How to change the protocol on NordLayer application for Linux?

If you are experiencing issues with your NordLayer connection, a good first step is to change the VPN protocol.

A VPN protocol determines how your device and the gateway establish a secure tunnel and exchange data. Different protocols behave differently depending on your network: some are optimised for speed, while others are more resilient on restrictive or unstable networks. If you are seeing slow speeds, frequent drops, or are unable to connect at all, switching protocols is often the quickest way to find a configuration that works well on your network.

Open the interactive settings menu by entering:

nordlayer settings set

Do not use sudo. The nordlayer command should never be run with sudo or as root — your user being in the nordlayer group is what grants access.

The first option in the menu is Preferred VPN Protocol. Select it, then choose one of the available protocols:

Available values for VPN Protocol
1: Automatic
2: NordLynx
3: OpenVPN TCP
4: OpenVPN UDP
Select [number]: 2

• Automatic — lets the app pick the best protocol for your connection. This is the recommended choice for most users.
• NordLynx — NordLayer's WireGuard®-based protocol; usually the fastest and the best option for everyday use.
• OpenVPN TCP — reliable and works well on restrictive networks (for example, some corporate or public Wi-Fi networks) where other protocols may be blocked.
• OpenVPN UDP — faster than TCP in most cases, and a good alternative if NordLynx is not performing well on your network.

After selecting a protocol, reconnect and test your connection again. If the issue persists, try another protocol from the list — it can take a couple of attempts to find the one that performs best on your particular network.

Tip: You can also change the protocol without the interactive menu by passing the value directly, which is convenient for scripts:

nordlayer settings set vpnprotocol nordlynx

Accepted values are automatic, nordlynx, openvpn_tcp, and openvpn_udp. You can also override the protocol for a single connection with nordlayer connect <gateway-id> --protocol <value>.

Note: In case you have any questions or are experiencing any issues, please feel free to contact our 24/7 customer support team.