About VPN Unlimited for Linux (Flatpak)

VPN Unlimited is a cross-platform VPN service with no limits on traffic or connection speed. This package is the Flatpak build of the Linux desktop client: a single self-contained download that runs on any Linux distribution with Flatpak support, including Steam Deck (SteamOS), where regular .deb packages cannot be installed.

The Flatpak build is designed to be light and to leave your system as it was:

• No background service and no kernel module. The client does not install a system daemon or a driver. The VPN tunnel is created through NetworkManager, the network service that is already part of your system.
• WireGuard® protocol. The tunnel uses WireGuard — the modern, fast VPN protocol with a small, auditable code base.
• Everything stays in one place. The application and its settings live inside the Flatpak sandbox, so uninstalling removes them cleanly.
  
  
  

If you use Ubuntu or another Debian-based distribution and prefer a native package, a .deb build is also available on the downloads page.

System requirements

Verified by our QA on SteamOS 3.8 (Steam Deck) and on Ubuntu 24.04.

Before you start

The package needs Flatpak itself and the KDE runtime it is built against. The runtime is downloaded automatically the first time you install the app, but Flatpak has to know where to take it from, so the Flathub repository must be registered. This applies to both install options below.

Steam Deck / SteamOS: Flatpak and Flathub are already set up. Switch to Desktop Mode and skip to the next section.

Other distributions: install Flatpak with your package manager if you do not have it yet - for example, on Ubuntu or Debian:

sudo apt update
sudo apt install flatpak

Then add the Flathub repository (for Option B below it is the source of the runtime only):

flatpak remote-add --if-not-exists --user flathub https://dl.flathub.org/repo/flathub.flatpakrepo

Log out and back in after installing Flatpak for the first time, so that your desktop picks up newly installed applications.

Installing VPN Unlimited

There are two ways to get the app - pick one; the result is the same application.

Option A - from Flathub

If your desktop has a software center (KDE Discover, GNOME Software - Discover is the default on Steam Deck), search for VPN Unlimited and press Install.

Or install it from a terminal:

flatpak install flathub com.keepsolid.VpnUnlimited

Installing from Flathub also brings automatic updates - see Updating below.

Option B - the package downloaded from this page

1. Download the package using the button on this page - the file is named com.keepsolid.VpnUnlimited.flatpak.

2. Open a terminal in the folder where the file was saved (on Steam Deck: Desktop Mode → Dolphin → right-click → Open Terminal Here) and run:

flatpak install --user ./com.keepsolid.VpnUnlimited.flatpak

Confirm with y when Flatpak lists what it is going to install. The first installation also pulls the KDE runtime, so it takes a few minutes and about 1 GB of disk space; later updates are much smaller.

3. That is all. VPN Unlimited now appears in your application menu under Internet. You can also start it from a terminal:

flatpak run com.keepsolid.VpnUnlimited

Prefer a graphical installer? Many desktops (GNOME Software, KDE Discover) open .flatpak files directly - double-click the downloaded file and press Install. The result is identical.

A note on --user: installing for your user only needs no administrator password. If you want the app available to every account on the machine, drop --user and Flatpak will ask for authentication.

Signing in and connecting

1. Start VPN Unlimited and sign in with your KeepSolid ID, or create an account from the same screen. Sign-in with Google opens your system browser and returns to the app automatically.

2. Press the big Start button to connect to the recommended server, or open Locations and pick a country yourself.

3. The status pill at the top right shows the current state - Disconnected, Connecting or Connected.

4. Press Stop to disconnect.

The first connection asks your system for permission to create a network connection; this is NetworkManager doing its normal job.

Steam Deck: adding the app to Steam and using it in Game Mode

Install and sign in from Desktop Mode first. To reach the app without leaving Game Mode, add it to your Steam library as a non-Steam application:

1. In Desktop Mode, open Steam → Settings → Library, then press Add a Non-Steam Game.

2. Tick VPN Unlimited in the list and press Add Selected Programs.

3. Switch back to Game Mode - the app now appears in your library under Non-Steam.

Switching between Desktop and Game Mode closes running applications - but the VPN tunnel stays up, because it belongs to the system's network service rather than to the app window. When you open VPN Unlimited again it recognises the live tunnel and shows Connected.

Updating

Installed from Flathub (Option A): updates arrive with your normal system updates - your software center offers them automatically, or run:

flatpak update

Installed from the downloaded file (Option B): download the new .flatpak file from this page and install it over the current one:

flatpak install --user --reinstall ./com.keepsolid.VpnUnlimited.flatpak

In both cases your account and settings are kept - they live outside the application itself.

Uninstalling

Press Stop in the app first - the tunnel is a system network connection that keeps running after the app closes, so disconnecting before removal saves you a leftover. Then:

flatpak uninstall --user --delete-data com.keepsolid.VpnUnlimited

That removes the application together with your settings and cached data.

If you did remove the app while still connected, delete the leftover tunnel with nmcli connection delete VPNUWireguard.

Troubleshooting

"error: The application ... requires the runtime org.kde.Platform ... which was not found"
The Flathub repository is not registered, so Flatpak cannot fetch the runtime. Run the flatpak remote-add command from Before you start and install again.

The app starts but cannot connect, or connecting fails immediately
Make sure NetworkManager is the service managing your network - this is the default on Steam Deck, Ubuntu and Fedora desktops. On a system where the network is managed by something else (for example systemd-networkd on a server install), the Flatpak build cannot create the tunnel.

Nothing happens when I launch it from the menu
Start it from a terminal with flatpak run com.keepsolid.VpnUnlimited - any error will be printed there, and that output is what our support team needs.

I am still connected after closing the app
That is intentional: your traffic keeps flowing through the VPN when the window is closed, which matters on Steam Deck where switching to Game Mode closes applications. Use Stop in the app to end the tunnel.

Where are my logs?
~/.var/app/com.keepsolid.VpnUnlimited/ holds the app's data, including logs. Support may ask you to send them; the app can also collect and send them from Support inside the interface.

Getting help

Our support team is available 24/7 - write to us from the Support section in the app, or use the contact form on the website. Telling us your distribution, whether you are on a Steam Deck, and the output of flatpak run com.keepsolid.VpnUnlimited gets you a precise answer much faster.