Google is bringing its VPN to Mac and Windows PCs

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

Google is bringing its VPN access to desktop today. Google One subscribers on Premium plans (2TB or higher) can now download VPN apps for Windows and macOS, allowing users in 22 countries to mask their IPs on desktop and reduce online trackers.

While Google is expanding its VPN service, it still comes with the same restrictions as Android and iOS. You’ll only be able to use the service in one of the supported countries, and you won’t be able to use Google’s VPN freely to avoid geo-restrictions on live sports or other streaming video.

Image: Google
Google’s VPN service on Windows.

Much like Apple’s iCloud Plus VPN service, the Google One VPN won’t let you assign an IP address from a different country manually. Instead, Google assigns you an IP in the region you’re connecting from. Outside of security and privacy benefits, pretending you’re in another country to defeat irritating content blocks is one of the most popular use cases for VPNs, so it’s disappointing Google still doesn’t support this.

Google originally started offering VPN access to 2TB Google One cloud storage subscribers in the US in 2020 as a free addition to the existing $9.99 / month plan. It has since expanded to 22 markets, including Mexico, Canada, the UK, France, Germany, Spain, and Italy. Google also recently included this VPN service with the Pixel 7 and 7 Pro.