Private Internet Access is one of the best and cheapest VPNs there is. You can get it for only $6.95, and in our review, we found that they are fast, reliable, and easy to use.
One of the lesser known parts of Private Internet Access, however, is that they have a free to use proxy service included with the VPN subscription. In this guide about Private Internet Access, we will show you how to use their included proxy service.
Every Private Internet Access VPN plan comes with a free SOCKS5 proxy. You can use this proxy to torrent securely, hide your IP while browsing, or just anonymize any program that can be used as an SOCKS5 proxy.
How to Use PIA Proxy
Private Internet Access uses two different password pairs for the VPN and proxy. This means you need separate login details. Here’s how to gain access and get your login details for the SOCKS5 proxy.
#1 If you want access to PIA’s proxy and VPN you need to get a license on their site here. You can get a subscription for as cheap as $3.33.
#2 The second step is to log in to your account on Private Internet Access’s website using your normal VPN username and password. Click on “Client Login.”
#3 From here, you need to find the section labeled “PPTP/L2TP/SOCKS Username and Password”. Now, click on “Regenerate Username and Password.”
#4 Copy these credentials into a text editor or write them down so you can save them.
#5 Now since you have the proxy credentials, you can use the proxy inside other programs like uTorrent, qBittorrent, Vuze, Transmission, Deluge, Tixati, tTorrent, and Flud. Unfortunately, right now, PIA doesn’t have a proxy extension for Chrome, but TorGuard does.
Here is the information you’ll need to plug PIA into a torrent app for example:
Host/Hostname/Proxy Address – proxy-nl.privateinternetaccess.com
Port # – 1080
Proxy Type – SOCKS5 (or SOCKS v5/version 5)
Authentication – YES
Username – Your username from step #1
Password – Your password from step #1
That’s it! Now you know how to use Private Internet Access’s proxy for torrenting. It’s a great way to ensure that your IP never leaks while torrenting even if you forget to turn off Private Internet Access VPN.