Amnezia VPN does not sell access to a network of servers. Install it on a Windows, Mac, or Linux machine and you get an empty shell: a program waiting for you to supply either your own server credentials or a configuration file from someone who already runs one. That distinction matters more than it might seem, because it shapes which of the project's two desktop clients you actually need, and what happens after you double-click the installer.
The project publishes its software directly from its own page and GitHub releases rather than through conventional app stores for Windows and Linux, which is typical for open-source privacy tools that want to avoid platform gatekeeping. For readers comparing options before committing to any single tool, a broader look at the best vpn for streaming services can offer useful context on how dedicated commercial providers differ from a self-hosted, configuration-based approach like Amnezia's. The trade-off is fairly explicit: more control and transparency, but more manual setup.
AmneziaVPN or AmneziaWG: picking the right tool
Two distinct programs share the Amnezia name on a computer, and confusing them just means extra clicks, not a security problem. AmneziaVPN is the full-featured client: it supports several protocols, accepts a vpn:// key, a .conf or .json file, and a QR code, and can even install a VPN directly on a server you control over SSH. On Windows, that installer runs around 115 MB. AmneziaWG, by contrast, is a stripped-down client built to do one thing - open a ready AmneziaWG tunnel file. Its Windows installer is barely 3.5 MB.
If you already hold a configuration file and want the simplest possible path to a working connection, AmneziaWG is the sensible default. AmneziaVPN earns its weight only if you plan to manage your own server or want a single program covering every scenario. On older versions of macOS, the project itself steers users toward AmneziaWG instead of the full client.
What to download for each operating system
On Windows, AmneziaVPN ships as a single 64-bit installer, version 5.0.3.0, dated 18 September 2026, available from both amnezia.org and the GitHub releases page for amnezia-client. The install location cannot be changed from the default Program Files folder, and a restart is recommended afterward. AmneziaWG for Windows comes separately from its own GitHub repository, with builds for standard Intel/AMD systems, ARM-based Windows machines, and older 32-bit installations - check Settings → System → About to confirm which applies to your hardware.
On Mac, AmneziaVPN arrives as a .pkg file from the same GitHub releases page, though the project's own documentation is inconsistent about minimum macOS requirements, citing both version 13 and version 14 in different places. Anyone still running the older .dmg-based version 4.8.8.2 should remove it before installing the new build. AmneziaWG for Mac, meanwhile, is distributed through the App Store under publisher Privacy Technologies OU, free of charge, and requires only macOS 12 or newer - making it the more forgiving option for older machines.
Linux users face a genuine fork in the road: a graphical .run installer for AmneziaVPN tested against recent Ubuntu, Debian, and Fedora releases, or a terminal-based path using the AmneziaWG kernel module and command-line tools, installed via PPA on Ubuntu or COPR on Fedora. The commands mirror standard WireGuard syntax almost exactly, substituting awg for wg.
Adding a file, and what still needs verification
Once installed, every client starts empty. Adding a connection means importing a .conf file, a key, or a QR code through a short, similarly structured menu sequence across platforms. Three habits matter regardless of which client you choose: never reuse the same configuration file across two devices, since it will fail on both; treat the file as a credential, because it contains a private key that should never be shared publicly; and avoid hand-editing its contents, since most fields must match the server precisely.
Testing shows meaningful gaps in current compatibility. A configuration file built on the newer AmneziaWG 3.1 protocol, which includes header protection against traffic fingerprinting, has been confirmed working through a live tunnel on Linux using up-to-date AmneziaWG tools. On Windows and Mac, that same live-connection confirmation does not yet exist - even though a source-code review of the latest AmneziaVPN and AmneziaWG releases suggests the software can now read the relevant protocol line. Reading code is not the same as a working connection, and until that gap closes, a subscription-link-based client remains the more reliably tested route on those two platforms.