Connecting a computer to a VPN is one way to securely access a network from a different location. In this tutorial, we’ll walk you through how to connect a Windows 7 computer to an L2TP/IPsec VPN server using a single Windows 7 computer as a client.

The L2TP/IPsec protocol was chosen because it is natively supported by Windows 7 and various other operating systems, including the latest versions of Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, and iOS, making it easy to implement in environments with various devices. Furthermore, L2TP combined with IPsec remains a reliable option because all data traffic is encrypted, making communication between clients and servers more secure than connections without a VPN.

Through this guide, you will learn the process of configuring VPN on Windows 7 until you successfully connect to the server using L2TP/IPsec.

1. Make sure you have the IP address or domain information of the VPN server, username, and also the password that will be used to connect to the VPN server.
2. Login ke komputer windows 7 anda, klik Start > Control Panel > Network and Internet > Network and Sharing Center > Setup a new connection or Network
   
   
   
   
   
   
3. In the wizard window, select Connect to a workplace
   
   
4. Pilih Use my internet connection (VPN)
   
   
5. Fill in the internet address (VPN server address) and also the destination name to make it easier to recognize the VPN profile that is currently being created.
   
   
6. Enter your username and password. You can leave the domain field blank if it’s not needed or if you don’t have domain information.
   
   
   
   After clicking connect, an error will appear because Windows 7, by default, tests an L2TP connection without IPSec.
   
   
   Click setup the connection anyway and proceed to the next step.
   
   
   
7. Switch to the system tray > click on the network icon > right click on the VPN profile you just created > click properties
   
   
8. Click the Security tab > change the type of VPN to Layer 2 Tunneling Protocol with IPSec (L2TP/IPSec)
   Then click Advanced properties, and fill in the preshared key in the key column.
   Finish by clicking OK on all windows.
   
   
9. Go back to the system tray > network icon > VPN profile > click Connect.
   
   
   In the window that appears, you don’t need to change anything, click Connect.
   
10. Check the VPN connection status again via the system tray. In this example, the client has successfully connected to the VPN server using the L2TP/IPSec protocol.