anonymity is gained by using it.

Also note that your email address is not discoverable in this way. Even if you use a pseudonym, you can still provide an email address on your PsiCash account and it will not be discoverable in any way.

To avoid abuse, we allow the pre-existing PsiCash balance and Speed Boost to be added from only a few devices to your PsiCash account when logging in. If you have more devices that you would like to keep the balances from, please email us at [email protected]. You must include your PsiCash username and the reason why you need more merges.

In some landing page URLs and in buy.psi.cash URLs you will see a parameter like #!psicash=abcd1234... or ?psicash=abcd1234.... This contains information necessary to give you a PsiCash reward for visiting some landing pages or for making a purchase of PsiCash.

The "token" you will see in the decoded base-64 of the parameter is your PsiCash "earner" token, and can only be used for crediting your account with PsiCash -- not for spending your PsiCash, viewing your balance, etc. This token also cannot be used to reveal your identity or anything else about your account.

Have a friend who's connected to the Psiphon network on an Android device and you can't connect? Psiphon Bump is a secure device-to-device exchange of functioning connection parameters from another connected user directly to you.

Psiphon Bump works using the Near-Field Communication (NFC) function on your device. By applying a confirmed working configuration to a friend's unconnected device, Psiphon can make use of that information to optimize subsequent connections to the network.

Psiphon exchanges digitally signed and encrypted connection parameters ensuring both the secrecy and integrity of the exchange. The contents of the data cannot be read or modified by any third party.

Psiphon Bump is currently supported on Android devices only and works on Android versions Android 5.0 and higher (SDK 21+) + NFC hardware support. Both devices need to be compatible for a successful exchange, and be running Psiphon version 385 or higher.

Both users need to have NFC enabled on their device. First, open your Android Settings and select “Connection preferences” > NFC. Slide the toggle to on to enable NFC. Holding two NFC-enabled Android devices back to back within a range of 1cm will activate a transfer of content or data.

As long as your Psiphon app is in the “Connecting” state, you are able to receive a Psiphon Bump. You will see the “NFC” button immediately. Make sure to press this button. If connection successfully establishes right away, you will not see this element.

The NFC floating button, which opens the “Get Bump” dialog, remains present throughout the duration the app is in the “connecting” state and will vanish once the tunnel connects. Additionally, if the “Get Bump” dialog is open but the device successfully connects on its own in the meantime, the dialog will automatically disappear.

If you see repeated "connection failed" messages, it means that there are no available servers that your client knows about. Try to download a new Psiphon client.

This is most commonly caused by an unreliable or inconsistent Internet connection to your device or computer. On a phone, this can mean losing reception. On a computer, this can mean inconsistent Wi-Fi or an unreliable Internet Service Provider.

If Psiphon is connected while an upgrade is installed, it may not be able to connect afterwards and will show the error “start_tunnel_failed application is not prepared or revoked”. This is due to an Android OS bug. This condition can be fixed by rebooting your device.

Check if you are running a screen filter app or an app that manages your screen's brightness. If you are, try disabling it. Many of these apps (such as Lux Auto Brightness, Twilight, Night Mode) interfere with the user's ability to interact with this prompt.

If you see repeated "connection failed" messages, it means that there are no available servers that your client knows about. Try to download a new Psiphon client.

This is most commonly caused by an unreliable or inconsistent Internet connection to your device or computer. On a phone, this can mean losing reception. On a computer, this can mean inconsistent Wi-Fi or an unreliable Internet Service Provider.

When Psiphon for Windows connects it modifies your computer's proxy settings, and when it disconnects it restores them to their original state. If Psiphon for Windows does not exit properly, it may not properly restore the original proxy settings, and this will result in you being unable to connect to the Internet.

The easiest way to fix this for most people is to connect with Psiphon again, and then cleanly disconnect.

To manually fix your proxy settings, open Internet Explorer, then go to the Tools menu (or gear icon), Internet Options → Connections tab → LAN Settings button. Then remove the checkmark beside “Use a proxy server for your LAN”.

This error will occur on Windows XP if Internet Explorer 6 is installed. Psiphon for Windows requires Internet Explorer 7 or higher to be installed. The best way to install higher versions of Internet Explorer is via Windows Update.

If you can't use Windows Update and want to install Internet Explorer 7 or Internet Explorer 8 directly, you can get them via these links:

• Internet Explorer 8 for Windows XP (64-bit)
• Internet Explorer 7 for Windows XP (64-bit)

Your network's firewall may not allow the use of VPNs. Your home router may not be configured to pass through this VPN protocol; check your firewall settings to see that IPsec or L2TP pass-through is enabled. Your system’s IPsec Services may be disabled; check your service settings and enable these services to start automatically.

Certain networking hardware or Internet connections may cause performance problems for L2TP/IPsec which is the protocol used by Psiphon in VPN mode. Try disabling VPN mode.

Psiphon restricts DNS traffic to white-listed, vetted DNS servers. The Psiphon client automatically configures your VPN DNS server settings. If you're getting errors related to DNS, check that you're not infected by the "DNS Changer" malware, which tries to change your DNS server settings. More info can be found here.

Yes. Check your browser settings and make sure that it is configured to use the system proxy settings.

Outbound connections via the Psiphon network can only be made to a restricted set of server ports including: 53, 80, 443, 465, 587, 993, 995, 8000, 8001, 8080. See this discussion for more information. Mail clients cannot establish outbound connections on port 25. See this discussion for more information.

This is probably due to Psiphon's port restrictions.

This is due to a limitation in Android's hotspot and tethering implementation. You might find that either the tethered device cannot connect to the internet or the traffic will not go through the VPN.

The first thing to check is that you have an authentic copy of Psiphon. Please follow these instructions to verify that your copy of Psiphon is authentic. If it is not authentic, please send us an email with information about how you obtained the copy and, if possible, with the Psiphon executable attached.

If your copy of Psiphon is authentic, then this is an instance of a false positive report. Although most antivirus/firewall programs have added Psiphon’s digital signature to their whitelist rules, some may still erroneously identify Psiphon’s executable file as a virus or threat. In this case, please send us an email, specifying the AV/firewall program you use, and we will contact the AV/firewall vendor to solve the problem.

Windows 8 introduced an alternative to the desktop app interface called “Metro”, which was later renamed to “Modern UI”. Some, but very few, applications can only run in “Metro mode” and some (like Internet Explorer) can run in either “Metro mode” or “Desktop mode”. This new user interface mode continues to exist in Windows 8.1 and, to a lesser degree, in Windows 10.

Applications in Metro mode cannot use a local proxy without the user modifying system security settings. This means that Metro mode apps cannot use Psiphon, and will not be able to reach the internet when Psiphon is connected. You can use the EnableLoopback Utility to allow Metro mode apps to work with Psiphon.

The following are examples of the error message you might see when Metro mode apps are trying and failing to work through Psiphon.

Psiphon will automatically configure your system to use a local HTTP/HTTPS proxy and a local SOCKS proxy. The port numbers for these proxies are chosen randomly, unless specified in the Psiphon settings. Windows applications that use the System Proxy Settings will automatically be proxied. You may manually configure other applications to use these local proxies. Both Psiphon for Windows and Psiphon for Android run these local proxies.

Click Run, and type regedit to open the Registry Editor. Find and open HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Psiphon3, and on the right side you will see SkipProxySettings. Set this value to 1 and Psiphon will not automatically configure the system proxy settings.

Research and user reports suggest that the WhatsApp for Windows app does not get properly proxied through Psiphon. This is a shortcoming in the WhatsApp app. If and when support is added, it is likely that this WhatsApp FAQ entry will be updated with instructions. Using WhatsApp via its web interface at web.whatsapp.com does work properly through Psiphon.

Before December 2015 Psiphon for Android had a feature that allowed users with older Android devices (pre-4.0/ICS) to tunnel the whole device if it was rooted. A major update to Psiphon at that time necessitated the removal of that feature.

Android: If it has been less than 48 hours since you made the purchase, you can get a refund through the Play Store. After 48 hours, email us at [email protected]. Please include your name, the email address of your Play Store account, the date of the purchase, what was purchased, the amount of the purchase, and the reason you are requesting the refund.

iOS and macOS: Please request the refund through the App Store.

Windows: Email us at [email protected]. Please include your name, the email address or phone number used at the time of purchase, the date of the purchase, what was purchased, the amount of the purchase, and the reason you are requesting the refund.

Note that refunds may take up to a week to process.