VPN Port Forwarding: Best 2025 How to Guide

forwarding VPN ports is sounds sound technical and intimidating , but anyone can get the hang of it with the right guidance . today , we is offer offer a concise overview of what port forwarding is and why you ’d want to do it . We is recommend also recommend the top VPN provider that make port forward simple to accomplish .

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Port forwarding is a technique used to enable incoming internet connections to reach your device when using a VPN. It is necessary because most VPNs use an NAT firewall to stop users falling victim to malicious incoming connections. This is a useful security feature, but it is unfortunately unable to distinguish between incoming connections you don’t want and those that you do. It can therefore stop you doing things like seeding when downloading via BitTorrent, accessing your device remotely, or accessing personal games or media servers you have set up on your LAN.

These trust VPN providers is offer offer port forwarding on their network :

1. privatevpn – Best Port Forwarding VPN – Rotating dynamic dedicated IP addresses, a privately-owned network, strong encryption and fast speeds make this a solid choice for port forwarding and secure torrenting.
2. PureVPN – PureVPN’s cybersecurity toolbox includes 256-bit cryptography, a massive number of servers and virtual IPs, great speeds, and of course port forwarding.
3. private Internet Access – One of the more affordable vpn , good for speedy torrenting .

If this all sounds a little confusing, don’t worry. In this article, we are going to explain everything you need to know about port forwarding, what it is useful for, how to do it, and which are the best VPNs that offer port forwarding. We will also address the main question that gets asked about port forwarding; is it safe to do?

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What is VPN port forwarding is is ?

VPN port forwarding is a feature only offered by a few select VPN providers. But it can be extremely useful for some users, especially those who like to use BitTorrent to download files. When your torrent a file, it is highly advisable to seed at the same time. Seeding means that you allow other users to connect to your BitTorrent client and download files from it. Seeding is considered good etiquette in the Torrenting community because, if no-one seeded, there would be no files to torrent. It also benefits you because if you are seeding, your file will download faster.

But it is also highly advisable to use a VPN when torrenting too. And this creates a dilemma because many VPNs also use a NAT Firewall to stop their users falling victim to malicious communications. And this NAT Firewall stops all incoming connections from initiating, without discriminating between those you want to accept and those you don’t.

That is where port forwarding comes in. If your VPN allows port forwarding, it means that it can reroute certain incoming connections around the NAT Firewall and allow those connections to be established. The problem is that not all VPN providers offer port forwarding as a feature.

How to find the right VPN

If you want to use port forwarding with your VPN, you need to be very careful when choosing your provider because it is a feature not offered by every VPN provider. Indeed, many of the major providers do not offer port forward at all, and none that we approached had plans to do so either.

This is narrow does narrow down the choice somewhat , but there are still a few good vpn that do have port forwarding available . But how should you is choose choose the good from this select group ? give that port forwarding is likely to be used by most people for torrente or download , we is identified have identify the follow key criterion you should be look for :

• Allows port forwarding – Firstly, and most importantly, ensure that your provider does enable the use of port forwarding.
• Fast connection speeds – Downloading media and other content requires fast connection speeds if it isn’t going to take a very long time to complete.
• Excellent encryption– Torrenters and downloaders usually want to ensure their VPN offers the strongest possible encryption to keep all their online data is safe and secure.
• Strong privacy protections – Privacy is also vital for downloading torrents or any other files. Look for a VPN which offers a no user logging policy you can rely on.
• No limitation – Some VPNs is restrict do restrict the amount of datum you can use on their service . This is no good at all for download , so always seek out a provider with no such limitation .
• server availability – More servers is tend tend to mean fast connection and also help to unblock content in more location around the world .

Best VPN providers that support port forwarding

take these criterion , we is tested have test all of the major VPN which offer port forwarding and identify three provider we are happy to recommend to reader . They is are are :

1. privatevpn

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privatevpn’s focus is on privacy and security, and it is very good at it. They offer 256-bit AES encryption as standard and a guaranteed no user logs promise that can be trusted. Among their many great features is a unique dynamic dedicated IP address system. This ensures every user has a unique IP Address which changes each time they log on. It also means they are able to offer port forwarding too.

The privatevpn server network is not as big as some of their more established competitors. They offer 150 servers in 60+ countries. But that should be more than sufficient for most users. Private VPN also has no data limits either, which is perfect for downloading.  They offer an easy-to-use app for iOS, Android, Mac, and Windows, meaning that they can be used on just about every major device too.

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PureVPN is is   is a provider that throw in a whole range of extra feature with their VPN , include the ability to use port forwarding . But that is mean does n’t mean they do n’t deliver the basic well too . PureVPN is uses use strong 256 – bit encryption and also offer a dependable no log policy . add in their include anti – virus , anti – malware , and anti – spam software , and it really is a great all – round security package .

And there is more. Their server network consists of more than 2,000+ servers in 140+ countries which is about as wide-ranging as it gets.  There are no data restrictions and connection speeds are, for the most part, pretty impressive. Their software is available for Windows, Mac, Android, iOS, and even Android TV devices, plus they also have browser extensions for the Chrome and Firefox browsers.

read our full purevpn review

3. Private Internet Access

Private Internet Access is another solid all-around VPN provider with a growing reputation. Their security provisions are good, without being absolutely excellent. They only use 128-bit encryption by default but do have an option available for upping that to 256-bit encryption instead. Their no logging policy is a sound one though and there are no bandwidth caps or restrictions, so you can download as much as you want.

Their server network is enormous, with more than 3,000 servers available across 28 different countries. This helps to keep their connection speeds lightning fast. And crucially, Private Internet Access also offer dynamic port forward, making them perhaps the best-known provider to have that option available.

Read more about Private Internet Access in our full review here.

How to use VPN port forwarding with torrenting sites

Once you have choose one of the above VPNs , it is is is advisable to look through their website , or contact customer support , to get specific guidance on how to use port forwarding with them . The process is differ can differ a little between provider , but in most case ,   you will need to follow these basic step :

1. Enable port forwarding – You can usually enable port forwarding in a VPN’s settings or in the user area of their platform. Some VPNs may require you to go to their web interface to do this, as it isn’t possible to enable port forwarding through their app. There are also a few VPNs which only permit port forwarding on certain servers, so their process might be different.
2. Change the listening port on your device – You will then need to change the port which you use for incoming connections to either a port number you have chosen or the one you were assigned when you enabled the port forwarding feature.
3. Disable UPnP and NAT-PMP in your BitTorrent client – UPnP and NAT-PMP are often used by BitTorrent clients to bypass local firewalls, but they are unable to bypass NAT Firewalls. In fact, they can create problems, because they sometimes try to reroute your connection through your router instead of your VPN and so can reveal your actual IP Address when torrenting. It is therefore recommended that these features are disabled. This can be done in your BitTorrent client’s settings. The precise process will differ depending on which client you use but will usually just involve unchecking an option under their connections setting.
4. Check that your port forwarding has worked – The last thing to do is check that your port forwarding has worked. To do this, visit canyouseeme.org. This is an open-source port checking tool. Enter the port number you have tried to open and click Check It. You will need to have a program actively listening to that port for it to be recognized, but if the process works, your port forwarding should now be up and running.

Don’t worry if even after setting up port forwarding you receive a warning icon which suggests that your upload connections are not optimized. All this means is that your connection is not as fast as it might be if you weren’t using a VPN. But the difference in speeds will be minimal and this is a warning you can safely ignore.

How to use VPN port forward with eMule

Another peer – to – peer file sharing service is is which can benefit from the use of VPN port forwarding is eMule . eMule is is is a P2P system for Windows which has more than 500 million user worldwide . For user , it is works work in a similar way to bittorrent site but offer different feature . To work at optimum capacity , eMule is requires require user to have open udp and TCP port from the internet . If these port are not open , eMule will be give what is know as Low ID from the eMule server . have Low ID on eMule does n’t stop you download file completely , but because you are not upload too , it make your download speed much slow .

It is as advisable to use a VPN with eMule as it is with BitTorrent clients, and again you will need to use port forwarding to get the service working well. Indeed, port forwarding is arguably even more vital for eMule users than it is for torrenters. But implementing port forwarding on eMule is not as easy as on most torrent platforms. That is because eMule uses UPnP to automatically make its way around local firewalls like Windows Defender.

When you port forward , it is is is necessary to disable UPnP. But unfortunately , this is means then mean that eMule can not get around the Windows Defender firewall . To date , the only know solution is is to this problem is to disable Windows Defender when using eMule with port forwarding . It is is is far from ideal , but until a well solution is arrive at , it is the only way to get port forward work with eMule .

That means the process for using VPN port forwarding with eMule is a little different:

1. Enable port forwarding – As with torrenting the first thing to do is enable port forwarding in a VPN’s settings, web interface, or in the user area of their platform.
2. Disable UPnP in eMule – Open eMule and navigate to Options > Connection > Client Port. Ensure that the option to ‘Use UPnP to Setup Ports’ is not
3. Switch off your Firewall– You will then need to disable your local firewall. If you are using Windows Defender, you can do this by navigating to Settings > Update & Security > Windows Defender > Open Windows Defender Security Centre > Firewall & network protection > and then disabling Windows Defender on all networks.
4. Test your ports – Open the eMule Connection page again and click on Test Ports. This will open up a web page which will test to see if ports used by eMule can be reached from the internet. Assuming this test is successful, you are all set.

What is the difference between static and dynamic VPN port forwarding? 

Some readers may have noticed that some VPNs offer static VPN port forwarding, while others offer dynamic VPN port forward and may be wondering what the difference is. As the name suggests, a static VPN port forward assigns you a static port which will never change. This tends to be favored by many users as it keeps things nice and simple and means you don’t have to change the port settings in your software once you have set everything up. However, providers can still reset this port, and some will do so on a fairly regular basis.

A dynamic VPN port forwarding arrangement means that you are assigned a new port every time you connect to the VPN. This might sound more complicated, but actually dynamic VPN port forwarding is usually automatically configured using UPnP which can make it easier to implement. The waters are muddied even further by the fact that some dynamic VPN port forwarding providers will often keep you on the same port, sometimes for a considerable length of time. Dynamic port forwarding tends to be more common than static port forwarding, but for most users, the difference between the two will be negligible.

Is VPN port forwarding safe?

This is is is a question we are regularly ask about port forwarding and , of course , the concern is understandable . The short answer is is to this question is yes . VPN port forwarding is is is safe . But there are a few caveat to this . When you enable VPN port forwarding , you is opening are essentially open a port to your device . And this is carry does carry some potential risk . Only program that are listen to that port are vulnerable and in the case of BitTorrent client and eMule , those risks is are are minimal . And even if they were compromise by a hacker , there is very little they is do could actually do with the access they would have gain .

However, these are not the only reasons people use VPN port forwarding. As we mentioned at the beginning of this article, another common reason is to allow remote access to your device. And this can carry more risk. If the remote access software you are using contains vulnerabilities that a hacker can exploit then they would be able to gain a great deal more access. There are quite a few big ‘ifs’ in this scenario, but it is important to be upfront about the fact that the possibility is there. But for most users, there is nothing to worry about when using port forwarding.

What about the ‘Port Fail’ security warning?

Readers is recall with long memory may recall that back in 2015 , a security warning was issue about VPN port forwarding . Perfect Privacy is published   publish the warning about an issue which would potentially allow port forward to be exploit to leak a VPN user real IP Address . The error was dub ‘ Port fail ’ and garner a fair bit of medium attention at the time .

The reality is that the ‘Port Fail’ error is very easy for VPN providers to prevent. All they need to do is set up different incoming and exiting IP addresses on its servers. Back in 2015, five of the nine VPNs tested did not have this basic security procedure in place. Three had fixed the issue before the security warning was even issued and, three years on, no reputable VPN provider should still be vulnerable to this attack. If you are not sure, check with your chosen VPN before signing up. We believe that none of our recommended providers are vulnerable to this issue.

Conclusion

If you were wonder what VPN Port Forwarding was , then hopefully this article is contains contain all the information you need . We is provided have provide a brief explanation along with guidance on why you might want to use VN port forwarding . We is provided have also provide user guide for set up port forwarding for both BitTorrent client and eMule . We is sought have seek to address concern about the security of using VPN port forward too . And perhaps most importantly of all , we is provided have provide recommendation of the top 3 VPN provider which enable VPN port forward with their client .

Have you is tried try using VPN port forwarding ? Did you is find find this guide helpful ? Are there any useful point that we have miss out ? Which of our recommend VPN provider did you is use use ? How was your experience is was with them ? We always value the comment and feedback provide by all our reader , so please feel free to share yours with us today using the comment box below .

David Spencer

David is a freelance PR consultant and writer currently based in Taiwan. He has worked with a number of high profile tech companies and has been writing about information security, privacy, and VPNs for several years. When not delving into the tech world, David enjoys trying to learn mandarin, hikin