Install GreenTunnel VPN on Windows and Linux

On phones, GreenTunnel VPN comes from Google Play and the App Store. On Windows and Linux you can also download it straight from this site. This guide covers which file to pick, how to check it, how to install it, and how to update or remove it later.

Which file do I need?

Not sure which Windows you have? Open Settings → System → About and look at System type. “x64-based processor” means x64, and “ARM-based processor” means ARM64. On Linux, uname -m prints x86_64 or aarch64.

Check the download

Only download GreenTunnel from greentunnelvpn.com, the Snap Store, Google Play or the App Store. Copies on other sites may be modified. Every file has a SHA-256 fingerprint listed in SHA256SUMS. Compute the fingerprint of the file you downloaded and make sure it matches exactly:

• Windows (PowerShell, in your Downloads folder): Get-FileHash .\GreenTunnelVPN-0.1.1-x64.msi
• Linux (terminal): sha256sum greentunnel_0.1.1_amd64.deb

The snap needs no check. The Snap Store verifies it for you.

Windows

Install

1. Double-click the MSI you downloaded.
2. If Windows shows Windows protected your PC, click More info and check that the publisher is CellHubs. Then click Run anyway. Windows shows this for programs it hasn't seen often yet. If the publisher is anything else, don't run the file.
3. Follow the installer and accept the administrator prompt. GreenTunnel needs administrator rights once, to install its background service and its network adapter.
4. Open GreenTunnel VPN from the Start menu and click Turn on.

The installer adds three things:

• the app;
• a Windows service, GreenTunnel VPN Service, that runs the engine so the app itself needs no administrator rights;
• a network adapter named GreenTunnel, created with Wintun while protection is on, so every app on the PC is covered, not only the browser.

Start with Windows

In Settings, Turn on protection at startup has the service turn protection on as soon as Windows starts, even before you sign in. Open at login puts the GreenTunnel icon in the notification area when you sign in. Both are off until you turn them on.

Update and uninstall

• Updates: the app checks for a new version when it opens and every 12 hours, and asks before installing it. It downloads only from greentunnelvpn.com and checks the file's fingerprint and signature first. You can also download the new MSI from this page and run it over the old version. Your settings are kept.
• Uninstall: Settings → Apps → Installed apps → GreenTunnel VPN → Uninstall. The service and the network adapter are removed with it.

Linux

Requirements: a 64-bit desktop (x86_64 or ARM64) with systemd and GTK 4.14 / libadwaita 1.5 or newer. Ubuntu 24.04, Debian 13, Linux Mint 22 and Fedora 40 or newer all qualify. GreenTunnel has two parts: a background service that runs as root and creates the greentunnel network interface, and the desktop app that controls it.

Option 1: snap (recommended on Ubuntu)

Install it from the Ubuntu App Center by searching for “GreenTunnel VPN”, or in a terminal:

sudo snap install greentunnel-vpn
sudo snap connect greentunnel-vpn:network-control
sudo snap connect greentunnel-vpn:network-observe
sudo snap restart greentunnel-vpn.daemon

The two connect lines give GreenTunnel permission to create its network interface and routes and to watch for network changes. Snap may already have connected them for you, and running them again does no harm. Without them, GreenTunnel can only run as a local proxy, not as a VPN for the whole computer.

Snap updates GreenTunnel automatically in the background. To remove it: sudo snap remove greentunnel-vpn.

Option 2: .deb (Debian, Ubuntu, Linux Mint)

cd ~/Downloads
sudo apt install ./greentunnel_0.1.1_amd64.deb

Keep the ./ in front of the file name. It tells apt to install that file instead of searching its repositories. apt also installs whatever GTK libraries are missing.

Option 3: .rpm (Fedora)

cd ~/Downloads
sudo dnf install ./greentunnel-0.1.1-1.x86_64.rpm

First run

1. The package starts the service by itself. To check: systemctl status greentunnel should say active (running). Protection stays off until you turn it on.
2. Open GreenTunnel VPN from your app menu and click Turn on. No password is asked: only the installed GreenTunnel app may talk to the service.
3. Optional: in Settings, turn on Turn on protection at startup and Open at login, just like on Windows.

The tray icon works out of the box on KDE Plasma, Cinnamon, XFCE and most other desktops. On GNOME (the Ubuntu and Fedora default) it needs the AppIndicator extension. Ubuntu has it already, and on Fedora you can install gnome-shell-extension-appindicator. The app works fine without the tray.

Update and uninstall (.deb / .rpm)

• Updates: the .deb and .rpm packages don't update themselves. When a new version is out, download it from this page and install it the same way, over the old one. Your settings are kept, and if protection was on, it comes back on after the update.
• Uninstall: sudo apt remove greentunnel or sudo dnf remove greentunnel. The greentunnel interface and its routing rules are removed. To delete your settings too, use sudo apt purge greentunnel, or on Fedora remove /var/lib/greentunnel.

If something doesn't work

• Another VPN is running. Turn the other VPN off first. Two VPNs that both route all traffic will fight over it. To combine GreenTunnel with your own server, use Tunnel Link or Proxy Route inside GreenTunnel.
• A site is still blocked. See what to do when a site is still blocked, and run Inspect URL to find out how it's blocked.
• Antivirus blocked the installer (Windows). Check the publisher as described above, then allow the file in your antivirus. Please also let us know at cellhubsapp@gmail.com.
• The app says it can't reach the service (Linux). Run sudo systemctl restart greentunnel, or sudo snap restart greentunnel-vpn.daemon for the snap. The service log is in journalctl -u greentunnel (snap: sudo snap logs greentunnel-vpn). If you write to support, you can include the last lines. Read them first: they may name sites that failed to connect.