# Mullvad VPN

Application: Mullvad

Also called mullvad, mullvad windows

Mullvad, Security

An account-number VPN. You do not need an email. The process is mullvad.exe. It is not Mullvad Browser.

## What you need to know

mullvad.exe is the VPN. Mullvad Browser is a different download.

Mullvad VPN uses an account number and no email. mullvad.exe is the Windows client. Mullvad Browser is not this product. Mozilla VPN is a Mozilla-branded client powered by Mullvad, not this exe.

- **What is it?**: Account-number VPN. No email required

  **Same as Mullvad Browser?**: No. Different download

  **Same as Mozilla VPN?**: No. Mozilla wraps Mullvad in another app

Feex says

If you opened Mullvad Browser looking for a country map, I would send you to mullvad.exe. The browser is a separate download. Mozilla VPN is Mullvad-powered and still a different app from Mozilla.

## What is Mullvad VPN?

Mullvad VPN is a privacy-oriented VPN you pay by account number. mullvad.exe is the Windows client. Mullvad Browser is a different product.

## If you have never used it

If you want a VPN that logs you in with an account number, this is Mullvad VPN, not Mullvad Browser. Download it from mullvad.net/en/download/vpn/windows. mullvad.exe is the VPN. The browser is a separate download. No email is required. This is not NordVPN and not Mozilla VPN, even though Mozilla VPN is powered by Mullvad.

## What is it used for?

**Account-number VPN**

You generate a number and pay. There is no Nord-style email account requirement.

**WireGuard in the official app**

The Windows app speaks WireGuard. That is still mullvad.exe, not the bare wireguard.exe client with a config you wrote.

**Not the browser**

Mullvad Browser is a Firefox-based browser. It does not replace this VPN exe.

## Who is it for?

- People who want no email on the VPN account
- Users who installed Mullvad Browser and wondered where Connect went
- Anyone using Mozilla VPN who should know that is a branded Mullvad path, not this exe

## Current status

Actively developed. This article is the Windows VPN app, not Mullvad Browser.

## How old is it?

Mullvad started in 2009 in Sweden. The account-number model is the point. Mullvad Browser came later with the Tor Project. Current Windows VPN builds are the official app, not a 2010 OpenVPN config zip only.

## Versions

Major channels first. Exact build numbers are not all verified here.

Windows VPN app

Mullvad Browser (other product)

## System requirements

Values follow the publisher's public guidance. Workload still changes the real need.

### Minimum

| Operating system | Windows 10 or Windows 11, per Mullvad VPN Windows download |
| ---------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------- |
| RAM              | Light client                                               |

## Resource profile

- **CPU demand**: WireGuard while connected

  **Network demand**: All traffic while the tunnel is up

## Installed processes

These executables belong to this product when it is installed.

| mullvad.exe        | Mullvad VPN client. Not Mullvad Browser |
| ------------------ | --------------------------------------- |
| mullvad-daemon.exe | Background service on Windows           |

## Startup components

The Mullvad service can start with Windows. The Connect at boot toggle is in the app.

## File locations

| Typical install | C:\Program Files\Mullvad VPN\\ |
| --------------- | ------------------------------ |

## Common problems

### Browser installed instead of the VPN

Mullvad Browser will not create the system tunnel. Install the VPN from the /download/vpn/windows page.

### People treat Mozilla VPN as this exe

Mozilla VPN.exe is Mozilla's app. It uses Mullvad's network. It is not mullvad.exe.

## Getting unstuck

### Download the VPN, not only the browser

mullvad.net/en/download/vpn/windows is this product. The browser page is a different tile.

### Enter the account number in mullvad.exe

There is no password reset email. The number is the login.

### Do not paste a WireGuard config into this app unless Mullvad documented that path

The official app already talks to Mullvad. wireguard.exe is for your own server.

## Alternatives

Mozilla VPN if you want a Mozilla account on Mullvad's network. NordVPN or ExpressVPN for email-account VPNs. Tailscale if you wanted a mesh.

## Official help and downloads

Start with the vendor. Random exe sites are not a support channel.

| Download      | [mullvad.net/en/download/vpn/windows ](https://mullvad.net/en/download/vpn/windows)Official installer or vendor page |
| ------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Help          | [mullvad.net/en/help ](https://mullvad.net/en/help)Vendor support                                                    |
| Official site | [mullvad.net/ ](https://mullvad.net/)Start here, not a random exe host                                               |

## Related hardware

The client is light. Encryption uses CPU while connected.

## Technical details

Technical details

Vendor version numbers change. This article does not pin a build.

## Related

These entities connect to this article. Type is shown on every link.

[WireGuard: Application](https://feex.it/wiki/software/wireguard)[Mozilla VPN: Application](https://feex.it/wiki/software/mozilla-vpn)[How to read Task Manager: Guide](https://feex.it/wiki/software/system/how-to-read-task-manager)

## Sources and verification

Reviewed by Feex editorial. Last verified August 2026 Status: Feex Reviewed. [How we research](https://feex.it/wiki/research).

- [Mullvad VPN official site ](https://mullvad.net/)· Vendor product page
- [Mullvad VPN help ](https://mullvad.net/en/help)· Vendor support
- [Foxhole process map ](https://foxhole.feex.it/)· First-party samples on Windows PCs. Not a lab benchmark.

## Was this article useful?

A yes or no is enough. Pick a reason if you want, or add a short note.

Quick facts

The short identity of this page. Specs, sources, and the full story stay in the article.

- **Developer**: Mullvad

  **Category**: Consumer VPN

  **Process**: mullvad.exe

  **License**: Paid by account number. No email required

  **First released**: 2009

  **Official site**: [mullvad.net](https://mullvad.net/)

  **Mapped by Feex**: Seen on Windows PCs in Foxhole

Feex Reviewed: Last verified August 2026

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Source: [Canonical Feex Wiki page](https://feex.it/wiki/software/mullvad-vpn/)

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