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What Protocols are available with Windscribe?

Windscribe has 6 protocols that are available depending on which Windscribe client you are using. Below are the protocols and their best use cases:

  • IKEv2 - Default connection mode, usually the fastest, but can be easily blocked.
  • UDP - This mode uses OpenVPN protocol. UDP is usually the fastest protocol to run OpenVPN on, but can also be blocked quite easily.
  • TCP - Use this if UDP fails to connect. Much more resilient to bad network conditions, but could be slower.
  • Stealth - Encapsulates OpenVPN in a TLS tunnel via Stunnel. Only use this if all other methods fail. May be handy in China/Russia/Iran (or any other blocked region).
  • WStunnel - Encapsulates OpenVPN in a WebSocket. Only use this if all other methods fail. May also be handy in China/Russia/Iran (or any other blocked region).
  • WireGuard- a free, open-source communication protocol that provides a streamlined alternative to OpenVPN

The default is "Automatic" which will pick the best mode for you. You can switch it to manual mode if you wish to select a specific protocol for use.

Since many networks have heavy restrictions on which ports you can use, Windscribe does not restrict you to a single protocol or port, in order to give you the best chance of connecting. We allow you to connect via the most common ports, many of which cannot be blocked since using the Internet would become impossible.

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