Setup WireGuard client on Windows

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In my blog post here I showed you how to setup and configure WireGuard VPN Server side. I that blog post I also tell you what WireGuard is and what the benefits are. If you want to know more about WireGuard or how to configure WireGuard VPN server, check my blog post here. In this blog post I will show you how to setup WireGuard client on Windows. The Windows installation package is the same for all current Windows operating systems including Windows Server.

Requirement for this blog: Setup WireGuard VPN server by me.

First we need to download WireGuard for Windows. The download is the same for server or client and can be downloaded from here. Choose the latest version under Windows:

Setup WireGuard client on Windows - vikash.nl

The installation is very simple. Dubbleclick on the MSI package and WireGuard will install itself and start automatically:

Setup WireGuard client on Windows - vikash.nl

The next part is to download the client configuration (wg0-client.conf) file from the DietPi server. You can do this using a program called WinSCP. You also need to install OpenSSH Server on DietPi for WinSCP to work. Installing OpenSSH on DietPi requires the same steps as WireGuard but instead search for OpenSSH and then select OpenSSH Server:

Setup WireGuard client on Windows - vikash.nl

DietPi default comes with Dropbear SSH server which is a lightweight SSH server. The downside is that it does not support Secure Copy Protocol (SCP) and we need that to download our client configuration file. Just follow the steps on screen to install OpenSSH Server on DietPi. Then install WinSCP on your Windows 10 client and connect to your DietPi server with the following session settings:

You will get a prompt for a Unknown Certificate.Click on Yes to add it:

Once WinSCP is connected to your DietPi server browse to the folder /etc/wireguard. Download the wg0-client.conf file to a location on your Windows 10 machine:

Setup WireGuard client on Windows - vikash.nl

Go back to the WireGuard window and click on Import tunnel(s) from file to import the wg0-client.conf file:

Setup WireGuard client on Windows - vikash.nl

Select the wg0-client.conf file:

Now you will see that WireGuard has created the tunnel on your Windows 10 machine at it is ready to connect. If you click on Activate it will connect the tunnel and you are good to go:

Setup WireGuard client on Windows - vikash.nl

After connecting the tunnel you will see that all traffic from you Windows 10 client now goes trough your WireGuard server:

You can check the status of WireGuard on your DietPi with the following command:

sudo wg show

You will see a screen like this showing the Windows 10 client connected:

That is basically it for running WireGuard client on Windows 10.

Performance tests

In the blog post where I talk about setting up WireGuard server I also said I would do performance tests. I am impressed with WireGuard and as I mentioned in my previous post I am running WireGuard server on a Raspberry Pi 3B:

Setup WireGuard client on Windows - vikash.nl

Check out the load while copying a file over the WireGuard tunnel between my Windows 10 client and the WireGuard server:

It is pulling almost the maximum of 100Mbit without breaking a sweat. It is a beast :).

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About Vikash Jhagroe

Equipped with more than 15 years of experience working on applications and systems, Vikash is a master at connecting businesses with the tech that is right for them. He is passionate about computers and computer systems, and he is committed to serving his clients well. He is a tech-wizard.

View all posts by Vikash Jhagroe

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