An extension or an app

VPN extensions in the Chrome Web Store send nothing but the browser’s tabs to their server. To do that they need a permission Chrome flags on install as “Read and change all your data on all websites”. Chrome also keeps extensions off in Incognito until you allow each one there yourself.

VanyaVPN works at the system level, so Telegram, games and any other app go through the VPN along with Chrome.

Extensions do have perks. One installs in a minute, while the app needs administrator rights on Windows because it installs for the whole computer. On a computer, the app also can’t send only Chrome through the VPN and leave the rest direct. If you’re in Russia, the nearest option is the For Russia mode, which sends Russian sites around the tunnel.

Setting up a VPN for Chrome

  1. Install the app

    Windows gets an installer, Mac a DMG, and Linux an AppImage, listed on the apps page. The app offers a subscription the first time you connect.

  2. Pick a country

    In Location, pick a country, or tap Fastest if any will do. Then press Connect.

  3. Switch off other VPN extensions

    If one is already installed, the tabs use its server, and websites get that server’s address. Open the three-dot menu, go to Extensions → Manage Extensions and turn it off. Reload any tabs that were open before you connected.

Chrome on Android

Chrome usually comes preinstalled on Android phones. VanyaVPN for Android sends the whole phone through the VPN, browser included. Get it from Google Play, or as an APK if there’s no Play Store, with details on the phone page.

App main screen on Android: VPN connected, location Netherlands

Android is also the only system where the app can let chosen apps bypass the VPN. You pick them under Tunnel, in Manual mode.

Questions

Why did Google switch languages?

Google reads your location from the IP, which is now the server’s. Set the search and interface language in Google’s settings and it stops following the country.

Should I turn off Secure DNS in Chrome?

No. Its lookups go inside the tunnel too, out of your provider’s sight. The Edge page shows a one-minute check, and Edge has the same setting.

Does YouTube work in Chrome with the VPN on?

Yes, videos load through the tunnel with every other tab, and there’s nothing to set up. VPN for YouTube explains why it is slow in Russia, and desktop viewing has a separate guide.