Using Meshnet on Windows

Learn how to use Meshnet via the NordVPN application on your Windows device.

Before you begin

Verify that you have the following:

Windows 10 (a 64-bit edition) or later
NordVPN installed

Enable Meshnet on Windows

To turn on Meshnet on your device, complete these steps:

Open NordVPN. Log in if necessary.
On the left-side menu, select Devices in Meshnet :
Turn on the Meshnet toggle.

When connected to Meshnet, your device is assigned a unique Nord name and a Meshnet IP address, both of which you can use to access the device from other linked devices.

You can find your device's Meshnet information under the Personal devices category.

Note

Nord names are unique, automatically assigned host names for all devices in Meshnet. The format is<username>-<mountain>.nord, where <username> is the username of your Nord Account email address and <mountain> is the name of a mountain or mountain range. For example, secret.meerkat-andes.nord.

Additionally, you rename devices with custom nicknames for more convenient device management.

Add devices to Meshnet

You can add devices to your Meshnet in two ways, depending on whether the device is your own or belongs to another NordVPN user.

Add your personal devices

To add more devices to your Meshnet, just install the NordVPN app on the devices you want to connect, log in with your account, and enable Meshnet. They will connect automatically.

Note

Meshnet allows you to add up to 10 devices that use the same NordVPN account.

Add trusted external devices

To add a device owned by another NordVPN user, send an invitation through the NordVPN app specifying their email address. As soon as they accept the invitation in their NordVPN app, their device becomes part of your Meshnet.

For detailed guidance on adding external devices, refer to Adding external Meshnet devices on Windows.

Manage devices

All the devices you've linked appear on the Devices in Meshnet tab, under the Personal devices and External devices categories.

You can select up to two devices as your favorites for file sharing. This functionality enables you to share files between often-used devices more efficiently. To select your favorite devices:

Open NordVPN and select Dashboard.
Under File sharing, click the three-dot menu button.
From the list that appears, select up to two devices that you want to have as favorites and click Save.

You should now see the selected devices listed under the File sharing section of the dashboard.

Unlink devices

To unlink your device from Meshnet, follow these steps:

Open NordVPN and select Devices in Meshnet .
Locate the device you want to disconnect.
Click the three-dot menu and select Unlink this device.
Confirm that you want to unlink the device by clicking Unlink.

Tip

To link your personal device back, restart Meshnet on the unlinked device.

Remove this device from Meshnet

If you want to unregister your device from Meshnet and disconnect it from all currently linked devices, take the following steps:

Open NordVPN and go to Devices in Meshnet .
Select the dropdown arrow next to the Meshnet toggle and click Disable.
Confirm your choice by clicking Disable for this device.

Manage devices via the Nord Account dashboard

Alternatively, you can view a list of linked devices for each of your devices on the Nord Account website. To access this feature:

Log in to your Nord account dashboard.
Select the Meshnet (by NordVPN) card.

You should now see a list of your linked devices.

Unlink devices via the dashboard

The Nord Account dashboard allows you to unlink both peer devices and your own.

Go to the Nord Account website and log in to your NordVPN account.
Under Services, select the Meshnet (by NordVPN) card.
Find the device that you want to unlink and select Manage device next to it.
Click Remove from Meshnet.
If you wish to disconnect peer devices, select Unlink device next to the device you want to remove.
Click Unlink to confirm.