From account setup to connection verification
Follow one clear workflow for your account, plan, subscription, and client settings. Each step explains where to begin, what to look for when it is complete, and what to do next.
Confirm the setup path before you begin
This guide covers the main path for first-time use: create an account, choose a plan, get the subscription from the user panel, import it into a client, and verify that the exit has changed. Protocol differences, advanced routing, long-term maintenance, and system-level issues are outside its scope. For more detail, read the Complete Guide.
Before you begin, prepare a username and password you can remember long term, and confirm that your device runs Windows, macOS, Android, or iOS. 4kVPN also supports Linux, but this page focuses on the most common graphical clients. After signing in, check the client instructions for Linux import methods, or use the Complete Guide to configure a client based on its capabilities.
The key distinction throughout the process is between two types of entry points: the marketing pages explain plans and usage, while the user panel handles your account, payments, subscriptions, and client delivery. Copy subscription links only from the user panel. Do not treat an example address in a web tutorial as a real configuration, and never share your subscription contents on a public page.
Create an account: set a username and password
First, open the user panel’s free-use page. Set a username and password to create your account; no email address is required. Use the username to access the user panel later and the password to protect your account. A combination used only for this service is recommended. Check both fields before submitting.
After submission, the page will move to an account-related screen. If it remains on the login page, sign in with the username and password you just set. Once inside the panel, confirm that the current account appears in the header or account area before choosing a plan. This helps prevent losing track of an order after navigating away without confirming the login state.
If the page says the username is already taken, go back and choose another recognizable name that does not include public identity details. If the passwords do not match, enter them again as prompted. There is no need to configure a client or look for a subscription link yet: before a plan is activated, the subscription section in the account overview may not contain anything available.
Choose a plan: start with your data needs
After creating your account, open the plans area. First distinguish between monthly subscriptions and data packages. Monthly plans include ¥9.9/month for 60GB, ¥18/month for 250GB, and ¥28/month for 500GB; data resets each month on the activation date. If you upgrade mid-cycle, the price difference is prorated for the remaining days. These plans suit regular use with relatively stable monthly needs.
Data packages are ¥158/300GB, ¥358/1000GB, and ¥658/3000GB. They remain available until used and never expire. If your usage is irregular or you want to keep unused data, compare the data packages. Do not judge by total volume alone: occasional web and text use consumes data differently from continuous high-resolution video.
After choosing a plan, click “Start using” or “Choose this plan” for the relevant package, then check the plan name, data allowance, and amount in the order confirmation area. Once everything is correct, pay with Alipay, WeChat Pay, or USDT. Wait for the order status to update after payment; do not create the same order again just because the page takes a moment to change.
If your first paid plan does not meet your expectations, you can request a full refund within 14 days. Refunds are handled as order matters. If you have questions about payment status, order results, or the refund entry point, follow the steps in the Billing and refunds section of the Help Center. This page does not cover every order exception so the first-connection flow stays focused.
Get your subscription: copy the link from the account overview
After payment is confirmed, open the user panel’s account overview. In the subscription section, look for a copy-link, import-subscription, or client entry. The subscription link provides compatible clients with the routes available to your account, so you do not need to enter regional or server details one by one.
After copying the link, do not open it directly in the browser’s address bar. Instead, open the subscription-import entry in the relevant client and paste it there. A real subscription is generated by the user panel and may resemble the example below, but its domain and token will differ. The example is only for recognizing the structure and cannot establish a connection:
https://example.com/sub?token=YOUR_TOKENIf the copy button gives no obvious feedback, paste the link once into the client’s input field and check that the full link appears. Do not paste it into chats, public documents, or search boxes. If the subscription is still missing from the account overview, return to the order area to confirm that payment and plan activation are complete, then refresh the user panel.
A subscription is not a client installer. Next, open the client download area from the user panel and choose a client for your device. This guide does not provide static installer links because client versions and available entry points should come from the delivery page after you sign in.
Import the client: find the subscription entry for your device
Open the client download area from the user panel and choose a compatible client for your device. It should support link-based subscription management, route-list updates, and system network connections. After installing or opening it, do not create individual nodes manually first. Use subscription import so route changes included with your plan can be synchronized through updates.
Windows: use a desktop subscription client
Open the Windows client entry provided in the user panel and finish preparing the client before entering its main interface. The add entry is usually under “Configuration,” “Subscriptions,” or a configuration-management area in the sidebar. Choose “Import from link” or “Add subscription,” paste the subscription link you copied, and give the configuration a recognizable name.
Save the configuration and run an update once, then wait for the route list to appear. Enable the system proxy or connection switch in the client and choose a route that matches your destination. If Windows displays a network-access prompt, read the system message and allow the current client to complete the required network configuration before moving to connection verification.
macOS: import from a menu-bar client
Choose the compatible macOS client listed in the user panel. After the first launch, it may appear in the menu bar or in a separate window. Open “Configuration” or “Subscription management,” choose the option to add remote configuration by URL, paste the subscription link, and save it. If macOS asks you to approve a network extension, complete the authorization in the system interface.
After saving the subscription, run an update and confirm that the region and route list appear before enabling the connection. If the menu-bar view shows only a switch and no configuration entry, open the client’s main window or preferences to find subscription management. Do not adjust advanced rules yet; keep the client’s standard mode for the first connection and configure further only after the basic connection works.
Android: add a subscription in configuration management
In the Android section of the user panel, choose a client that supports subscription links. Open its configuration, subscription, or profile page, tap Add, and choose Import from URL. Paste and save the subscription link, then run an update. If the client asks to create a system network connection, confirm that it is the client provided through the panel and follow the system prompt.
When the route list appears, choose the target region and return to the main screen to start the connection. Android may pause apps that remain unused in the background; keep the client running during the first verification. Once connected, check that the client shows a connected state, then open a browser to check the exit.
iOS: import through remote configuration
Read the instructions for the compatible iOS client in the user panel. In the client, look for “Subscription,” “Remote configuration,” or “Add from URL,” then paste and save the subscription link from the account overview. When connecting for the first time, iOS will show a network-configuration authorization screen; approve it and return to the client.
Update the subscription, choose a route, and turn on the connection switch. If the subscription is saved but the route list is empty, update it from the subscription details instead of adding the same link again. Once the list appears normally, continue to verification. During the first connection, there is no need to change routing rules, per-app policies, or other advanced options at the same time.
Connect and verify: check the exit before testing the destination
After the subscription updates, choose an exit route from the list that matches your destination region. If you mainly access a service in a particular region, prioritize that region or a route with a similar direction. If you are only checking whether the configuration works, start with an easily identifiable region in the client list. Start the connection and wait until the client status changes to connected.
A connected switch alone is not enough; check the actual exit as well. Open 4kVPN’s My IP page and compare the exit region before and after connecting. The expected result is that the displayed exit matches the direction of the selected route. If it does not change, return to the client, confirm that system proxy or connection mode is enabled, and refresh the check page.
Once the exit matches expectations, test the website or app you actually need. If a page opens but video or a specific service does not work, the entire connection flow has not necessarily failed; the current route may simply be a poor match for the destination platform. Try another route in the same region, wait for the connection to complete, and test again. This is usually easier than changing many settings at once.
If none of the routes can connect, update the subscription and choose a route again, then confirm that your local network can access ordinary websites. If the client repeatedly reports configuration errors, subscription-update failures, or no access at all after connecting, troubleshoot by error type in the Help Center. For route types, traffic routing, and more complete maintenance guidance, continue with the Complete Guide.
Confirm that the subscription is updated, a route is selected, and the connection switch is enabled.
Use the My IP page to confirm that the exit direction matches the selected route.
Finally, test the actual website or app and switch to another route in the same region if needed.
Keep this order after your first connection
After the first verification, daily use usually means opening the client, updating the subscription, choosing a route, and connecting. You do not need to create an account again or repeatedly copy the subscription. Return to the account overview and copy it again only if the client configuration was deleted, the subscription cannot update, or you switch to a new client.
When changing devices, use the same account to enter the user panel, choose the client for the new device, and import the subscription. 4kVPN supports unlimited devices, but client status is independent on each device: changing the route on one device does not automatically change the selection on another. Complete a separate exit verification after the first import on each device.
Monthly subscription data resets each month on the activation date, and mid-cycle upgrades are prorated for the remaining days. Data packages remain available until used and never expire. Return to the user panel to check plan allowance, orders, or subscription status. Open the Complete Guide only when you need advanced rules or help with long-running connection issues; there is no need to configure everything during first use.