Setting it up on a computer

  1. Download and install VanyaVPN

    There’s an installer for Windows and a DMG file for Mac. Download the one you need and run it.

  2. Connect to a country next door

    Click Location, type Poland or another nearby country into the search and select it. If it doesn’t connect right away, press Connect on the main screen.

  3. Restart Discord

    If Discord was open before the VPN, it may fail to connect. Quit it properly, on Windows through its tray icon, and launch it again.

Voice and screen sharing

Messages and pictures in Discord travel as ordinary web traffic, but voice and streams use a separate protocol, UDP. VanyaVPN normally carries UDP through the tunnel as well, yet on some routes it’s closed. That’s when the chat works and the voice channel never connects.

When that happens, try another country or Find working server under Account → Settings.

Even then, voice may cut out now and again. A lot depends on your provider and on how far away the voice channel’s server is.

Discord on your phone

The phone apps behave just like the desktop ones. Install VanyaVPN, connect, then reopen Discord. Installation for both iPhone and Android is explained on VPN for your phone, and on Android it’s simply Google Play.

An iPhone whose Apple ID belongs to another country finds VanyaVPN in the App Store like any other app. A Russian Apple ID won’t see it there, and then the choice is between switching the store region and installing through TestFlight.

Common questions

Does Discord work in a browser through the VPN?

Yes. The VPN covers the whole computer, and the web version goes through it like everything else.

Do my friends abroad need a VPN as well?

No. The block only works inside Russia, so friends in other countries use Discord as usual. It’s only you who needs VanyaVPN switched on.

Why do my friends hear me with a delay?

Your voice takes a detour through the VPN server. The farther the chosen country is from you and from the channel’s server, the longer the lag, so keep the country close.

Telegram calls also go over UDP, see VPN for Telegram.