Why won't the VPN connect? It tells me it's connecting, but then doesn't.

 

Sometimes you may experience an issue with the VPN on Mac where it just seems to get stuck. It will look like it is connecting, but never get any further.

This is because the VPN app we use at Royal Holloway, GlobalProtect, requires security permissions to run correctly and they either haven’t been granted, or an update on your Mac means you need to grant them again.  

You should have been asked to confirm these security permissions when you installed the app, but if you didn’t click on the Open Security Preferences button (or you weren’t prompted to), GlobalProtect will be unable to connect.

Follow these steps to grant GlobalProtect the security permissions required to work on your Mac:

1)      Open your System Preferences either from the icon in your dock, or by clicking on the Apple menu in the top left-hand corner of your screen and selecting System Preferences from the drop-down menu.

2)      Select Security & Privacy.

3)      Click on the padlock at the bottom of the window. You will be asked for your password to confirm you want to make changes.

4)      On the main ‘General’ tab of Security & Privacy there will be messages at the bottom that say "System software from [company] was blocked from loading.". You may have several messages queued. When you get to a message about Palo Alto Networks, click Allow.

5)      Click the lock icon when you have finished.

6)      Reopen GlobalProtect and attempt to connect. You should now connect as normal. If you are not immediately connected, restart your Mac and try again.

If you are unable to use GlobalProtect after following these steps, please contact the IT Service Desk.