Azure VPN Client is Microsoft's official VPN client for connecting individual devices to Azure virtual networks through VPN Gateway and Virtual WAN point-to-site connections that use the OpenVPN protocol.
Azure VPN Client is the Microsoft-built application that establishes point-to-site VPN tunnels from an individual workstation to an Azure virtual network. Instead of building a site-to-site link between two networks, an administrator configures a point-to-site gateway, downloads a profile package, and each user imports that profile into the client to sign in and connect. The client handles the OpenVPN handshake, keeps the tunnel alive, and presents a simple profile list with a single Connect button. Once the tunnel is up, the device behaves as though it sits inside the virtual network, reaching private IP addresses, internal services, and Azure resources without exposing them to the public internet.
Unlike a consumer VPN service, Azure VPN Client does not sell anonymity or route traffic through advertising-funded servers. It is a management tool for organizations that already run Azure networking: the configuration lives in an XML profile that carries the gateway address, authentication method, and routes. That profile can be exported and handed to colleagues, so a help desk can distribute one verified file rather than walking every user through manual settings. Teams that also manage game launchers can compare notes with our guide to Ubisoft Connect, where profile portability and background updates follow a similar pattern. The client also supports multiple profiles side by side and keeps the connection alive in the background after its window is closed.
The main benefit of Azure VPN Client is that it turns an Azure virtual network into something an individual employee can reach in a few clicks, without deploying a hardware appliance at every remote location. Because authentication can flow through Microsoft Entra ID, the same Conditional Access policies, multifactor authentication prompts, and device compliance checks that protect Microsoft 365 also gate the VPN tunnel, so security teams manage one control plane instead of two. Certificate and RADIUS options cover environments where identity-based sign-in is not practical, which means the same client fits both cloud-first and hybrid organizations. Routing controls add another layer of value: tunnels use split tunneling by default, so only traffic destined for the virtual network crosses the gateway, while forced tunneling and custom include or exclude routes let administrators shape traffic precisely. Diagnostics, a prerequisites test, and secondary profile failover reduce the support burden, because users can identify a broken certificate or missing dependency themselves rather than filing a ticket.
Users authenticate with their Microsoft Entra ID account rather than a shared key, so multifactor prompts and Conditional Access rules apply to the VPN exactly as they do to other corporate apps. Device single sign-on reduces repeated credential prompts, and the client can be pointed at Microsoft-registered, manually registered, or custom audience values.
For gateways configured with certificate authentication, the Azure VPN Client validates a locally installed client certificate issued from the trusted root uploaded to the gateway. A dropdown lists the available child certificates so the correct identity can be selected during setup, and the same profile works across machines when each device carries its own valid certificate.
Profiles arrive as an XML package generated by the gateway and are loaded with the plus button or an azurevpn command-line call; once validated, any profile can be exported again and shared with teammates. Everyone receives identical connection settings while still authenticating with their own certificate or Microsoft Entra ID account.
A connection profile can nominate a second profile as its backup. If the primary gateway cannot be reached, for example during a regional outage, the Azure VPN Client automatically connects using the secondary profile without user intervention, keeping access to another virtual network available and shortening the time users spend offline.
Enabling the connect automatically option makes a profile dial in as soon as the device starts, so Azure VPN Client users begin the day already inside the virtual network. This suits managed laptops that must reach internal file shares, management endpoints, or line-of-business apps before anyone signs in manually.
Tunnels use split tunneling by default, so only traffic bound for the Azure virtual network travels through the gateway and ordinary browsing keeps using the local connection. Administrators who need everything tunnelled can add a default route to the Azure VPN Client profile, and include or exclude route entries refine exactly which subnets use the tunnel.
Profile XML can specify additional DNS suffixes and custom DNS servers for name resolution inside the virtual network. With Microsoft Entra ID authentication the client applies these through the Name Resolution Policy Table, so private hostnames resolve correctly without changing the DNS configuration of the entire device.
The client can run a diagnostics report against any connection profile and, in recent builds, a prerequisites test that checks whether required components are installed and configured. A compact background mode keeps the tunnel running after the window is closed, so troubleshooting rarely means losing the connection.
It connects a single device to an Azure virtual network over a point-to-site VPN using the OpenVPN protocol. Organizations use it so remote employees, contractors, and administrators can reach private Azure resources such as virtual machines, databases, and internal web apps without exposing those resources to the public internet or building a permanent site-to-site tunnel.
No. It is purpose-built for Azure VPN Gateway and Azure Virtual WAN user VPN connections, and it expects a profile configuration file generated by that gateway. To reach a third-party or self-hosted VPN server, you would use a general-purpose client such as the OpenVPN client instead.
Yes, when the gateway is configured for Microsoft Entra ID authentication, which works with the OpenVPN tunnel type. Sign-in then follows the tenant's Conditional Access and multifactor authentication rules, and device single sign-on can avoid repeated credential prompts. Certificate and RADIUS authentication remain available on gateways configured that way.
Yes. Azure VPN Client stores multiple profiles that can be selected individually, and any profile can be paired with a secondary profile that the client falls back to automatically if the primary gateway is unreachable. That setup helps when a team depends on more than one virtual network or wants resilience against a regional outage.
By default, no. Split tunneling is the standard behavior, so only traffic destined for the Azure virtual network uses the tunnel and other traffic uses the local internet connection. An administrator can change this by adding a default route to the profile, or by listing specific subnets to include and exclude.
An administrator exports the validated profile from a working installation and shares the XML file. Recipients import it, adjust any device-specific settings such as certificate selection, and save the connection. Each person still authenticates with their own certificate or Microsoft Entra ID account, so the shared file never carries someone else's credentials.
Start with the client's diagnose option for the affected profile, which reports connection properties and likely causes. Recent versions also include a prerequisites test that verifies required components are installed and properly configured. Common culprits are a missing or expired client certificate, an outdated profile after gateway certificate rotation, or a profile that needs regenerating from the portal.
No. The native client available in some operating systems handles IKEv2 and SSTP connections with certificate or RADIUS authentication. Azure VPN Client is a separate application used for OpenVPN connections, and it is the required client when a point-to-site gateway is configured for Microsoft Entra ID authentication.
Comments