OpenVPN

Version documented: 2.6.9 Installer type: .msi Hives written: HKLM, HKLM\SYSTEM, HKCU

📁 Registry Paths

Path	Hive	Purpose
`SOFTWARE\OpenVPN`	HKLM	Installation settings
`SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\OpenVPN`	HKLM	Uninstall entry
`SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\OpenVPNService`	HKLM	Windows service (interactive service helper)
`SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\tap0901`	HKLM	TAP virtual network adapter driver
`SOFTWARE\OpenVPN-GUI`	HKCU	GUI preferences

🔑 Keys

HKLM\SOFTWARE\OpenVPN

Value Name	Type	Example Data	Description
`(Default)`	REG_SZ	`C:\Program Files\OpenVPN`	Install directory
`config_dir`	REG_SZ	`C:\Program Files\OpenVPN\config`	System-wide config directory
`config_ext`	REG_SZ	`ovpn`	VPN config file extension
`log_dir`	REG_SZ	`C:\Program Files\OpenVPN\log`	Log directory
`log_append`	REG_SZ	`false`	Append to log vs. overwrite

HKCU\SOFTWARE\OpenVPN-GUI

Value Name	Type	Example Data	Description
`config_dir`	REG_SZ	`C:\Users\User\OpenVPN\config`	User config directory
`log_dir`	REG_SZ	`C:\Users\User\OpenVPN\log`	User log directory
`silent_connection`	REG_DWORD	`0`	Connect silently (no dialog)
`show_balloon`	REG_DWORD	`1`	Show tray balloon on connect
`StartOnLogon`	REG_DWORD	`0`	Auto-connect on logon

HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\OpenVPNService

Value Name	Type	Example Data	Description
`DisplayName`	REG_SZ	`OpenVPN Service`	Service display name
`Start`	REG_DWORD	`3`	2=Auto, 3=Manual, 4=Disabled
`ImagePath`	REG_EXPAND_SZ	`"C:\Program Files\OpenVPN\bin\openvpnserv.exe"`	Service binary

HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\tap0901

Value Name	Type	Example Data	Description
`DisplayName`	REG_SZ	`TAP-Windows Adapter V9`	Driver name
`ImagePath`	REG_EXPAND_SZ	`system32\DRIVERS\tap0901.sys`	Driver binary
`Start`	REG_DWORD	`3`	Start type

📝 Notes

OpenVPN installs the TAP-Windows virtual network adapter driver (tap0901.sys) — this registers a network adapter in Device Manager and HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services.
User .ovpn config files go in %USERPROFILE%\OpenVPN\config\; system-wide configs in C:\Program Files\OpenVPN\config\.
The OpenVPNService service runs with elevated privileges to allow non-admin users to connect.

# Check service status
Get-Service -Name "OpenVPNService" -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue | Select-Object Name, Status, StartType

# List active TAP adapters
Get-NetAdapter | Where-Object { $_.InterfaceDescription -like "*TAP*" }

# Read system config directory
(Get-ItemProperty "HKLM:\SOFTWARE\OpenVPN" -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue).config_dir

🗑️ Cleanup

# Stop service before cleanup
Stop-Service -Name "OpenVPNService" -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue

# Remove OpenVPN registry keys
Remove-Item -Path "HKLM:\SOFTWARE\OpenVPN" -Recurse -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
Remove-Item -Path "HKCU:\SOFTWARE\OpenVPN-GUI" -Recurse -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
# Note: SYSTEM\Services\tap0901 and OpenVPNService are removed by the MSI uninstaller

📦 Package Managers

Manager	ID / Command
winget	`winget install OpenVPNTechnologies.OpenVPN`
Chocolatey	`choco install openvpn`
Scoop	`scoop install extras/openvpn`