- VPN error code 720 says that A connection to the remote computer could not be established. You might need to change the network settings for this connection.
- You can fix this issue on your Windows 10 PC and establish a successful VPN connection using the 7 safe solutions we described in this article.
- Check out the most common VPN error codes and their solutions.
- Join our VPN Troubleshooting Hub to fix more VPN-related problems.
Using a virtual private network is a great way to gain remote access to another machine through the Internet, become parts of its LAN, and use shared resources.
But you can also use a reliable VPN tool to protect your privacy and security online. Unfortunately, it’s impossible to do this when getting a VPN error code.
If you received the VPN error 720 on Windows 10, it says A connection to the remote computer could not be established. You might need to change the network settings for this connection.
Try the following solutions to get rid of the error code and establish the VPN connection without any issues.
- 1
Check if your username and password are correct
- Right-click the Start button and go to Network Connections.
- Select VPN.
- Pick your VPN connection and click Advanced Options.
- Click Edit.
- Also check the Server address.
- Click Save when you’re done.
Find out how to correctly use the Windows 10 VPN provider.
- 2
Check the Windows 10 firewall for opened ports
- Press the Start button, type firewall, select Firewall & network protection.
- Click Advanced settings and Yes if prompted by UAC (User Account Control).
- Go to Outbound Rules* and check the Remote Port status (depending on your preferred VPN protocol):
- PPTP – port 1723 over TCP and port 47 over GRE**.
- L2TP/IPsec – port 1701 over UDP (L2TP***) and ports 500 and 4500 over UDP (IPsec).
- SSTP – port 443 over TCP.
- IKEv2 – ports 500 and 4500 over UDP.
*The Outbound Rules must be configured on the client PC (the one that’s trying to connect to the VPN server). If you’re trying to remotely access another PC using a VPN, you should also check the Inbound Rules > Local Port status on the server PC (the one you’re trying to connect to).
**The default rules are called Routing and Remote Access (PPTP-Out) and Routing and Remote Access (GRE-Out), respectively.
***The default rule is called Routing and Remote Access (L2TP-Out).
If the ports associated with your preferred VPN protocol are closed, then you need to open the firewall ports associated wit your VPN protocol.
- 3
Reinstall the WAN Miniport network adapters
- Right-click the Windows 10 Start button and go to Device Manager.
- Expand the Network adapters menu.
- Right-click any entry that contains WAN Miniport.
- Press Uninstall device.
- Click Uninstall to confirm.
- Do this for all WAN Miniport entries.
The WAN Miniport network adapters will be automatically reinstalled by the operating system, as you can notice by right-clicking an entry in Device Manager and selecting Scan for hardware changes. Hopefully, this should fix VPN error 720 on Windows 10.
- 4
Update your device drivers
You can manually update your device drivers in Windows 10, particularly the network adapters, if you’re looking for a free solution to do this. However, if you’re in a hurry, it’s much easier to use driver update tools, which detect your outdated drives and upgrade them to the newer versions automatically.
- 5
Reset Winsock and flush DNS
- Launch Command Prompt as admin.
- Paste the lines (press Enter between each line)
ipconfig /flushdns
ipconfig /registerdns
ipconfig /release
ipconfig /renew
NETSH winsock reset catalog
NETSH int ipv4 reset reset.log
NETSH int ipv6 reset reset.log
exit
- Restart your computer.
This is a great method for quickly repairing networking issues that might interfere with your VPN connection. It might be enough to resolve error 720 on Windows 10 PC.
Find out more about fixing DNS issues in Windows 10.
- 6
Set your router’s IP address
- Use the PC configured to accept incoming VPN connections.
- Press Win + R, type cmd, press Enter.
- Type ipconfig and Enter.
- Select the IP address next to Default Gateway.
- Press Enter to copy it.
- Right-click the Start button and go to Network Connections.
- Click Change adapter options.
- Right-click Incoming Connections and go to Properties.
- Switch to the Networking tab.
- Double-click Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4).
- Select Use the following IP address and paste the gateway.
This solution forces the VPN server to use your router’s IP address, which should help fix VPN error 720 on Windows 10.
- 7
Use a premium VPN client
- Sign up for a PIA subscription plan.
- Download and install PIA.
- Launch the app and click its icon in the systray.
- Press the big power button to connect to the nearest VPN server.
If you buy a trustworthy VPN application like Private Internet Access, you don’t have to worry about VPN error codes on Windows PC anymore since the client auto-resolves those issues.
We used PIA in our example because it’s the best VPN for Windows 10 PC. It’s a product owned by Kape Technologies, which can be installed on a wide range of devices, including Mac, Linux, Android, and iOS.
PIA supports OpenVPN and WireGuard protocols with strong encryption. You can set it up on 10 devices at once as well as contact the 24/7 live chat support if you encounter any problems.
More about PIA:
- +3,300 VPN servers in 48 countries
- Exclusive DNS servers
- Port forwarding, split tunneling, kill switch
- No logs or leaks
- 30-days money-back guarantee (no free trial)
Private Internet Access
Connect to PIA’s fast and safe servers to avoid any VPN error codes and enjoy a smooth browsing experience.
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In conclusion, you can try the solutions above to fix VPN error 720 on Windows 10. However, if everything else fails, consider upgrading to a premium subscription plan.
We can’t think of a better VPN service than PIA. It’s also the best VPN for the Yandex browser.